BELL 47 G-3B-1 (SOLOY)
Reg. D-HEBA
Designed as the first civilian helicopter in the world, the American Bell 47 is a rare gem. Since she joined the Flying Bulls in 2003, visitors are fascinated by her purist construction with the striking glass cockpit.
This Bell 47 G-3B-1 Soloy was built in 1966 and is one of 16,000 different versions produced. Having received its type certificate on 8 December 1946, this was the world?s first helicopter designed for civilian use. Over the years, the Bell 47 proved to be incredibly durable. Originally destined for the US Military, many Bell 47 models were later converted to turbine power to further increase their longevity. The Bell 47 was named ?Soloy? after the Soloy company who converted the original 220 HP 6-cylinder Lycoming reciprocating engine to a more maintenance-friendly Allison 250 C-20 B power train.
In 1988, the Bell 47 was sold from the US to Europe and served as a crop duster for Air Lloyd in Bonn/Hangelar, Germany. Here, the helicopter sprayed steep hills in the winemaking regions of the rivers Rhine and Mosel. That was until 8 July 1998 when, after having served 9,906 flying hours and 28 minutes ? or 4,372 cycles (equalling the number of engine starts) ? the Bell took a hard landing und was severely damaged.
After repairs in the Offenburg hangar and a paint job in the original coluors, she successfully completed her test flight in 2002. Soon after, the Bell 47 took her place as a unique historic rotorcraft amongst The Flying Bulls.