Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
Bell reworked an unsuccessful military observation-helicopter proposal into the commercial JetRanger. The resulting 206 family became widely used for passenger transport, observation and utility work. The familiar single-engine versions use a two-bladed main rotor. The 206B JetRanger and stretched 206L LongRanger are separate branches of that story. Their cabins, engines and equipment are not identical.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A childhood airshow ride becomes a training goal
An eight-minute JetRanger ride at Farnborough when he was nine stayed with Berry for years. A later trial lesson renewed that enthusiasm, but adding the type to his licence meant a difficult choice about a limited training budget. He decided that learning the turbine helicopter was worth the additional commitment. The course challenged the confidence he had built in the R22.
Elstree Helicopters · May 2021. JetRanger type-rating account after predominantly R22 experience; the course was an extra commitment during commercial-pilot training.
Elstree Helicopters · Read more ↗The LongRanger searchlight has separate on/off and aim controls
The 206L3 guide maps searchlight power to TOGGLE TAXI LIGHTS. Directional landing-light bindings aim it, and the HOME binding restores the default position. The documented four-way cockpit switch supplies another way to move the light.
Bell 206 family · CowanSim · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
CowanSim · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube BC Helicopter
Bell 206 startup described and demonstrated in detail
BC Helicopters explains and demonstrates a Bell 206 start.
Real Bell 206; flight-school demonstration
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Bell 206 family
Bell reworked an unsuccessful military observation-helicopter proposal into the commercial JetRanger. The resulting 206 family became widely used for passenger transport, observation and utility work. The familiar single-engine versions use a two-bladed main rotor.
The 206B JetRanger and stretched 206L LongRanger are separate branches of that story. Their cabins, engines and equipment are not identical. Cowan documents each model's trim, autopilot and stability-assistance features separately.
Bell 206
Bell 206 family
Wikipedia contributors · Bell 206 ↗Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A JetRanger completes a solo journey around the world
Bell’s anniversary account records Smith’s departure from Fort Worth on 5 August 1982 and return the following year. The journey brought a helicopter normally associated with local transport into the history of long-distance solo aviation.
Bell · Forty years since the first solo helicopter circumnavigation ↗Manufacturer retrospective; distance totals differ between sources and are omitted
The expedition aircraft carried equipment beyond a normal cabin
Powerhouse records additional fuel capacity, navigation equipment, an autopilot and camera installations in VH-DIK. Its description also identifies survival equipment and later North Pole additions, showing why this individual expedition aircraft should not be treated as an ordinary passenger JetRanger.
Powerhouse Collection · Dick Smith Australian Explorer, VH-DIK ↗Museum documentation of its own donated airframe
Development milestones
First flight: December 8, 1962 (206) January 10, 1966 (206A)
Developed from: Bell YOH-4
Wikipedia contributors · Bell 206 ↗Bell 206 · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1373277311
Pilot accounts
A childhood airshow ride becomes a training goal
An eight-minute JetRanger ride at Farnborough when he was nine stayed with Berry for years. A later trial lesson renewed that enthusiasm, but adding the type to his licence meant a difficult choice about a limited training budget. He decided that learning the turbine helicopter was worth the additional commitment.
The course challenged the confidence he had built in the R22. Unfamiliar hydraulic controls, greater weight and a new cockpit made previously comfortable tasks demanding again. Berry especially valued instructor Paul White’s calm approach and emphasis on understanding the aircraft. His account is openly affectionate, including the pleasure of the turbine’s sound, but its strongest theme is the mental adjustment from feeling competent in one helicopter to becoming a learner in another.
Elstree Helicopters · May 2021. JetRanger type-rating account after predominantly R22 experience; the course was an extra commitment during commercial-pilot training.
Read the full account · Elstree Helicopters ↗A winter demonstration of the developing JetRanger
Middlebrook introduced the reporting team to a JetRanger II from Atlantic Aviation at Teterboro. The aircraft’s cabin helped explain its appeal beyond traditional utility work: entry was straightforward, the windows were generous and the reviewers found useful room in the occupied seats. The middle rear position was less accommodating, a detail retained alongside the favourable first impression.
Flying on a cool winter day, the team found quick control response that could encourage overcorrection at first. The approach also required adjustment to the helicopter’s ability to retain speed. They measured cabin noise and described the vibration rather than relying only on appearance. Their report preserves a contemporary introduction to the developing turbine transport, while distinguishing the conditions they experienced from comments other pilots supplied about turbulence.
Demonstration described by an uncredited May 1973 flight-report author, reproduced by Redback Aviation. Atlantic Aviation JetRanger II at Teterboro; Middlebrook is the named demonstrator.
Read the full account · Redback Aviation ↗Filming the world while flying around it alone
Smith’s journey required him to fly, navigate, communicate and record the view for a documentary. The museum’s account describes the exhaustion of the first Atlantic leg, after which he considered abandoning the attempt. Family reunions and periods of maintenance punctuated a trip completed in three stages, with substantial help from people arranging matters on the ground.
Crossing the North Pacific brought another unusual logistical task: finding a cargo ship able to provide a refuelling stop along the route. The successful return to Texas in July 1983 completed the circumnavigation. Smith continued using the helicopter for further adventures before flying it to the Powerhouse Museum in 1990. The donated aircraft and film preserve both the record and the personal work involved in making the journey visible to others.
1982–83 journey in modified Bell 206B JetRanger III VH-DIK, documented by Powerhouse curator Margaret Simpson using the donated aircraft, film and published accounts.
Read the full account · Powerhouse Collection ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024Bell 206 family · CowanSim
CowanSim · Released
Bell 206 family · CowanSim
CowanSim · Released
MSFS 2020B-206
FlyInside · Released
B-206
FlyInside · Released
X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12Bell 206 family · CowanSim
CowanSim · Released
Bell 206 family · CowanSim
CowanSim · Released
X-Plane 12B206
DreamFoil Creations · Released
B206
DreamFoil Creations · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 38 ft 9.5 in (11.824 m) including rotors |
| Height | 9 ft 6.5 in (2.908 m) |
| Empty weight | 1,455 lb (660 kg) |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,200 lb (1,451 kg) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Allison 250-C20 turboshaft engine, 400 hp (298 kW) |
| Main rotor diameter | 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m) |
| Main rotor area | 873 sq ft (81.1 m² ) |
| Maximum speed | 122 kn (140 mph, 226 km/h) at MTOW (sea level) |
| Cruise speed | 120 kn (140 mph, 220 km/h) at MTOW, 5,000 feet |
| Range | 337 nmi (388 mi, 624 km) at MTOW, 5,000 feet, cruise speed, no reserves |
| Service ceiling | 20,000 ft (6,100 m) at MTOW |
| Rate of climb | 1,350 ft/min (6.9 m/s) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Stability assistance and upper modes do different jobsBell 206 family · CowanSim · CowanSim · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Cowan's HeloSAS uses small cyclic corrections to stabilise the helicopter. The manual distinguishes force-trim behaviour with SAS engaged and disengaged, and explains the difference between spring-centred and non-centring controls. Its upper autopilot modes become selectable above 44 knots in the documented implementation. Stability assistance, rotor-speed governing and route-following modes are separate systems.
Archived document; installed package version not observed · PDF pp.1-2
CowanSim · Read the source ↗Choose the flight model through FlyInside Heli ManagerB-206 · FlyInside · MSFS 2020
FlyInside’s guide represents a 1982 206B-3 with a 250-C20B engine. The Heli Manager offers Easy, Medium and Realistic modes, with further controls for cyclic sensitivity, stability and engine failures. Those settings change the package's control response and assistance.
Gathered FlyInside guide · PDF pp.3,12–13
FlyInside · Read the source ↗The X-Plane 206 uses Wing Sweep for the twist throttleBell 206 family · CowanSim · CowanSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
Cowan’s XP12 206B3 manual explicitly maps a hardware twist throttle to Wing Sweep. Its configuration menu also offers an automatic starter-button hold, allowing the pilot to manipulate the throttle during starting. These are simulator interface choices rather than real-aircraft control names.
Gathered Cowan XP12 206B3 guide · PDF pp.2–3,6
CowanSim · Read the source ↗Camera controls and AviTab extend the working cockpitBell 206 family · CowanSim · CowanSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The Cineflex camera can be operated from the rear cabin or mapped to separate controls. Optional AviTab integration supports maps and PDF documents, including in VR. X-Plane’s Show Instrument Click Regions view exposes the model’s interaction points for easier cockpit exploration.
Gathered Cowan XP12 206B3 guide · PDF pp.4,9
CowanSim · Read the source ↗Disconnecting an upper mode can leave SAS activeBell 206 family · CowanSim · CowanSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The X-Plane SAS guide distinguishes trim release, upper-mode disconnection and the underlying stability system. Its published force-trim-release and autopilot-disconnect commands have different effects: disconnecting the upper modes can preserve SAS. The documented 44-knot threshold applies to mode availability, not to a universal helicopter operating limit.
Archived X-Plane SAS/AP manual · PDF pp.1-4
CowanSim · Read the source ↗Pilot account
A childhood airshow ride becomes a training goalElstree Helicopters · May 2021. JetRanger type-rating account after predominantly R22 experience; the course was an extra commitment during commercial-pilot training.
An eight-minute JetRanger ride at Farnborough when he was nine stayed with Berry for years. A later trial lesson renewed that enthusiasm, but adding the type to his licence meant a difficult choice about a limited training budget. He decided that learning the turbine helicopter was worth the additional commitment. The course challenged the confidence he had built in the R22. Unfamiliar hydraulic controls, greater weight and a new cockpit made previously comfortable tasks demanding again.
James Berry
Elstree Helicopters · Read the source ↗A winter demonstration of the developing JetRangerDemonstration described by an uncredited May 1973 flight-report author, reproduced by Redback Aviation. Atlantic Aviation JetRanger II at Teterboro; Middlebrook is the named demonstrator.
Middlebrook introduced the reporting team to a JetRanger II from Atlantic Aviation at Teterboro. The aircraft’s cabin helped explain its appeal beyond traditional utility work: entry was straightforward, the windows were generous and the reviewers found useful room in the occupied seats. The middle rear position was less accommodating, a detail retained alongside the favourable first impression.
Tuck Middlebrook
Redback Aviation · Read the source ↗Developer documentation
B206 — product listingB206 · X-Plane 12
Product listing captured 2026-09-24; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
DreamFoil Creations · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
CowanSim 206B3 user manual · MSFSCowanSim CowanSim 206L3 user manual · MSFSCowanSim CowanSim manualsCowanSim Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developers SAS Autopilot ManualCowanSim B206 releases and manualFlyInside User Manual for Microsoft Flight SimulatorFlyInside SAS ManualCowanSim User ManualCowanSim X-Plane aircraft and avionics manualsLaminar ResearchAircraft background
Bell 206Wikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1373277311 · retrieved 2026-09-12 Forty years since the first solo helicopter circumnavigationBell · Manufacturer retrospective · 2023Product
206B3 for MSFSCowanSim · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 206L3 for MSFSCowanSim · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 206B3 for X-PlaneCowanSim · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 206L3 for X-PlaneCowanSim · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 B-206FlyInside · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 B206 catalogue sourceDreamFoil Creations · Product listing captured 2026-09-24; edition scope from the reviewed catalogueType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 10 profile choices
CowanSim 206B3 JetRanger
CowanSim · Free and Pro · Revision 4 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
CowanSim 206B3 JetRanger: Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
CowanSim 206B3 JetRanger
CowanSim · Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
CowanSim 206B3 JetRanger: Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
CowanSim 206L3 LongRanger
CowanSim · Free and Pro · Revision 4 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
CowanSim 206L3 LongRanger: Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
CowanSim 206L3 LongRanger
CowanSim · Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
CowanSim 206L3 LongRanger: Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
DreamFoil Creations Bell 206B3 JetRanger (XP12)
DreamFoil Creations · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
DreamFoil Creations Bell 206B3 JetRanger (XP12): Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
FlyInside Bell 206 Skids
FlyInside · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
FlyInside Bell 206 Skids: Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
FlyInside Bell 206 Floats
FlyInside · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
FlyInside Bell 206 Floats: Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
Bell 206B3 JetRanger
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
Bell 206B3 JetRanger: Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
Bell 206L3 LongRanger
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
Bell 206L3 LongRanger: Magnetic brakes and force-gradient springs provide mechanism context for cyclic centering; longer cabin or rotor audio does not establish a heavier cyclic.
Bell 206 JetRanger
Free and Pro · Revision 4 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020 · X-Plane 12 · X-Plane 11
Hydraulically assisted cyclic controls with selected friction and trim behaviour, plus two-blade rotor cues.
Documented interfaces
Source-documented identifiers. Documentation does not prove that every add-on populates a value correctly.
SAS/force_trim_release
Hold/release FTR; SAS engagement gesture described separately.
- Units
- none
- Access
- execute command
shared Cowan XP SAS manual; installed package must supply command
CowanSim · PDF p4; shared SAS command list ↗SAS/autopilot_disconnect
Disconnect upper modes; SAS behavior follows the manual.
- Units
- none
- Access
- execute command
shared Cowan XP SAS manual; installed package must supply command
CowanSim · PDF p4; shared SAS command list ↗Discuss this aircraft (0)
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