BELL 47 D-1

The Bell Aircraft Corporation was well known for their fighters, the P-39 Airacobra and the P-63 Kingcobra.
They built the first turbojet powered fighter in the USA, the P-59 Airacomet, and the Bell X- 1 in which Charles Yeager broke the sound barrier on October 14th 1947.

The first helicopter of the Bell Aircraft Corporation, the Bell 47, was in production for more than 25 years. Norway joined the NATO in 1949.  From this day on, the RNoAF inventory of airplanes increased dramatically. This again highlighted the need for an expansion of the rescue service. Naval rescue had until now been handled by 333 sqn. with their Catalina amphibians. The Catalinas, however, could not be used for overland rescue operations. Several countries had started using helicopters for rescue operations and the RNoAF now also wanted the same. The Bell 47 with its characteristic plexiglass cupola had been used successfully in the Korean War. This was also to be the type chosen by the RNoAF, and on September the 24th. 1952 a contract was signed with the Bell Aircraft Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas, securing the delivery of 6 Bell 47 D-1. These helicopters were delivered through the Swedish company Ostermann's Aero, which also had the training of the first helicopter crews. After a period of two month's training,  four of the helicopters could be flown home to Sola (Stavanger). This happened  April 13th 1953. The last two machines were sent to the Marinens Flyvefabrik in Horten for assembly.

The new rescue service was from the beginning on organized as "helicopter-sections" at Rygge, Sola, 0rlandet and Bodø Air Bases. The names of these units were later altered to "Support Wings". Because of the rescue and ambulance missions were often carried out in severe weather conditions, the type had several crashes and incidents. Already as early as November 1953, 2 Bell 47 D-l were damaged; the first having to make a forced landing near Dal to the east of Gardermoen. At Sola, November 14th the pilot lost control of another helicopter. The cause was a bolt coming loose in the tail-rotor assembly. Both a/c were repaired, and luckily, no one was hurt. More helicopters were ordered to make up for the crashes. In total the RNoAF had 14 helicopters of the type in its inventory.

In 1971, Bell 47 was replaced with other types of helicopters.

The helicopter on display in the museum is a 47 D- 1, one of the first six helicopters which arrived April 1953.
This helicopter was used by the RNoAF until 1968. It was then sold to A/S Flytransport at Hamar, and entered on the civilian register. Operationally this helicopter was used until 1977. As a result of a trade, the helicopter again became military, now on the hands of the Norwegian Museum of Defence. It is today displayed in its civilian markings.