Hunnicutt and Hawkeye Pierce.

In todays article, Dr. Will Dabbs a former Army aviator himself takes a look at this earlymedevac helicopter.

However, that was not always the case.

Bell H-13 medevac lands at MASH unit in Korean War 1952

A Bell H-13 helicopter carrying two seriously wounded U.N. soldiers lands at an airstrip in Korea. The soldiers will be placed aboard a C-54 transport for a flight to a military hospital in Japan. Image: NARA

The pioneering Bell H-13 was more like an airborne bicycle.

I cannot imagine riding that rickety thing into battle.

Theres a classic aviation geek t-shirt that reads, Helicopters Dont Really Fly.

General Maxwell D Taylor rides H-13 Sioux helicopter in South Korea

Bell H-13 helicopters carry U.S. General Maxwell D. Taylor, Commander 8th Army United Nations Forces Korea, to inspect the Australian Army units of 28 Britcom Brigade. Image: Australian War Memorial

They Just Beat the Air into Submission.

Theres a certain undeniable modicum of truth to that.

By contrast, Sikorskys ride, the pioneering amphibious 1930s-vintage VS-300, looked like a big silver pregnant hippopotamus.

wounded Australian soldier loaded on US Army Bell H-13 Sioux helicopter

Members of The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) load a wounded Australian soldier aboard a U.S. Army Bell 47D-1 Sioux helicopter. Image: Australian War Memorial

The aesthetics of early rotary-wing flight did not get much better for quite a while.

Consisting primarily of a tubular metal fuselage covered in doped fabric, the R-4 was notoriously difficult to fly.

Additionally, the rotors were constructed of wood ribs built around a steel spar, all covered in fabric.

US H-13 on emergency response mission North Sea Flood of 1953 in Netherlands

An American H-13 helicopter takes off with a civilian spotter during the emergency response to the North Sea Flood of 1953. Image: Netherlands National Archives

The resulting whirling contraption was impossible to keep balanced.

Should he relax for even a minute the plane falls out of control.

The R-4 did a little practical rescue and reconnaissance work during World War II, but not a lot.

US Army pilot flies Princess Beatrix and Princess Irene in H-13

A U.S. Army pilot prepares to take Netherlands Princess Beatrix and Princess Irene for a flight in a H-13 helicopter. Image: Netherlands National Archives

The design just wasnt quite ready for prime time.

Americas first truly practical helicopter was the Bell H-13.

Technical Details

First flown in 1945, the Bell H-13 still wasnt much of a flying machine.

H-13 helicopter at division headquarters July 1952

A Bell H-13 helicopter lifts off at the rear division Headquarters in South Korea. Additional H-13 Sioux helicopters are visible on the ground. Image: Australian War Memorial

Based on the Bell model 47, the fuselage and tail boom were constructed from simple welded tube stock.

While this system still seemed rickety, it was nonetheless relatively smooth and reliable in service.

TheCH-47D Chinooksthat I flew sported a pair of Lycoming turboshaft engines capable of producing an aggregate 9,000 shaft horsepower.

US Army Bell H-13 arrives at MASH unit as artillery explodes in background

Stretcher bearers carry a wounded soldier to a U.S. Army H-13 Sioux helicopter. During the Third Battle of the Hook. Image: Australian War Memorial

The aircraft carried a crew of three underneath a distinctive soap bubble blown plexiglass canopy.

This bulbous canopy became the H-13s most distinctive feature.

However, that was enough.

Wounded soldier taken from H-13 helicopter Korea 1951

A wounded soldier arrives at the 8076th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), 8th US Army, Korea. The soldier’s medevac taxi was the U.S. Bell H-13 Sioux helicopter. Image: U.S. Defense Imagery

However, its use as an observation helicopter was just the beginning.

This spindly rascal incorporated a pair of Browning M1919 or M-60 .30-cal.

machineguns mounted to fire forward along the aircrafts axis.

Bell H-13 NASA chase helicopter LLRV test flight

A Bell H-13 acts as chase support for a test flight of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle at Muroc Flight Test Unit (Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center) located at Edwards Air Force Base. Image: NASA

The Snake changed most everything about the art of raining down aerial pain from helicopters.

The AH-13 prototypes featured a slimmer redesigned cockpit.

However, something similar showed up in the classic 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice.

Spanish Navy H-13 at Naval Station Rota

A Spanish Navy Bell H-13 Sioux is parked on the flight line at Naval Station Rota in 1977. Image: PH2 James Bishop/U.S. Navy

However, where the H-13 really left its mark was in the burgeoning world of medevac.

Evacuating wounded soldiers directly from the battlefield to the field hospitals via helicopter utterly transformed the tactical landscape.

H-13 helicopters configured for medevac typically included panniers atop each skid to accept casualties on litters.

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They were equipped with an acrylic shield that enclosed the casualtys head to protect him from the wind.

However, this austere medevac aircraft saved countless lives.

It also led to much greater things down the road.

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The distinctive sound of the aircraft was a recurring plot gadget.

MAS*H made the H-13 one of the most recognizable helicopters in the world.

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