Bell, Fixed and Fling...

Before we dive into today's topic, which is the Bell Aircraft Corporation which, while no longer operating under that name, still exists as Bell Textron Incorporated, I want to mention helicopters. The former built fixed wing aircraft up until 1960, the latter builds helicopters, known also as rotary wing aircraft (also known as "fling wings"). To the Army (the Air Force too I suppose, we have them, Hell, everyone has them) they are choppers, to the Navy they are helos. To Arnold Schwarzenegger, they are "choppas," to wit -

Anyhoo, this all started when someone (it might have been Tuna) asked me if the P-39 (which I posted about here) was built by the same folks who built the ubiquitous Huey, the UH-1 Iroquois, ya know this bird -

UH-1Ds airlift members of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment from the Filhol Rubber Plantation area to a staging area in 1966.

The short answer is "sort of."

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 Mercury Spacecraft, North American X-15, and Bell Rocket Belt. (Source)

Note the tense on that sentence (I underlined it for you), was, as in not anymore, as in "it's an ex-aircraft manufacturer," pining for the fjords as it were. However,

Textron purchased Bell Aerospace in 1960. Bell Aerospace was composed of three divisions of Bell Aircraft Corporation, including its helicopter division, which had become its only division still producing complete aircraft. The helicopter division was renamed Bell Helicopter Company and in a few years, with the success of the UH-1 Huey during the Vietnam War, it had established itself as the largest division of Textron. In January 1976, Textron changed the division's name to Bell Helicopter Textron. (Source)

The most famous fixed wing aircraft, based on how many people know about it, is that X-1 mentioned above. This bird -

Glamorous Glennis Herself!

Currently in the Smithsonian with another Bell product. (Which I'll get to in a minute.) Last time I saw her was in January of '15, when I snapped that photo.

Take careful note of how Chuck Yeager gets into the X-1 in the following clip. Bear in mind, they're at altitude!

The other Bell product in the same space as the X-1? This bird -

That's the Bell XP-59A Airacomet,
one of only six in existence!

The Airacomet was the first American jet fighter aircraft, the USAAF were not impressed with it's performance and canceled the project when less than half of them had been built. Word on the street is that the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, CA is restoring an Airacomet to flying condition. Won't that be cool? (It will be the only airworthy Airacomet when completed. They also have a flyable P-39 Airacobra!)

These days Bell makes helicopters both civilian and military, one of my favorite "choppas" is this one -

Bell has made a lot of aircraft, both fixed wing and rotary wing, over the years. Their helicopters have had a significant impact in wartime, particularly Vietnam.

Bell logos, then (left) and now.

I suppose your wondering about that aircraft in the opening photo, an odd looking duck innit?

The Bell YFM-1 Airacuda was an American heavy fighter aircraft, developed by the Bell Aircraft Corporation during the mid-1930s. It was the first military aircraft produced by Bell. Originally designated the Bell Model 1, the Airacuda first flew on 1 September 1937. The Airacuda was marked by bold design advances and considerable flaws that eventually grounded the aircraft.

The Airacuda was Bell Aircraft's answer for a "bomber destroyer" aircraft. Although it did see limited production, and one fully operational squadron was eventually formed, only one prototype and 12 production models were ultimately built, in three slightly different versions. (Source)

The "bomber destroyer" was a "thing" way back in the day. The idea was to have heavily armed fighters which would be used to attack and destroy enemy bombers. Germany's Bf-110, Me-210, and Me-410 were all examples of this concept. As they were larger they could carry heavier armament than their single engine counterparts.

The United States Army Air Corps considered powerfully armed destroyers, like the Bell YFM-1 Airacuda prototype, to counter a potential attack of high-performance bombers. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning and Bell P-39 Airacobra were also initially specified to carry very heavy armament based on a central 37 mm cannon, specified as interceptor aircraft working in the anti-bomber role. Great Britain, by contrast, favored specialized "turret fighters", such as the Boulton Paul Defiant, which mounted heavy armament in a rotating turret. The P-38, a small, single-crewed example of the bomber destroyer type, was eventually outfitted with a 20 mm cannon and four .50-caliber machine guns in a central nacelle instead of a heavier cannon; it proved itself a highly competent fighter aircraft in the early phase of World War II. (Source)

The Airacuda was a rather odd duck in that it was powered by two "pusher" engines, that is, the propeller was behind the engine and it would push the aircraft through the air. That led to problems with the engines overheating on the ground as the air flow over the engine from the more standard tractor engine (pulls the aircraft through the air) helped to cool the engine. So they would tow the aircraft to the runway, then the pilot would start the engines. Not very practical.

Now those engine nacelles were also used to carry a gunner. No, seriously. Each nacelle had a 37 mm cannon mounted, the guy inside was intended mostly to keep the cannon loaded, each nacelle could carry a hundred 37 mm rounds. There were a few problems with the concept:

1. The cannons were not very reliable and tended to jam, a lot.
2. The gunner's compartment would fill with smoke from the cannon, making it hard to not only load the cannon, but also to breathe.
3. In the event of having to abandon the aircraft, there really wasn't anywhere the gunner could go, what with the propeller being behind him.

The company did experiment with explosive bolts (rather like those on Navy command pins) which would blow the propellor off in the event the gunners had to unass the aircraft in the air. As you might imagine, not a great solution.

"Lieutenant, we seem to be losing airspeed."

"Uh yes sir, I activated the explosive bolts on the propellers. Accidentally, of course."

"Oh damn, guess we'd better jump."

Wouldn't fill me with confidence, not at all.

As to what the narrator said about the Airacuda? No, just no. The aircraft was slower than most of the bombers of that time frame. What's more, it had all the maneuverability of a street car.

It is kinda neat looking though. You can read more about her here.

The Airacuda
(Source)