Page 54 - World Airnews Magazine August 2020

FEATURE

85 YEARS OF BELL

1935 – 2020

ability to work in tandem.
Interestingly enough, Bell was also the creator of America’s first
ever jet-powered aircraft – the P-59 Airacomet.
It started with one man and one vision. But it took engineers, The model was not successful with the military brass and did not
pilots, strategists, military experts, communications personnel and see combat duty during WWII but paved the way for the develop-
many more to build this multi-faceted company. ment of the modern jet-engined US airplanes. And this is what led
The Bell Aircraft Corporation was founded on July 10th, 1935 to the creation of the Bell X-1 experimental prototype, which made
by Lawrence Dale ‘Larry’ Bell and today is a global multi-industry aeronautical history alongside Chuck Yeager.
company known as Textron aviation with a network of aircraft, But really if you ask anyone, everything started with the
defence, industrial and finance businesses. renowned Bell 47 Model dubbed the “Bubble” that became the
Its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, first certified helicopter for civilian use.
Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, Larry Bell concocted a three-step approach to introduce
and TRU Simulation + Training speak helicopters to everyday
for themselves. civilians and businesses.
Back to the beginning the company Today Bell uses this
is the creator of the legendary three-step strategy to
“Glamorous Glennis” X-1, Chuck bring vertical lift to new
Yeager’s companion for the very first audiences.
manned supersonic flight and from The first step starts
a military perspective one particular helicopter – the UH-1 Huey – with building skilled pilots. Needing more people to operate these
stands out against history. new vertical lift innovations, he and a team of several helicopter
During Bell’s peak production period during the Vietnam War, pilots began training pilots and mechanics to fly and sustain Bell
their teams were producing 150 Bell Hueys per month in addition aircraft.
to 50 other helicopters. It quickly gained a reputation as a durable, This legacy of developing dynamic aviators continues today
reliable platform. through the Bell Training Academy (BTA) a rotorcraft school.
The Huey and Cobra platforms grew into the powerful duo of the Teaching world class aviators to perform auto rotations and
Bell UH-1Y Venom and the Bell AH-1Z Viper. This fleet continues maintain helicopters requires more than just state-of-the-art
serves the United States Marine Corps and other global military facilities. It requires a team that can connect with the trainee and
organisations with their 85 percent commonality and seamless enrich their knowledge of flight.

World Airnews | August Extra 2020
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