Bell 47 The Bell 47 is a two - bladed , single engine , light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter . Based on the third Model 30 prototype , Bell ' s first helicopter designed by Arthur M . Young , the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946 . More than 5 , 600 Bell 47 aircraft were produced , including those produced under license by Agusta in Italy , Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan , and Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom . The Bell 47J Ranger is a modified version with a fully enclosed cabin and fuselage . Design and development . Early models varied in appearance , with open cockpits or sheet metal cabins , fabric covered or open structures , some with four - wheel landing gear . Later model D and Korean War H - 13D and E types settled on a more utilitarian style . The most common model , the 47G introduced in 1953 , can be recognized by the full bubble canopy , exposed welded - tube tail boom , saddle fuel tanks and skid landing gear . The later three - seat 47H had an enclosed cabin with full cowling and monocoque tail boom . It was an attempt to market a " luxury " version of the basic 47G . Relatively few were produced . Engines were Franklin or Lycoming vertically - mounted piston engines of 200 to 305 HP ( 150 to 230 kW ) . Seating varied from two ( early 47s and the later G - 5A ) to four ( the J and KH - 4 ) . As of 2005 , many are still in use as trainers and in agriculture . In April 2011 there were 1068 registered with the FAA and 15 in the UK . Bell 47s were produced in Japan by a Bell and Kawasaki venture ; this led to the Kawasaki KH - 4 variant , a four - seat version of the Model 47 with a cabin similar to the Bell 47J . It differed from the " J " in having a standard uncovered tailboom and fuel tanks like the G series . It was sold throughout Asia , and some were used in Australia . In February 2010 , the Bell 47 type certificate s were transferred to " Scott ' s Helicopter Services " . Scott ' s intend to restart production of a turboshaft powered version of the helicopter , using a Rolls - Royce RR300 engine and with composite rotor blades , with deliveries planned from 2016 . Operational history . The Bell 47 helicopter entered U . S . military service in late 1946 , in a variety of versions and designations for three decades . In the Korean War , it was designated the H - 13 Sioux by the U . S . Army . It has also served as the helicopter of choice for basic helicopter flight instruction in many countries . The " Telecopter , " a Bell Model 47 rented by television station KTLA in Los Angeles , California , outfitted with a television camera , made the worlds first flight by a television news helicopter on July 3 , 1958 , with its inventor , John D . Silva , aboard . When the television station reported that it was receiving no video , Silva exited the helicopters cockpit to climb onto its landing skid while it hovered at 1 , 500 feet ( 457 m ) so that he could investigate the microwave transmitter bolted to its side , where he discovered that a vacuum tube had failed due to vibration and hot weather . After Silva fixed the problem overnight , the Telecopter made the worlds first successful television news flight on July 4 , 1958 . The San Diego County Sheriff ' s Department used the Bell 47 when it started its law enforcement helicopter division in 1971 . The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) had a number of Bell 47s during the Apollo program , used by astronauts as trainers for the lunar lander . Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan had a nearly disastrous crash into the Indian River in Florida in 1972 , shortly before his flight to the moon .