Earlier this year, Bell Helicopter celebrated the 40th anniversary of its popular single-turbine light helicopter, the JetRanger. The Bell JetRanger is the most ubiquitous turbine single-engine civilian helicopter in the world. By the beginning of this year, Bell had delivered more than 4,800 Model 206B JetRangers and 1,700 copies of its more powerful, stretched seven-seat variant, the 206L LongRanger, and the fleet had amassed more than 55 million operating hours. Two years ago, Bell reported that the highest-time JetRanger had accumulated 38,000 flight hours. JetRangers have set numerous distance records, including several around-the-world flights.
Bell began working on what would become the JetRanger in 1960, when it was competing for an Army contract to provide 4,000 light scout/attack helicopters for the Vietnam War. In 1965, Bell lost that contract to the slightly faster and lighter Hughes OH-6 Cayuse or Model 369, the civilian variant of which would later be known as the Hughes 500. (An updated version of this helicopter, the 500E, is manufactured by MD Helicopters.)
More In Regulations and Government
