US Helicopter Registry

Bell47

493 Bell 47 helicopters hold a valid FAA registration, 3 percent of the US fleet and the number 9 type by count. It is a piston single helicopter, built by Bell.

493
Registered in the US
0
On a Part 135 certificate
1964
Median year built
3
Seats (FAA reference)

Variants the FAA lists

The FAA lists it under 24 model strings, folded together here. The strings are the manufacturer's own designations as typed on the registration, so a suffix marks a sub-model, an engine option, or sometimes only a different clerk.

Model as registeredRegistered
47G-288
47G-3B-187
47G59
47D149
47G-540
47G-3B-225
47G-4A20
47G-2A19
47G-5A19
47G-3B15
47G-2A-113
47G-413
47G3B2A7
47H-16
47J6
47J-26
47J-2A5
47D4
47G-SUPER C-44
47G23
47D1G2
47B1
47G-3B11
47K1

Where the Bell 47 is registered

By the registrant's state. A trust or leasing company can put a whole fleet at one address, so a state's count is about paperwork as much as flying.

When they were built

  • 1940s 204%
  • 1950s 10622%
  • 1960s 18538%
  • 1970s 5010%
  • 1980s 20%
  • 2010s 10%

The register runs from 1946 to 2010, with 1966 the busiest year at 34 airframes. 129 records carry no year of manufacture.

Who registers them

  • Individual 18437%
  • Corporation 17936%
  • LLC 11022%
  • Co-owned 153%
  • Government 31%
  • Non-citizen corporation 10%
  • Partnership 10%

The organisations with the most Bell 47 helicopters registered. Private individuals are counted above but never named.

RegistrantHelicopters
WILBUR-ELLIS CO14
MAGNUM AVIATION LLC13
SCOTTS HELICOPTER SERVICES INC11
TRIPLE F FLYING INC9
SCOTTS HELICOPTER SERVICE INC8
CLASSIC ROTORS MUSEUM5
HAMMOCK FLYING SERVICE INC5
HENDRICKSON FLYING SERVICE INC5

Engine and certification

47 are recorded as turbine powered and 446 as piston. The engines the FAA lists most often: LYCOMING VO-435 SERIES (150), LYCOMING TVO-435-GIA (85), FRANKLIN 6V4 SERIES (49), LYCOMING VO-540 SERIES (38), FRANKLIN 6V 350 SERIES (14).

  • Standard 22045%
  • Multiple 12926%
  • Restricted 9720%
  • Experimental 102%

Standard is the airworthiness class a passenger-carrying aircraft holds. Restricted covers agricultural, external-load and other special-purpose work, and experimental covers research, exhibition and amateur-built aircraft; neither carries paying passengers.

Common questions

How many Bell 47 helicopters are there in the United States?

493 hold a valid FAA registration in the file dated 14 September 2026, 3 percent of all registered helicopters, which ranks the Bell 47 number 9 among model families. The FAA lists it under 24 model strings, folded together here.

Where are most Bell 47 helicopters registered?

California leads with 67, then Texas with 41. The state is the registrant's address rather than where the aircraft flies.

Is the Bell 47 used for charter?

None of the 493 registered appear on a Part 135 certificate in the FAA workbook, so the type is not flying for hire in the United States at present.

How old are the Bell 47 helicopters on the register?

The median was built in 1964; the register runs from 1946 to 2010, with 1966 the busiest year at 34. 129 records carry no year.

Source: FAA Releasable Aircraft Database, file dated 14 September 2026; Part 135 workbook dated 9 August 2026. Look up any airframe by tail number on the registry hub.

Other model families

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