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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Bell 47 developed from Arthur Young's early rotorcraft work and received civil certification in 1946. A single piston engine and two-bladed rotor powered a compact aircraft that found training, observation and utility roles. Many versions and licensed developments followed. The familiar 47G and enclosed-cabin 47J have visibly different configurations. Their seating and equipment should remain distinct.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A familiar cockpit brings back memories and exposes rust
Buckling into the Bell brought back memories of Schiff’s earlier life as a helicopter pilot and instructor. The bubble canopy was as impressive as he remembered, but familiarity did not restore proficiency by itself. Ken Obi provided the refresher instruction, arranged by the aircraft’s owner, Jim Magglos. The first hover revealed how much practice lay ahead.
AOPA Pilot · February 2011. Refresher instruction with Ken Obi in modified Bell 47G-3B-1 N15AR, nearly forty-seven years after Schiff’s earlier Bell 47 flying.
AOPA Pilot · Read more ↗The governor is an optional simulator convenience
FlyInside enables an engine governor by default for users without a full helicopter control set. It can be disabled for manual throttle work, with Set Helicopter Throttle Axis or Propeller Axis assigned separately from the collective. The choice changes the workload of flying the package.
B-47 · FlyInside · MSFS 2020
FlyInside · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube justinspirational · 76 min ·
How to fly a Bell 47 (classic 60s) helicopter flight training/instruction (full flight vid-comms)
A Bell 47 cross-country flight with cockpit communications and the pilot's commentary.
Real aircraft · Bell 47
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Bell 47
The Bell 47 developed from Arthur Young's early rotorcraft work and received civil certification in 1946. A single piston engine and two-bladed rotor powered a compact aircraft that found training, observation and utility roles. Many versions and licensed developments followed.
The familiar 47G and enclosed-cabin 47J have visibly different configurations. Seating and equipment differ between them. The simulator products identify their represented model.
Bell 47
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A restored police helicopter finds another life
Schiff records N15AR’s earlier Canadian police service as CF-PDX, its return to the United States and later modification and restoration. Owner Jim Magglos’s long affection for the Bell 47 connects that working past with its later recreational and instructional use.
AOPA Pilot · Bell 47 helicopter: movie and TV star ↗History of this modified G-3B-1 airframe
Development milestones
Designer: Arthur M. Young
First flight: December 8, 1945
Developed from: Bell 30
Wikipedia contributors · Bell 47 ↗Bell 47 · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1365577994
Pilot accounts
A familiar cockpit brings back memories and exposes rust
Buckling into the Bell brought back memories of Schiff’s earlier life as a helicopter pilot and instructor. The bubble canopy was as impressive as he remembered, but familiarity did not restore proficiency by itself. Ken Obi provided the refresher instruction, arranged by the aircraft’s owner, Jim Magglos.
The first hover revealed how much practice lay ahead. Schiff gradually recovered some coordination, while managing the throttle alongside the other controls reminded him of the work modern governors remove. Further exercises under Obi’s supervision deepened the lesson. By the end, his hands were sweaty and his conclusion was candid: returning to competence would take considerably more practice. The aircraft carried both the owner’s affection and the returning pilot’s memories, with neither substituting for current skill.
AOPA Pilot · February 2011. Refresher instruction with Ken Obi in modified Bell 47G-3B-1 N15AR, nearly forty-seven years after Schiff’s earlier Bell 47 flying.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗A preserved trainer interrupts a week with newer helicopters
Among the newer turbine helicopters at Bell’s school, the old 47 was a much-loved aircraft taken out only occasionally. Starting it proved more troublesome than the modern machines Charles had been flying, but the familiar sound soon rewarded the effort. People in the nearby pilots’ lounge watched as the pair prepared to leave.
Once airborne, the view through the bubble canopy was the delight he had hoped for. The aircraft moved at an unhurried pace, leaving time to notice the countryside and a hawk in the trees. Charles needed to adjust his approaches from the Schweizer he usually flew, then grew comfortable after a few circuits.
AOPA Pilot · July 2003. Bell Training Academy visit, flying a 1967 Bell 47G-4A with Kevin Brandt during a week centred on Bell 407 training.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗An old instructor introduces a different kind of coordination
Ramsay had admired the Bell 47 before she began helicopter training, so the chance to fly one with her old instructor was especially welcome. Even moving it out of the hangar took a small team. With so much machinery exposed, the pre-flight inspection felt unusually tangible, including a warning about grease everywhere.
She was surprised to be offered the first takeoff and pleased by the hover, but manual throttle control added another task to coordinate. Seating position mattered too: a cushion behind her would have made the cyclic easier to reach. After practice around the airfield, the long wait for the unbraked rotor to stop gave her time to enjoy the moment. Her broad smile on returning captures the pleasure of finally flying a machine she had wanted to know.
Personal account · September 2019. Heli Air, Wellesbourne, in modified 1966 Bell 47 G-CHOP; earlier Robinson experience shaped the comparison.
Read the full account · Cosy Life ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2020B-47
FlyInside · Released
B-47
FlyInside · Released
X-Plane 11B-47G-2A1
FlyInside · Released
B-47G-2A1
FlyInside · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 31 ft 7 in (9.63 m) |
| Height | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
| Empty weight | 1,893 lb (859 kg) |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,950 lb (1,338 kg) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Lycoming TVO-435-F1A six-cylinder vertically mounted horizontally-opposed air-cooled piston engine, 280 hp (210 kW) |
| Main rotor diameter | 37 ft 2 in (11.33 m) |
| Main rotor area | 1,085 sq ft (100.8 m² ) |
| Maximum speed | 91 kn (105 mph, 169 km/h) |
| Cruise speed | 73 kn (84 mph, 135 km/h) |
| Range | 214 nmi (246 mi, 396 km) |
| Rate of climb | 860 ft/min (4.4 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
The governor is an optional simulator convenienceB-47 · FlyInside · MSFS 2020
FlyInside enables an engine governor by default for users without a full helicopter control set. It can be disabled for manual throttle work, with Set Helicopter Throttle Axis or Propeller Axis assigned separately from the collective. The choice changes the workload of flying the package.
FlyInside B-47G-2A1 manual · PDF pp.11–14
FlyInside · Read the source ↗Heli Manager differs between purchase channelsB-47 · FlyInside · MSFS 2020
The guide describes Heli Manager inside the cockpit for the Marketplace edition and as a separate application for the website edition. The configuration features are otherwise shared. A switch on the panel reopens the in-cockpit manager after it has been dismissed.
FlyInside B-47G-2A1 manual · PDF pp.2,8–9
FlyInside · Read the source ↗Engine control and helicopter phenomenaB-47 · FlyInside · MSFS 2020
FlyInside describes a custom helicopter flight model, manual piston-engine throttle control and an optional governor for the Bell 47. The published feature list includes autorotation, vortex-ring state and retreating-blade stall.
Product page retrieved 2026-09-10 · Flight Dynamics; Systems; Features
FlyInside · Read the source ↗Developer controls for a customised helicopter experienceB-47 · FlyInside · MSFS 2020
FlyInside's Heli Manager offers settings for cyclic sensitivity, stability, realism and engine-failure behaviour. These are add-on configuration controls, not original Bell cockpit equipment. The guide explains their relationship to the simulator's own axis settings.
document snapshot; exact installed package not observed · PDF pp12,15-16
FlyInside · Read the source ↗Collective and manual throttleB-47G-2A1 · FlyInside · X-Plane 11
The guide assigns collective to the Throttle or Collective axis. With the governor disabled, manual engine throttle uses Throttle 1 Axis. These are the X-Plane assignments; the MSFS edition has its own control instructions.
Gathered X-Plane user manual · PDF pp.1–12; undated
FlyInside · Read the source ↗A separate X-Plane editionB-47G-2A1 · FlyInside · X-Plane 11
The developer records the initial X-Plane 11 release as v1.56 in December 2021. The v1.71 entry adds Mac and Linux support and replay support; its displayed date precedes older entries, so it is not used to establish release chronology.
retrieved 2026-09-13 · release and package scope
FlyInside · Read the source ↗Pilot account
A familiar cockpit brings back memories and exposes rustAOPA Pilot · February 2011. Refresher instruction with Ken Obi in modified Bell 47G-3B-1 N15AR, nearly forty-seven years after Schiff’s earlier Bell 47 flying.
Buckling into the Bell brought back memories of Schiff’s earlier life as a helicopter pilot and instructor. The bubble canopy was as impressive as he remembered, but familiarity did not restore proficiency by itself. Ken Obi provided the refresher instruction, arranged by the aircraft’s owner, Jim Magglos. The first hover revealed how much practice lay ahead.
Barry Schiff
AOPA Pilot · Read the source ↗A preserved trainer interrupts a week with newer helicoptersAOPA Pilot · July 2003. Bell Training Academy visit, flying a 1967 Bell 47G-4A with Kevin Brandt during a week centred on Bell 407 training.
Among the newer turbine helicopters at Bell’s school, the old 47 was a much-loved aircraft taken out only occasionally. Starting it proved more troublesome than the modern machines Charles had been flying, but the familiar sound soon rewarded the effort. People in the nearby pilots’ lounge watched as the pair prepared to leave. Once airborne, the view through the bubble canopy was the delight he had hoped for.
Michael Maya Charles
AOPA Pilot · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
B206 releases and manualFlyInside FlyInside B47 product and manualsFlyInside Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developers User Manual for Microsoft Flight SimulatorFlyInside FlyInside B-47G-2A1 user manual · X-PlaneFlyInside · Gathered X-Plane user manual · PDF pp.1–12; undatedAircraft background
Bell 47Wikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1365577994 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
FlyInside B47 updatesFlyInsideDeveloper documentation
FlyInside B-47 - F.A.Q.FlyInside · retrieved 2026-09-13 · release and package scope FlyInside B-47 - UpdatesFlyInside · retrieved 2026-09-13 · release and package scopeType 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 · 3 profile choices
FlyInside Bell 47G2 Skids
FlyInside · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
FlyInside Bell 47G2 Skids: Nominal cyclic spring and damping accompany the selected piston helicopter; optional governor and stability aids affect simulation handling separately.
FlyInside Bell 47G2 Floats
FlyInside · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
FlyInside Bell 47G2 Floats: Nominal cyclic spring and damping accompany the selected piston helicopter; optional governor and stability aids affect simulation handling separately.
Bell 47
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020 · X-Plane 11
Bell 47: Nominal cyclic spring and damping accompany the selected piston helicopter; optional governor and stability aids affect simulation handling separately.
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