Bell 206 The Bell 206 is a family of two - bladed , single - or twin - engine helicopter s , manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel , Quebec plant . Originally developed as the Bell YOH - 4 for the United States Army ' s Light Observation Helicopter program , the 206 failed to be selected . Bell redesigned the airframe and successfully marketed the aircraft commercially as the five - place Bell 206A JetRanger . The new design was eventually selected by the Army as the OH - 58 Kiowa . Bell also developed a seven - place LongRanger , which was later offered with a twin - engine option as the TwinRanger , while Tridair Helicopters offers a similar conversion of the LongRanger called the Gemini ST . The ICAO - assigned model designation " B06 " is used on flight plan s for the JetRanger and LongRanger , and the designation " B06T " is used for the twin - engine TwinRangers . Development . On October 14 , 1960 , the United States Navy solicited response from 25 aircraft manufacturers to a request for proposals ( RFP ) on behalf of the Army for the Light Observation Helicopter ( LOH ) . Bell entered the competition along with 12 other manufacturers , including Hiller Aircraft and Hughes Tool Co . , Aircraft Division . Bell submitted the " D - 250 " design , which would be designated as the " YHO - 4 " . On May 19 , 1961 , Bell and Hiller were announced as winners of the design competition . Bell developed the D - 250 design into the " Bell 206 " aircraft , redesignated as " YOH - 4A " in 1962 , and produced five prototype aircraft for the Army ' s test and evaluation phase . The first prototype flew on December 8 , 1962 . The YOH - 4A also became known as the " Ugly Duckling " in comparison to the other contending aircraft . Following a flyoff of the Bell , Hughes and Fairchild - Hiller prototypes , the Hughes OH - 6 was selected in May 1965 . When the YOH - 4A was eliminated by the Army , Bell went about solving the problem of marketing the aircraft . In addition to the image problem , the helicopter lacked cargo space and only provided cramped quarters for the planned three passengers in the back . The solution was a fuselage redesigned to be more sleek and aesthetically appealing , adding 16 cubic feet ( 0 . 45 m ) of cargo space in the process . A Bell executive contributed to this redesign by drawing on a sketch two lines extending the fuselage to where it meets the tail . The redesigned aircraft was designated as the " Bell 206A " , and Bell President Edwin J . Ducayet named it the " JetRanger " denoting an evolution from the popular Model 47J " Ranger " . 206L LongRanger . The " 206L LongRanger " is a stretched variant with seating for seven ( the LongRanger , stretched a total of , adds two rear - facing seats in between the front and rear seats ) . Since their first delivery in 1975 , Bell has produced more than 1 , 700 Ls across all variant types . In 1981 a military version was released , the " 206L " TexasRanger " " . The original 206L utilized an Allison 250 - C20B engine , and a series of model upgrades replaced this engine with more powerful versions ; the 206L - 1 used a 250 - C28 , and the 206L - 3 and 206L - 4 used the 250 - C30P with 490 shaft horsepower and included twin turbine engines . In 2007 , Bell announced an upgrade program for the 206L - 1 and 206L - 3 which is designed to modify the aircraft to the 206L - 4 configuration ; modified aircraft are designated 206L - 1 + and 206L - 3 + . Modifications include strengthened airframe structural components ( including a new tailboom ) , improved transmission , upgraded engine for the L - 1 , all of which result in a max gross weight increase of 300 pounds and increased performance . On January 24 , 2008 , Bell Helicopter announced plans to terminate production of the Bell 206B - 3 model after current order commitments were fulfilled in 2010 . In 2011 , used 206B - 3s sell for approximately up to $ 1 . 4 million depending upon the equipment and configuration . Gemini ST and TwinRanger . The " TwinRanger " name dates back to the mid - 1980s when Bell first developed the " Bell 400 TwinRanger " , but it never entered production . In 1989 , Tridair Helicopters began developing a twin engine conversion of the LongRanger , the " Gemini ST " . The prototype ' s first flight was on 16 January 1991 , while full FAA certification was awarded in November . Certification covers the conversion of LongRanger 206L - 1s , L - 3s and L - 4s to Gemini ST configuration . In mid - 1994 the Gemini ST was certificated as the first Single / Twin aircraft , allowing it to operate either as a single or twin engine aircraft throughout all phases of flight . The " Bell 206LT TwinRanger " was a new build production model equivalent to Tridair ' s Gemini ST , and was based on the 206L - 4 . Only thirteen 206LTs were built , the first being delivered in January 1994 , and the last in 1997 . The TwinRanger was replaced in Bell ' s line - up by the mostly - new " Bell 427 " . Operational history . The first Bell 206A flew on January 10 , 1966 , and the aircraft was revealed later that month at the Helicopter Association of America ( HAA ) convention . On October 20 , 1966 , the JetRanger received full certification by the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) . Delivery of the JetRanger to customers began on January 13 , 1967 , with the first aircraft being purchased by Harry Holly , president of the Hollymatic Company and previous owner of a Bell Ranger . In 1968 , the United States Navy selected the 206A as its primary trainer , the " TH - 57 Sea Ranger " . The Army also eventually selected the 206A for a light observation helicopter as the " OH - 58 Kiowa " . The basic shape and design of the JetRanger remained unchanged since 1967 , but Bell introduced the " 206B JetRanger II " in 1971 . In 1977 , the " 206B - 3 JetRanger III " was introduced with its modified tail rotor and more powerful engine . The JetRanger is popular with news media for traffic and news reporting . The LongRanger is commonly used as an air ambulance and as a corporate transport . On September 1 , 1982 , pilots H . Ross Perot , Jr . and Jay Coburn took off from Dallas , Texas in the " Spirit of Texas " , a Bell 206L - 2 ( N3911Z ) . 29 days and 3 hours later , they returned on September 30 , 1982 , completing the first around the world helicopter flight making them Earthrounders . In 1983 , Australian Businessman Dick Smith became the first helicopter pilot to complete a solo trip around the world in 260 flight hours . During the trip , he landed his 206B - 3 ( S / N 3653 ; VH - DIK ) on prepositioned container ships to refuel between Japan and the Aleutian Islands . In 1993 , the U . S . Army chose the Bell 206B - 3 as the winner of the New Training Helicopter competition , to serve as its primary training helicopter , the " TH - 67 Creek " . On July 22 , 1994 , Ron Bower landed his 206B - 3 ( N206AJ ) at Hurst , Texas , completing a new world record , around the world flight . Bower had departed on June 24 , 1994 and returned 24 days , 4 hours , 36 minutes and 24 seconds later , averaging 35 . 62 knots ( 40 . 99 mph , 65 . 97 km / h ) . Bower had added a 91 - gallon auxiliary fuel tank , which doubled the JetRanger III ' s range . Operators . Civil . The Bell 206 has been popular all types of uses both commercial and private .