Thoughts on the Bell 206 JetRanger family
Bell B206 Jetranger Pros and Cons
In a discussion with a newly minted CPL(H) about helicopters and all things rotary, the discussion turned to the Bell B206 and ace mentioned they were old technology compared to the likes of Robinsons etc.
So how rotorheads what is the verdict on the B206?
So how rotorheads what is the verdict on the B206?
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It's the safest single engined aircraft in the world, it's very crashworthy and very nice to fly.
Just remember that old technology is proven technology (from someone who still uses DOS
)
The 44 apparently is very similar in flying characteristics.
Phil
Just remember that old technology is proven technology (from someone who still uses DOS
)The 44 apparently is very similar in flying characteristics.
Phil
What a lady...... But oh those seats 
5 hrs a day on 11KV lines will sort the men from the boys
Have to agree also about the de-misting capabilities, very dangerous in a climate like the UK early morn...
But you gotta love the "Jetbanger"
5 hrs a day on 11KV lines will sort the men from the boys
Have to agree also about the de-misting capabilities, very dangerous in a climate like the UK early morn...
But you gotta love the "Jetbanger"
I have more than 4000h on Type, it is really one of the best single engine helos of the world!
One question to the community:
Had been there any accidents caused by Mastbumping??
I never heared stories about that!?
One question to the community:
Had been there any accidents caused by Mastbumping??
I never heared stories about that!?
I don't have that many hours in the 206, most of my time is on heavier types.
Always loved the 206B though and have always enjoyed my short burst operational stints in them. I would love to have one as a toy.....unlikely now.
Always loved the 206B though and have always enjoyed my short burst operational stints in them. I would love to have one as a toy.....unlikely now.
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Wonderfully capable, and lovely handling machine. Baby Huey. Agree on the lack of heating, though never had a problem with seats (civil or Kiowa). Not a good shipbourne helo - narrow skids and high CoG.
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BeachBunny
I lost an aquaintance the same way.
I believe that there is a modification or two out there that uses bleed air vented through the windscreen blower to act as a demister. In the 80s, I installed an electrical defroster heater that was mounted inside a metal tube and installed in line with the factory windscreen blower. Drew a lot of amps but really did the job. I'll try to look up the 337 and see if it is still available.
Have one criticism, I may be mistaken, but I think it is the only turbine model which does not (as standard) have a heated demisting system. This has killed several good pilots, and very nearly myself. In spite of the evidence, and recommendations following accidents, this has still not been addressed as a standard feature.
Otherwise, a lot of fun, and a good solid workhorse.
Otherwise, a lot of fun, and a good solid workhorse.
I believe that there is a modification or two out there that uses bleed air vented through the windscreen blower to act as a demister. In the 80s, I installed an electrical defroster heater that was mounted inside a metal tube and installed in line with the factory windscreen blower. Drew a lot of amps but really did the job. I'll try to look up the 337 and see if it is still available.
Hovering AND talking
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with a newly minted CPL(H) about helicopters
Cheers
Whirls
"Just a pilot"
Flies well, crashes badly. The 206 was arguably the safest single engine aircraft because of simple reliability and excellent flying characteristics.
If I was to choose an aircraft in which to have an emergency, it would be a 206- right up until significant forward or vertical momentum is involved.
If I was to choose an aircraft in which to have an emergency, it would be a 206- right up until significant forward or vertical momentum is involved.
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Nice, reliable easy to fly and maintain helicopter, I always felt safe in the 206B but like others have said the seat was a problem, you couldn't stay in there for long without developing back and shoulder problems.
As for Cabin heaters (here in Canada) there was 3 kinds that I am aware of at least when I was flying them, it was the "Casey heater", also a gas operated heater I think they were called "Southwind heaters" and another bleed air system but can't remember the name.
The Southwind heater was delicate to operate and you had to be polite with it specially in cold weather like below minus 15/20 deg C. More heat would equal to more fuel in the heater and sometimes they would catch fire, it did to me and burned the back end of a 206 by the time I landed and used the extinguisher.
I learned my trade on them, learned to use finesse because of them.
Like they used to say "206B, perfect at nothing but good at everything"
JD
As for Cabin heaters (here in Canada) there was 3 kinds that I am aware of at least when I was flying them, it was the "Casey heater", also a gas operated heater I think they were called "Southwind heaters" and another bleed air system but can't remember the name.
The Southwind heater was delicate to operate and you had to be polite with it specially in cold weather like below minus 15/20 deg C. More heat would equal to more fuel in the heater and sometimes they would catch fire, it did to me and burned the back end of a 206 by the time I landed and used the extinguisher.
I learned my trade on them, learned to use finesse because of them.
Like they used to say "206B, perfect at nothing but good at everything"
JD
Last edited by fijdor; 29th Jan 2013 at 14:17.
The Bell 206 series was the cause for the invention of the term "LTE" (Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness) which has killed many pilots and passengers.
Simply put....not enough tail rotor to begin with.....which ultimately catches up with you in certain situations.
But....for a private owner....if you do something about the absolutely horrible seats....the 206 is a very reliable, reasonably cheap, pleasant aircraft to fly.
As has been noted....they are very good in autorotation should you have an engine failure and you respond correctly. They do not crash well....as they like to trip over their own feet, chop off their own tail booms, and have little structure under you to cushion an impact.
They have a reputation for being the safest single engine aircraft for a number of reasons.....design, reliability, and the fact they were flown in great part by experienced professional pilots.
The one real down side is the Pilot Seat.....Bell Helicopters have ruined more backs and necks than the NFL ever thought about.
Simply put....not enough tail rotor to begin with.....which ultimately catches up with you in certain situations.
But....for a private owner....if you do something about the absolutely horrible seats....the 206 is a very reliable, reasonably cheap, pleasant aircraft to fly.
As has been noted....they are very good in autorotation should you have an engine failure and you respond correctly. They do not crash well....as they like to trip over their own feet, chop off their own tail booms, and have little structure under you to cushion an impact.
They have a reputation for being the safest single engine aircraft for a number of reasons.....design, reliability, and the fact they were flown in great part by experienced professional pilots.
The one real down side is the Pilot Seat.....Bell Helicopters have ruined more backs and necks than the NFL ever thought about.
and another bleed air system but can't remember the name
With cabin heat via nozzles around your ankles and optional defrosters along the windscreen, it's $5,390 well spent. Err, plus a load of time to fit it I would imagine.
There was also an Air Comm Corp unit (same as Paravion??) and a Keith Products unit, but not sure that had defrost.
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There are a number of heater/defog systems that are STC'd for the 206, and some work better than others. There are also ECU systems available, which provide both cool and heated air. The most effective systems duct the bleed air to the pilot/pax feet, and to a bar at the bottom of the windshield, which does a very good job of keeping it clear.
The 206 is certainly old technology, having been designed in the late 1950s, and it had teething problems (the TT strap issue almost killed it) but it's certainly a proven design. I have something over 10,000 hours in the 206 series, and while it's not my favorite by any means, it gets the job done, relatively cheaply and efficiently. The big drawback for an owner is the TT strap issue, which is a huge, unavoidable recurring expense, but otherwise they just keep on flying. The autorotation characteristics are excellent, and the high rotor inertia lets you do things near the bottom that you couldn't even think about doing in newer models with lower inertia. That more than offsets the crash characteristics, IMO, because it gives you a much better chance of arriving at a controlled touchdown.
The 206 is certainly old technology, having been designed in the late 1950s, and it had teething problems (the TT strap issue almost killed it) but it's certainly a proven design. I have something over 10,000 hours in the 206 series, and while it's not my favorite by any means, it gets the job done, relatively cheaply and efficiently. The big drawback for an owner is the TT strap issue, which is a huge, unavoidable recurring expense, but otherwise they just keep on flying. The autorotation characteristics are excellent, and the high rotor inertia lets you do things near the bottom that you couldn't even think about doing in newer models with lower inertia. That more than offsets the crash characteristics, IMO, because it gives you a much better chance of arriving at a controlled touchdown.
Re the heater, I had Dart South 45 heaters in both my 206's and can thoroughly recommend them. As with any bleed air heater there is an amount of noise but it did the job in our -8C snowfields, plus kept the screen clear on a humid day
Crashworthiness? I turned one into a convertible and walked away after pulling hard enough to snap the collective, and the seat absorbed some but not all the impact. Luck of the game?
Reliable as can be, only let down once when a starter solenoid failed. Costs predictable within 5% which is as good as you'll get with 8-900/hr pa, lots of stories to tell
Crashworthiness? I turned one into a convertible and walked away after pulling hard enough to snap the collective, and the seat absorbed some but not all the impact. Luck of the game?
Reliable as can be, only let down once when a starter solenoid failed. Costs predictable within 5% which is as good as you'll get with 8-900/hr pa, lots of stories to tell
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Spent a good part of my life turning wrenches on the Jetranger. A couple of thoughts from a mechs perspective:
1. Engine change...easy peasy. Back in the day we would change engines offshore on a single pad toadstool. Wrap a big special-made belt around the main rotor blade above the engine, install a hoist, and pull it out. Stick another engine back in same way. Two men could change an engine and do a leak check in four hours or so.
2. Transmission change out, easy as well. Freewheeling unit same, but transmission input seals always leaked. Hydraulics were a breeze, never gave us any problems.
3. The TT straps were a sad story, a blemish on an overall great design for the time.
4. M/R head changeout was fairly straightforward, but many nights spent banging out the MR head bolts, especially if the last guy didn't use the right lube. Compare that with the Squirrel's blade pins, and it seems pretty silly.
5. On visiting ships I always liked to look inside the blade pins at the number of weights inside. Funny how sometimes one pin would be stuffed full, the other near empty. C'mon guys, try harder next time. Aligning the blades onto the hub and to each other was always a bit if a guessing game. Do we use string, or mirrors or scopes, or ....
6. Vibs were easy to diagnose and fix. One-One or Two-One and the old bouncing pencil. Track and balance was a breeze.
7. Never much trouble with the tail feathers, once the new T/R blades were installed. Rarely had T/R chips.
8. Last thing...Bell swashplates. We used to marvel at how sloppy they were compared with other designs. Didn't matter if it was a 206 or 212, we always had swashplate shimming, breakaway, bearing changes, on and on. Compared with sturdy Bolkows, Sikorskys, Squirrels and the rest, Bell never quite got the swashplates right.
All in all, a good machine, and she took lots of abuse. Still very fond of the Jetranger.
1. Engine change...easy peasy. Back in the day we would change engines offshore on a single pad toadstool. Wrap a big special-made belt around the main rotor blade above the engine, install a hoist, and pull it out. Stick another engine back in same way. Two men could change an engine and do a leak check in four hours or so.
2. Transmission change out, easy as well. Freewheeling unit same, but transmission input seals always leaked. Hydraulics were a breeze, never gave us any problems.
3. The TT straps were a sad story, a blemish on an overall great design for the time.
4. M/R head changeout was fairly straightforward, but many nights spent banging out the MR head bolts, especially if the last guy didn't use the right lube. Compare that with the Squirrel's blade pins, and it seems pretty silly.
5. On visiting ships I always liked to look inside the blade pins at the number of weights inside. Funny how sometimes one pin would be stuffed full, the other near empty. C'mon guys, try harder next time. Aligning the blades onto the hub and to each other was always a bit if a guessing game. Do we use string, or mirrors or scopes, or ....
6. Vibs were easy to diagnose and fix. One-One or Two-One and the old bouncing pencil. Track and balance was a breeze.
7. Never much trouble with the tail feathers, once the new T/R blades were installed. Rarely had T/R chips.
8. Last thing...Bell swashplates. We used to marvel at how sloppy they were compared with other designs. Didn't matter if it was a 206 or 212, we always had swashplate shimming, breakaway, bearing changes, on and on. Compared with sturdy Bolkows, Sikorskys, Squirrels and the rest, Bell never quite got the swashplates right.
All in all, a good machine, and she took lots of abuse. Still very fond of the Jetranger.
Last edited by Matari; 29th Jan 2013 at 21:53.
John Baby.....when you hit the up stop.....stop pulling! Funny how one can grade the autorotation by comparing the Collective levers....and also see who was flying when the aircraft hit the ground!
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Two men could change an engine and do a leak check in four hours or so.
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Good point helicopterray. The four hours, give or take, also depended a lot on the configuration of the new engine, how many accessories had to be swapped over, bellmouth & bleedvalve, etc. etc.
Suffice to say it was a fairly straightforward ship to work on...nothing like rigging the inboard fuel control on a Bolkow 105, at night, flashlight in mouth, fighting mosquitoes and nutria rats at the same time!
Suffice to say it was a fairly straightforward ship to work on...nothing like rigging the inboard fuel control on a Bolkow 105, at night, flashlight in mouth, fighting mosquitoes and nutria rats at the same time!
Jetbox, Jetbanger; yea ole faithful
Goodmorning
Yep the Jetbox is a back-breaking Dinosaur; but a dependable, trustable & reliable Dinosaur
Have crossed many a passes 20,000'+pa with her
highest landing\T/O: picked 1 x PAX on Rescue at 16,800'amsl @ 16oC 
She certainly needs finesse & the right technique applied to make her perform politely at ultra high altitude landings\T/O's & when heavy. But if You have that nailed she is charming
As for LTE yep, had that a 2 times, once 100 meters short onto a HeliPad at 15,000' set up into 20kt up-slope headwind, but the gully on my right side had a 15knot down-slope wind tunnel that hit me as I was arriving over the pad & BANG half rotation R, applied full-left pedal??? (nuttin? continued rotating right) so closed the throttle assuming I'd lost TR drive & did a hovering auto with 1 x PAX + 100kg cargo + 30usg GoJuice, WoW those blades have some inertia
Yaaar had LTA a few times in the early 206A with the small diameter TR, but never on the larger TR. 
Greatest complaint is; no heater for demisting & deicing.
Uncomfortable seats is secondary to demist & deice 
Can someone please direct me to any articles on the net re accidents incidents caused due to a lack of heater/demister on the B206 series please?
Land Happy always
VF
Yep the Jetbox is a back-breaking Dinosaur; but a dependable, trustable & reliable Dinosaur
Have crossed many a passes 20,000'+pa with her
highest landing\T/O: picked 1 x PAX on Rescue at 16,800'amsl @ 16oC She certainly needs finesse & the right technique applied to make her perform politely at ultra high altitude landings\T/O's & when heavy. But if You have that nailed she is charming
As for LTE yep, had that a 2 times, once 100 meters short onto a HeliPad at 15,000' set up into 20kt up-slope headwind, but the gully on my right side had a 15knot down-slope wind tunnel that hit me as I was arriving over the pad & BANG half rotation R, applied full-left pedal??? (nuttin? continued rotating right) so closed the throttle assuming I'd lost TR drive & did a hovering auto with 1 x PAX + 100kg cargo + 30usg GoJuice, WoW those blades have some inertia
Yaaar had LTA a few times in the early 206A with the small diameter TR, but never on the larger TR. Greatest complaint is; no heater for demisting & deicing.
Uncomfortable seats is secondary to demist & deice Can someone please direct me to any articles on the net re accidents incidents caused due to a lack of heater/demister on the B206 series please?
Land Happy always
VF
Last edited by Vertical Freedom; 30th Jan 2013 at 04:09.