Discovery Channel Fairytale

[cap]

Freefall et al --------the first "A" Models had the instrument panel from the Bell 47G4A Models.......staright up and down rectangle with no 'branching-out' to the left and right above the radio cluster. Ergo, seeing out through the chin bubbles was a total 'non-issue' of any type, no matter how tall tou sat.

 

Up until about '71, ALL Bell 206 fuselages were built by Agusta Bell in Italy and shipped to the US for add-on assemblies.

 

What panel was used for the US Army version I cannot tell you. Saw one in 'Nam from a distance, but it had been parked for months. It was pretty useless at the humidexes that we had to operate at. It wouldn't have lasted long up in "I" Corps in the north where I was stationed.

 

CF-IAN was originally an eastern Canadian a/c and if memory serves me correctly, she ended -up back there and met her death in the water, off-of a wharf at Ontario Place when someone attempted to steal her one night. I had time logged on her and that would be 'way back when' she operated with Pegusis Helicopters, Oakville, Ont (later to merge with Dominion Helicopters Ltd, King City, Ont. to form Dominion-Pegusis Hel., King City, Ont).

 

The first "A's" had hydraulicly 'booted' pedals as SOB mentioned. They were greatly disliked by many, but Yours Truly liked them alot. You could move either pedal by almost just thinking about it. They carried a bad reputation because there was a 206 operated at EXPO in Montral in '67 and it had a pedal 'jam' forward with 5 pax onboard and ended-up 'going in' nose down and killing everyone onbioard at the EXPO site. Leaving the seat with the a/c running at idle was not the smartest thing one could do because either pedal could 'walk' full forward and then the a/c wanted to do a 360 'dosy-doe' on the ground.....on the same spot. Having spent a lot of time at that point on the UH-1D, I was in the habit of turning "OFF" the hydraulics anyway, but for those without any Medium time, they had to learn the 'hard-way'.

 

The oldest a/c that I personally flew with OKie, many years later, was CF-OKN and I believe her s/n was 65. and she had an E/W at that time of around 1,525lbs.

 

Good questions guys and made me test the 'memory cells'.

 

** Just an add-on that might interest some that don't date back that far............the 206 M/R blades back then, only had the outer trim tabs on the blades and the inner trim jabs didn't exist.

[Elvis]

Actually Cap there were only two onboard at Expo they were duing a maintenance flight.

[Cambox]

................ a common Eurocopter initial mistake!

 

Mmmmmmm I have to wonder about this statement??? Not many Aerospat machines were underpowered; unless nope, even the ol' Alouette II was way over powered!! Maybe you're thinking of the 206A or L? :shock: :shock:

 

R...

 

 

 

A 120 kick a 206's a$$ at altitude? Doubt that, hmmmmm, guess thats why there are so many of them operating in BC? A good machine, but simply underpowered, a common Eurocopter initial mistake!

[407 too]

"The oldest a/c that I personally flew with OKie, many years later, was CF-OKN and I believe her s/n was 65. and she had an E/W at that time of around 1,525lbs."

 

 

 

flew s/n 28 (XUP). did have the upright panel, with the chip lights added onto the side. was converted to c-20. LIGHT under 1500 lbs. competing aircraft from associated thought i was overtorqing when i would near vertical with 3 native and a water-boy water bucket on board (remember those !!!)

 

also flew s/n 89 (PAO), but was "B" model with the classic 206 panel, and heavier.

[Night Hawk]

I flew two old Kenting machines, I seem to remember s/n's 11 and 14 one was KBL, I have a picture of the panel somewhere that I'll try and find and post.

[Freefall]

That would be cool if you posted a pic I've never seen one of those old instrument panels. Great slave still has some of the blades with the single trim tabs I flew a machine with them last summer. My dad has two older converted A's although I'm not sure the serial numbers the registrations are GXBX and GPFR and they both have the old cowlings without the "fins" that direct the air into the intake. I dont remember seeing any other machines that still have those.

[cap]

Elvis--------you may well be correct about the 206 at EXPO. I was aroundnor a witness to the event because I wasn't even back home in Canada Yet. That part of my post was therefore not personal experience, but 'third party'.

 

Cambox ------Bell products have always been limited by what their a/c's transmission can take. Aerospatiale never has had that problem with all of their products that I flew at one time. They always liked the single-shaft turbine also, rather than any type of reverse-flow turbine like the 206 had. Then again, for most of Aerospatiale's life they made their products for French military contracts strictly and the civilian market was just an added benefit years later.

[Cambox]

Cambox ------Bell products have always been limited by what their a/c's transmission

 

True enough......... the A & original L models weren't at all underpowered...........

 

most of Aerospatiale's life they made their products for French military contracts strictly

 

I know. I know, the 206, 204 etc etc were made for the civilian markets and the military contracts just came up later.......

 

LOL.. I guess we could go on and on about this forever; I've always said, they're all good (in their own way) or none of them would ever of sold!

 

And yes, Aerospat used fixed shaft turbines for the longest time, not real economical, but man talk about power and reliability!

 

R...

 

PS...... If I'm not mistaken, and I might be, didn't Niagra have the first civilian 206 (S/N 13) in Canada????

 

 

 

Elvis--------you may well be correct about the 206 at EXPO. I was aroundnor a witness to the event because I wasn't even back home in Canada Yet. That part of my post was therefore not personal experience, but 'third party'.

 

Cambox ------Bell products have always been limited by what their a/c's transmission can take. Aerospatiale never has had that problem with all of their products that I flew at one time. They always liked the single-shaft turbine also, rather than any type of reverse-flow turbine like the 206 had. Then again, for most of Aerospatiale's life they made their products for French military contracts strictly and the civilian market was just an added benefit years later.

[cap]

Cambox --------You are correct about the 204 & 206 of course. The 204 came off the design boards for the USAF in 1956 and the 206 in 1963 to meet a military request for a turbine-powered R/W for the Army. They already had a Light observation R/W before the 206 and that was the H-13 (Bell 47). Aerospatiale built a/c exclusively for the French military for decades before thay ever had one show-up in the civilian world. I alsways used to laugh that the most recent AWD, SB or notice on the Allouetter II was a T/R Gearbox Inspection dated 1958 because one had been 'lost' years before with all pax.....long before I had learned to drive a car.

 

The Allouette II came off the line with the Artouste and it found it difficult to pass a fuel stop without caughing. That is where, to the unknowing, that the Allouetter II got it's reputation as a 'fuel hog'....and rightly so. They followed that up with the Astazou and my fuel burn with that was just about equal with a 206B that was also operating a Janitol Heater, or if you like, about 30GPH. Comparing the Astazou ebgine to the C-20 was nothing but a big joke in all departments, including maintenance. The saying was that it would take 'an Act of Parliament to make the Astazou fail'.....and I had problems with them over the years, but nothing compared to the c-18/20.

 

The first 206 in Canada was operated by a radio station in Toronto......and was the first 206 I ever flew after I re-entered the civilian world after 'Nam. The pilot for many years was one Smitty Pruner, a very close friend of mine and now long deceased. He was acknowledged to be the highest-time 206 pilot in Canada when he passed-away. The a/c registration escapes me right now, but it's still around and someone told me years ago that it was being kept off the market because it was felt that it should go into a Canadian R/W Museum sometime in the future. Paul Ostrander's (Niagara) 206's were some of the first into Canada alright, but they weren't the first. Paul was 'first' for many things is a story all unto himself because he was also one of the first 3 R/W Licensed engineers in Canada.

[helidude]

Correct me if I'm wrong here but wasn't the first Jetranger in Canada bought by a Montreal Radio station CJAD, thus the registration C-FJAD? It was owned by Great Slave Helicopters when I worked there in the mid nineties and that's the story I heard at that time.