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on the Bell 206B JetRanger
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The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single and twin engined helicopters manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. The type was developed in 1960/61 for the US Army's Light Observation helicopter programme but was not selected, so Bell redesigned the airframe and successfully marketed it commercially.
The first model was a 206 JetRanger; the prototype made its maiden flight on 8 December, 1962. In addition to an image problem (it was nicknamed the Ugly Duckling), the helicopter lacked cargo space and only provided cramped seating for three passengers. Bell redesigned the fuselage, making it sleeker and more aesthetically appealing, and added 16 cubic ft of cargo space in the process.
The first Bell 206 Jet Ranger flew on January 10, 1966, and the aircraft was revealed later that month at the Helicopter Association of America convention. It was certified by the FAA on October 20, 1966 and customer deliveries began on 13 January, 1967.
Bell introduced the 206 JetRanger II in 1971. The 206 JetRanger III followed in 1977 with a modified tail rotor and more powerful engine.
Production ceased in 2017.
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| World fleet | Charter fleet | Typical pax | Cabin volume | Cruise | Range | Years | |
| Bell 206A | ●● | ● | ● | ●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Agusta AB206A | ●● | ● | ● | ●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Bell 206B | ●●● | ●●● | ● | ●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Agusta AB206B | ●● | ●● | ● | ●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Bell 206B-3 | ●●●● | ●●● | ● | ●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Agusta AB206B-3 | ●● | ●● | ● | ●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| 02/02/2023 | EASA: 10080191. ●●●●●●●●●●
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| November 29, 2020 | ANAC issues STC for Van Horn 206B rotor blades |
| November 8, 2020 | Van Horn says era of composite blades is born |
| October 6, 2020 | Bell gives endorsement to AMC Intercopter |
| September 21, 2020 | Bell unveils first two European AMCs |
| August 19, 2020 | Van Horn trumpets advantages of Version 2 blade |
| July 8, 2020 | PPS declares Van Horn tail rotor the best |
| February 23, 2020 | Garmin touchscreen navigator upgrade is approved |
| October 28, 2019 | Jotov jumps at chance to purchase Bell 206 sim |
| October 12, 2019 | Rotary sim sales agreement spans Europe and Australia |
| September 17, 2015 | DragonFly to cater to racing enthusiasts and beyond as rotary AOC becomes a reality |
| September 10, 2014 | Me & my aircraft: Single engine helicopters – Single helis are adaptable and robust, with twin benefits at lower cost |
| April 3, 2014 | JetRanger simulator is a first for South Africa |
| April 3, 2014 | Keys Aviation seeks Squirrel to carry out hot and high Kilimanjaro rescues |
| October 10, 2013 | Helicentre given the go ahead for eight-year pipeline contract |
| May 9, 2012 | JetRanger boosts Copenhagen fleet |
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