Lawrence D. Bell
An Aviation Pioneer
Lawrence D. Bell (April 5, 1894 – October 20, 1956) devoted 40 years to the aircraft industry. From a barefoot boy in Mentone, Indiana, the town of birth, he became chairman of the board of one of the nation’s foremost aircraft firms, Bell Aircraft Corporation. This firm produced such significant aviation contributions as the nation’s first jet powered airplane, the world’s first commercial helicopter, the world’s highest flying airplane, the Bell X-1A, and the first jet vertical take-off and landing plane.
Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I’ll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things. – Lawrence D. Bell
Bell Aircraft Corporation
Headquartered in Buffalo, NY from 1935 to 1960, the Bell Aircraft Corporation was one of the foremost aircraft firms of the United States. Although a builder of several types of fighter aircraft during World War II, the corporation was most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many civilian and military helicopters. In addition, Bell also developed reaction controls for the Mercury Spacecraft, the North American X-15A, Minuteman and Centaur rockets. Some later research and development included VTOL/STOL technology, including the XV-3 convertiplane, X-22A, the rocket belt, and Lunar landing training vehicles (LLTV). It was 1960 that Textron Inc. purchased the defense activities of Bell Aircraft Corp properties including the helicopter operation. Textron organized a wholly-owned subsidiary Bell Aerospace Corp focusing on space related activities and the Bell Helicopter Company in Hurst, TX which continued to develop and produce rotary-wing aircraft.
Famous Bell Aviation "FIRSTs"
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twin-engine escort fighter (Airacuda).
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aircraft to mount a 37 mm cannon and flexible gun turrets (Airacuda).
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modern multi-place fighter, establishing a new type for the Army Air Force (Airacuda).
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American fighter airplane designed around its armament (P-39 Airacobra).
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use of tricycle landing gear on modern military aircraft (P-39 Airacobra).
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satisfactory .50 caliber machine gun shock dampener, which became standard for both the Army and Navy.
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modern all-wood military fighter (XP-77).
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helicopter with automatic stabilizing control (Bell Model 30).
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demonstration of emergency medical use of a helicopter (Bell Model 30).
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jet-propelled fighter airplane in the United States (P-59 Airacomet).
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commercial helicopter (Bell Model 47B).
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supersonic airplane (X-1).
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commercial helicopter with 200 hp engine and skid landing gear (Bell Model 47D-1).
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airplane able to vary degree of wing sweepback during flight (X-5).
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radio-guided bomb (Tarzon).
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helicopter designed specifically for anti-submarine warfare (HSL-1).
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airplane able to fly at speeds two and one-half times the speed of sound and at altitudes of 90,000 feet (X-1A).
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turbine-powered helicopter (XH-13F).
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jet-propelled vertical take-off and landing airplane (VTOL).
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automatic carrier landing system.
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convertiplane incorporating tilting-rotor system (XV-3).