Bell 206L LongRanger
Bell Helicopter · United States · first flew 1974 · helicopter
The Bell 206L LongRanger is a stretched, six-seat derivative of the JetRanger, offering greater cabin capacity while retaining the same slim skid-landing helicopter profile.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Fuselage stretched roughly 0.5 m longer than JetRanger with six-seat cabin vs JetRanger's five |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Fuselage stretched roughly 0.5 m longer than JetRanger with six-seat cabin vs JetRanger's five
- Longer tailboom giving more pronounced rear silhouette compared to the shorter JetRanger
- Same two-blade semi-rigid teetering rotor as JetRanger but diameter increased to 11.28 m
Distinguished from the JetRanger by a visibly longer cabin and tailboom; both share the same slim, skid-equipped fuselage and two-blade rotor, but the LongRanger seats a row of three in the rear versus the JetRanger's bench of two.
Specifications
- The Bell 206L LongRanger has a length of 13.02 m (43 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.28 m (37 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 222 km/h (138 mph).
- Typical crew: 1 pilot + 5 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Bell flew the first 206L in September 1974, certificating it in 1975 as a direct response to operator demand for more seats without stepping up to a twin-engine machine. Successive variants—206L-1, L-3, and L-4—uprated the engine and improved systems, and the type sold widely for offshore oil, EMS, and light utility roles.
Variants
The L-4 (LongRanger IV) introduced the Allison 250-C30P engine for a useful payload increase; the 206LT TwinRanger added a second engine in the same fuselage for twin-engine economics.
Where you'll see it
UK North Sea oil operators flew the LongRanger extensively from Aberdeen for crew shuttles, and several Air Ambulance operators used it before transitioning to twin-engine types; a small number remain in UK private ownership.
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