General Aviation

Bell 206b

Manufacturer: BELL

The registry designation BELL 206b is reviewed here as part of the Bell 206 source. The Bell 206 is a family of light, two-blade helicopters that includes the five-seat JetRanger, stretched seven-seat LongRanger, military OH-58 Kiowa, and TH-57 trainer derivatives.

Aircraft Facts

Type Key
bell-206b
Class
General Aviation
Registry Count
790
Example Registration
N100NJ

Specifications

Length
9.5 m / 31 ft
Height
2.91 m / 9 ft
Max Speed
226 km/h / 140 mph
Cruise Speed
220 km/h / 140 mph
Range
624 km / 337 nmi
Ceiling
6100 m / 20000 ft
First Flight
1962-12-08
Production Start
1962
Production End
2017
Total Built
7300

Aircraft Overview

History

Bell first flew the YOH-4 prototype on 8 December 1962 for the U.S. Army light-observation competition. After the design was not selected, Bell reshaped it into the commercial 206A JetRanger; the stretched 206L LongRanger followed in 1975.

Design

The principal civil variants use a single Allison/Rolls-Royce Model 250 turboshaft and a two-blade main rotor. Later JetRanger and LongRanger marks introduced stronger engines, transmissions, tail rotors, and higher allowable weights.

Variants

This page is limited to the registry model 206b; specifications are published only when the source table or curated column matches it. The source distinguishes the 206A, 206B JetRanger II, 206B-3 JetRanger III, 206L LongRanger series, twin-engine conversions, OH-58 Kiowa, and TH-57 Sea Ranger.

Operations

Bell 206 aircraft have served in corporate transport, air ambulance, news gathering, training, observation, law enforcement, and utility operations worldwide.

Notable Facts

  • The YOH-4 first flew on 8 December 1962.
  • The commercial 206A JetRanger was introduced in 1966.
  • The stretched 206L LongRanger first flew in 1975.

Variants

  • 206B- 790 registrations - Example N100NJ

Machine-Readable Resources

Sources