US Helicopter Registry

BellOH-58Kiowa

360 Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopters hold a valid FAA registration, 2 percent of the US fleet and the number 14 type by count. It is a military surplus helicopter, built by Bell.

360
Registered in the US
0
On a Part 135 certificate
1971
Median year built
4
Seats (FAA reference)

Variants the FAA lists

The FAA lists it under 6 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
OH-58A211
OH-58C96
OH-58A+25
OH-5820
OH58A7
OH-58/206A1

Where the Bell OH-58 Kiowa 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

  • 1960s 103%
  • 1970s 6919%
  • 1990s 10%
  • 2000s 113%
  • 2010s 93%
  • 2020s 21%

The register runs from 1968 to 2025, with 1970 the busiest year at 24 airframes. 258 records carry no year of manufacture.

Who registers them

  • Government 20156%
  • Corporation 8624%
  • LLC 3911%
  • Individual 339%
  • Co-owned 10%

The organisations with the most Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopters registered. Private individuals are counted above but never named.

RegistrantHelicopters
TRIPLE F FLYING INC9
ALABAMA LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY8
EDGEFIELD AVIATION LLC7
BLAIR HELICOPTER SERVICE INC6
COASTAL HELICOPTERS INC6
TRI ROTOR SPRAY & CHEMICAL6
HELICOPTER APPLICATORS INC5
BANK OF UTAH TRUSTEE4

Engine and certification

360 are recorded as turbine powered and 0 as piston. The engines the FAA lists most often: ALLISON T63 SERIES (36), ALLISON T63-A-720 (19), ROLLS-ROYC T63-A-720 (16), ALLISON 250-C20 SER (10), ALLISON T63-A-700 (9).

  • Restricted 6719%
  • Experimental 4813%
  • Limited 10%

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 OH-58 Kiowa helicopters are there in the United States?

360 hold a valid FAA registration in the file dated 14 September 2026, 2 percent of all registered helicopters, which ranks the Bell OH-58 Kiowa number 14 among model families. The FAA lists it under 6 model strings, folded together here.

Where are most Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopters registered?

Florida leads with 62, then Alabama with 37. The state is the registrant's address rather than where the aircraft flies.

Is the Bell OH-58 Kiowa used for charter?

None of the 360 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 OH-58 Kiowa helicopters on the register?

The median was built in 1971; the register runs from 1968 to 2025, with 1970 the busiest year at 24. 258 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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