Bell H-13 Sioux – Foto e Video

Le Campana H-13 Sioux era un elicottero leggero monomotore monorotore costruito dalla Bell Helicopter. La Westland Aircraft produsse i Sioux su licenza per l'esercito britannico come Sioux AH.1 e HT.2.

fonte: Bell H-13 Sioux su Wikipedia

The Bell H-13 Sioux was a two-bladed, single-engine, light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company’s first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The H-13 was the first mass-produced helicopter and the first to enter civilian service in 1946. It was mainly used for observation, utility, and training purposes.
The H-13 had a metal frame covered with fabric and a plexiglass bubble canopy that gave the pilot and passenger a wide field of view. It had a single three-cylinder Franklin piston engine that drove the main rotor and the tail rotor through a shaft and gearbox. The main rotor had a semi-rigid design that enabled the helicopter to perform autorotation in case of engine failure. The tail rotor was mounted on the left side of the tail boom and counteracted the torque of the main rotor.
The H-13 was initially designated as the YR-13 by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and later as the YH-13 by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was also ordered by the United States Navy (USN) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) as the HTL-1. In 1948, the USAAF became the United States Army (USA) and redesignated all its helicopters with an H prefix, thus the YH-13 became the H-13A. The USA ordered several variants of the H-13 for different roles, such as the H-13B with a more powerful engine, the H-13C with a metal skin instead of fabric, and the H-13D with an improved transmission and rotor blades.
The H-13 became famous for its use in the Korean War, where it was nicknamed the “Angel of Mercy” for its role in evacuating wounded soldiers from the battlefield. It was also featured in the film and television series M*A*S*H, where it was known as the “MASH chopper”. The H-13 was also exported to several countries, such as Canada, France, Italy, Japan, and Sweden. It was produced until 1967, when it was replaced by more advanced models such as the Bell UH-1 Iroquois. The H-13 is considered one of the most successful and influential helicopters in history.