Bell Aircraft

The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer of the United States, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many important civilian and military helicopters. Bell also developed the Reaction Control System for the Project Mercury Spacecraft and the Bell Rocket Belt. The company was purchased in 1960 by Textron, and lives on today as Bell Helicopter Textron.

The company was founded by Lawrence Bell, who was an early employee and later general manager of the Glenn L. Martin Company, then a manager of the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. When Consolidated moved to San Diego in 1935, Bell stayed behind and formed the "Bell Aircraft Corporation" on 10 July 1935, headquartered in Buffalo, New York.

Bell's first military contract followed in 1937 with the development of the ill fated YFM-1 Airacuda, an unconventional bomber destroyer powered by two pusher style Allison engines. Only 13 Airacuda would be produced, and they would serve in the USAAF for only three years.

Bell would enjoy far greater success the following year with the development of the single engine P-39 Airacobra fighter. Putting their previous experience with Allison engines to good use, the P-39 placed the engine in the center of the aircraft, with the propellor driven by a long shaft through which a cannon was also mounted that could fire directly out of the propellor's spinner. Lacking a supercharger or turbocharger, the P-39 proformed poorly at higher altitudes compared to other fighters of the time, though many P-39's would find there way into the Soviet Air Force under the Lend Lease act, where they proved themselves to be an excellent ground attack aircracft.

A slightly larger and more powerful version of the P-39 would arrive shortly before the end of WWII. Called the P-63 Kingcobra, it would address many of the P-39's short comings, though it arrived too late to make any contribution to the War effort.

Perhaps Bell Aircraft's most important contributuion to the history of fixed wing aircraft development would be the X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. Bell would go on to produce a line of experimental aircraft throughout the 1950's, helping the Air Force explore the boundries of aircraft design, and paving the way for the space race.

Helicopter development began in 1941, with the company's first, the Bell Model 30 seeing its maiden flight in 1943, and eventually became the most successful part of the company.

Lawrence Bell died in 1956, and for several years afterwards the company was in financial difficulty.

After the Textron purchase, the company was organized as a subsidiary Bell Aerospace Corporation with three divisions. See Bell Helicopter Textron for further history.

Fixed-wing aircraft, in order of development:
* FM-1 Airacuda
* P-39 Airacobra
* P-63 Kingcobra
* P-59 Airacomet
* XP-77
* XP-83
* X-1
* X-2
* X-5

See Bell Helicopter for helicopters.

Reference

* Alain J. Pelletier, Bell Aircraft Since 1935 (Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992)