Bell 206/406/407 family
While Bell initially lost the competition for a new light observation helicopter for the United States Army to Hughes (with its OH-6), the Bell model 206 eventually became a very popular helicopter for the civil market, and later also for the military. The Jet Ranger - as the original 206 is called - has a very distinctive appearance with its large curved cockpit front windows and in particular the large windows below the feet of the pilot, covering the underside of the nose almost completely. Also, the shape of the rear fuselage, with a pointed bent, is typical. The main rotor is placed on a long mast and can have two or four blades, depending on the exact model. The tail boom is quite narrow and has the tail rotor at the left end. The vertical fin up and down is attached to the right side of the tail boom. Simple horizontal stabilisers are located about halfway the boom.
The front of the Jet Ranger family is full of glass. Especially the large rounded windows at the feet of the crew is characteristic for the helicopter.
The swept vertical stabilisers of the Bell 206 family seem just glued to the right side of the narrow tail boom. Also note the pointed rear of the fuselage.
Different versions
To distinguish the different versions of the Bell 206/406/407 family you'll have to look at, amongst others
- the number of main rotor blades
- the number of engines
- the length of the fuselage
- the presence of end plates on the horizontal stabilisers
- the shape of the gear box/engine housing
Details will be added later.
Confusion possible with
HESA Shahed 278
It is obvious that HESA lend a lot from the Bell 206 when it developed the Shahed 278. The Shahed 278 has in particular a differently shaped fuselage, without the typical pointed bent in the rear, and less curved cockpit windows. Also, the horizontal stabilisers are placed on top of the vertical fin. (photo: Shahram Sharifi/WikiMedia)
Bell 505
The Bell 505 is the successor of the Bell 206. The rotor system and tail boom are similar to that of the Jet Ranger family, but the fuselage is different, with a more rounded rear and window arrangement. Also note the typical rectangular cooling intakes around the main air intake of the engine.
Robinson R44/R66
The long cabin variants of the Robinson R22 have a similar pointed bent in the rear of the fuselage, and also a narrow tail boom and tail. The R44 and R66 however have a typical fairing around the long rotor mast and no engine housing on top of the fuselage. Also the windows are different.
Bell 400 TwinRanger
The windows of the Bell 400 TwinRanger look similar to those of the Bell 206L, but is has a more rounded fuselage. Additionally, the Bell 400 has a shrouded two blade tail rotor.