Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Heavy-lift utility helicopter

Power Plant:

One 2,185 kw (2,930 shp) Lycoming T55-08D turboshaft

Specifications:

History:

The Bell 214 series was announced by Bell Helicopter Company in 1970 as a development of the Bell 205 and basically involved the installation of a Lycoming T53-L-702 engine providing 1,417 kw (1,900 shp). A prototype Model 214A (c/n 27004) became a demonstrator, which was evaluated by the Imperial Iranian Armed Forces, 287 examples being ordered in due course as the Model 214A. The prototype of the Model 214A (N214J – c/n 27001) flew for the first time on 13 March 1974. The initial contract was for the Iranian aircraft to be built at the Dallas Fort Worth facility of BellHelicopter and further examples would be built in Iran. Some 296 Model 214As and 39 214Cs were delivered before Iranian production ceased following the 1979 Revolution. The Model 214C differed in having a winch and search-and-rescue equipment.

The Model 214A aircraft was similar in size and appearance to the Model 205 and 212 but had a more powerful engine with an up-graded rotor system which provided better lifting capacity and performance in high temperatures and at high altitudes. The 214A on 29 April 1975 set a number of records for altitude and time-to-height, these including a max altitude of 9,071 m (29,760 ft); a sustained altitude in horizontal flight of 9,071 m (29,760 ft); and times of 1 min 58 sec to 3,000 m (9,842 ft), 5 mins 31.2 sec to 6,000 m (19,685 ft); and 15 mins 5 sec to 9,000 m (29,528 ft).

The Model 214B Big Lifter was offered to the civil market in 1976 after certification and had the same rotor drive and transmission system as the 214A. It had an advanced rotor hub with elastomeric bearings, an automatic flight control system, stability augmentation and civil avionics, separate dual-hydraulic systems, a larger engine deck to permit maintenance, a fire extinguishing system, and push-out escape windows in the cargo door. It could operate at a maximum payload up to 4,267 m (14,000 ft) density altitude and the skid undercarriage permitted it to operate in confined spaces. The 214B received certification on 27 January 1976 and production ceased in 1981 after about 70 examples were completed.

The Bell 214B series has been described as ‘the most powerful single-engine helicopter in operation’ and had a maximum lifting capacity of 3,000 kg (6,614 lb), with an endurance of 2.5 hours. Most examples in the civil area have been operated on fire-fighting, aerial lifting and charter operations. It has been operated on mining and exploration support work, salvage operations, tower construction, ferrying support equipment and conveying fire-fighters into the field. It has also been involved in the carriage of earth moving equipment, generators, welders and portable buildings. It had seating for up to 14 passengers, or twelve fully-equipped fire-fighters and a crew of two.

The power plant installed was the 2,185 kw (2,930 shp) Lycoming LTC4B-8D turboshaft, also known as the Honeywell T55-08D, and was flat-rated, having a transmission rated at 1,528 kw (2,050 shp) for take-off with a maximum continuous power rating of 1,379 kw (1,850 shp).

The Model 214B-1 was certificated to different standards and had a lower gross weight with an internal load, having an internal gross weight of 5,669 kg (12,500 lb).

For the fire season in 2013 the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services contracted with McDermott Aviation to operate six examples of the Bell 214B Big Lifter to operate from Jandakot, these machines being fitted with an Isolar ‘Tsunami’ belly tank with a 2,700 litre (594 Imp gal) capacity. Some of these machines were owned by McDermott Aviation, and a couple were leased from other operators, operating with their foreign registrations. The aircraft spend their lives travelling around the world operating during fire seasons and McDermott Aviation advertised that it had twelve examples in its fleet.

At one stage a variant was under development known as the Bell 214ST for Iran, to be built in a new facility in that country, this being a stretched twin-engined variant with a 2,183 kw (1,629 shp) Lycoming T55-08D turboshaft, and had a crew of two and up to 15 passengers, but it was cancelled following the overthrow of the Shah.

A number of Big Lifters have operated in this part of the world over the years and these have included: VH-SMI4 (c/n 2801) operated for a period but later becoming C-GTWI², LN-OSW, P21-OSW and LN-OSW;  VH-HAU² (c/n 28036 – ex N281JL) which later became N281JL, HL992, C-GGYX², HL9144, C-GTWS, 9V-[ntu], JA9202 and N16850; and VH-LYH (c/n 28050 – ex N234PH) which was exported, becoming 756 [A40], N234PH, N5750L. On 30 November 2017 a Bell 214B-1 became VH-SEK (c/n 28054 – ex P2-MSM, LN-ORM, SE-HLE, LN-ORM) registered to McDermott Aviation of Cooroy, QLD.

Examples have operated in New Zealand. A Bell 214B-1 ZK-HVY arrived for Heavilift in August 1985 and was used for forestry work throughout the country, as well as heavy lifting when required. On one occasion in March 1986 it lifted a 5.28 tonne bulldozer from Hollyford airstrip to Martins Bay on the Fiordland Coast. In 1987 it was painted in spurious military markings for the making of a film ‘The Rescue’ and had the doors removed and mock machine guns installed. It was exported to Canada in February 1988.

McDermott Aviation, a helicopter operator based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, has the largest fleet of this type of helicopter in the world, as at mid-2018 having 14 examples based in this part of the Pacific. One Bell 214B-1 of McDermott Aviation became ZK-HAU (c/n 28036 – ex N281JL).