Bell H-13 Sioux

what is it?

The Bell H-13 Sioux is an American single-engine light helicopter built and produced by Bell Helicopter for the military and licence-produced by Westland Aircraft for the British military as the Sioux AH.1 and HT.2. It was the first helicopter to be certified for civil use. The H-13 Sioux is named after the eponymous Native American ethnic group.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine · 11.3 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 169 km/htop speed
• range 439 kmwithout refuelling
• size 1,339 kgmax take-off weight
• built 2,407made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 81 years ago, in 1945.
• 🚗Rotor of 11.3 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1945-12-08

introduced

1946

status

retired

number built

2,407

role

light observation helicopter

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Bell Textron

engines

1× Lycoming TVO-435-A1A

crew

1

length

9.6 m

rotor diameter

11.3 m

height

3 m

max take-off weight

1,339 kg

top speed

169 km/h

cruise speed

135 km/h

range

439 km

ceiling

4,907 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family