Archive of original patent designs, photographs and ephemera relating to Lawrence Bell, Arthur M. Young and the development of the Rotor Arm and the Bell Helicopter.
Various places including Buffalo, New York and Georgia: c.1939-1950. Archive comprises: 1) 10 large manuscript sheets of drawn designs and text, several heavily annotated (recto and many on verso, largest 425 x 275). These include 5 sheets of drawings signed and dated 1939 by Arthur M. Young depicting various rotors and blade angles by degree, 2 large sheets of manuscript equations titled" Dawn - The End of Knight" on which Young, after having worked all night, appears to have perfected his rotor system, writing "This represents the ideal maximum lift obtainable by pushing air downwards by any airscrew whatever. The factor by which an actual airscrew departs from this is a measure of its efficiency … What does all this prove? That simple momentum theory gives the same result as complicated vortex theory. When it comes to actual computation of lifts, we have bypassed Knight." And 3 sheets of drawings depicting full helicopters, one of which is titled "Experimental Helicoptor - Smallest Pilot Carrying Model" and names the "Autotorque Propeller" which gives helicopter's their forward momentum. This drawing, which depicts a pilot inside the cockpit and another man with an oiling can, bears the interesting notation: "Single blade lift rotor 25' draw/ 80-100 lb water cooled automobile engine/ 800-1000 lb overall weight/ 1400 lbs max lift/ high speed app. 100 mph/ Torque corrected by 6 foot prop. on tail which absorbs 10%-15% lb during take off only." 2) A later printed "Bell Aircraft Corp." design sheet accomplished in pencil with the design of an engine part and another printed sheet depicting two helicopter designs. 3) A group of 7 patents dated between 1945 and 1962. These include 21 sheets of printed illustrated designs varying from A. M. Young's 1945 patent for a "Helicopter Aircraft" to I. I. Sikorsky's patent for "Blade Flapping Angle Control." And a group of three official reports dated 1947-48 suggesting that the president employ helicopters in the post war effort and the specifications of the model 47D Utility Helicopter. Also included are several articles and advertising pieces from this time. 4) A typed letter signed "Larry Bell" to Jean Ross Howard of the Aircraft Industries Association volunteering to teach helicopter flying. 5) A group of 17 publicity photographs (various sizes, largest 410 x 500 mm). Many with the "Bell Aircraft Corporation" stamp to the verso. These depict helicopters in use for farming and fire-fighting, as well as the various models offered and a portrait of Bell? posing with two model helicopters. Lawrence Dale Bell founded the Bell Aircraft Corporation in Buffalo New York in 1935 making fighter aircraft. As luck would have it in 1940 Bell met up with a youthful inventor Arthur Young who showed him his ideas for a semi rigid, teetering-blade rotor design which used a weighted stabilizing bar. Bell recognised the importance of Young's invention and immediately hired him to help build a helicopter. At thsi time the leaders in the American field of helicopters were Igor Sikorsky and Lawrence LePage. In 1941 Young was set up with his colleague Bart Kelley first at Elmwood Avenue then at Gardenville New York. Bell had wanted Young to draw up blueprints for production straight away, but in fact there were many further technical problems to be worked out. The subsequent Model 30 'Genevieve"was constructed by 1943 and was of simple but effective design and by March 1946 had developed into the Bell 47, which became the first aircraft certified for civilian use in the U.S. and the most popular helicopter model for the next 30 years. Young left Bell after the 47 to pursue Philosophy while Kelley rose to become Head of Engineering at Bell. Provenance : Arthur Young an important, early archive of the development of the bell helicopter, from the original sketches roughed out by Young late at night in 1939, his patent designs of the bell model 30 to the publicity photos of experimental aircraft.
Archive of original patent designs, photographs and ephemera relating to Lawrence Bell, Arthur M. Young and the development of the Rotor Arm and the Bell Helicopter.
Various places including Buffalo, New York and Georgia: c.1939-1950. Archive comprises: 1) 10 large manuscript sheets of drawn designs and text, several heavily annotated (recto and many on verso, largest 425 x 275). These include 5 sheets of drawings signed and dated 1939 by Arthur M. Young depicting various rotors and blade angles by degree, 2 large sheets of manuscript equations titled" Dawn - The End of Knight" on which Young, after having worked all night, appears to have perfected his rotor system, writing "This represents the ideal maximum lift obtainable by pushing air downwards by any airscrew whatever. The factor by which an actual airscrew departs from this is a measure of its efficiency … What does all this prove? That simple momentum theory gives the same result as complicated vortex theory. When it comes to actual computation of lifts, we have bypassed Knight." And 3 sheets of drawings depicting full helicopters, one of which is titled "Experimental Helicoptor - Smallest Pilot Carrying Model" and names the "Autotorque Propeller" which gives helicopter's their forward momentum. This drawing, which depicts a pilot inside the cockpit and another man with an oiling can, bears the interesting notation: "Single blade lift rotor 25' draw/ 80-100 lb water cooled automobile engine/ 800-1000 lb overall weight/ 1400 lbs max lift/ high speed app. 100 mph/ Torque corrected by 6 foot prop. on tail which absorbs 10%-15% lb during take off only." 2) A later printed "Bell Aircraft Corp." design sheet accomplished in pencil with the design of an engine part and another printed sheet depicting two helicopter designs. 3) A group of 7 patents dated between 1945 and 1962. These include 21 sheets of printed illustrated designs varying from A. M. Young's 1945 patent for a "Helicopter Aircraft" to I. I. Sikorsky's patent for "Blade Flapping Angle Control." And a group of three official reports dated 1947-48 suggesting that the president employ helicopters in the post war effort and the specifications of the model 47D Utility Helicopter. Also included are several articles and advertising pieces from this time. 4) A typed letter signed "Larry Bell" to Jean Ross Howard of the Aircraft Industries Association volunteering to teach helicopter flying. 5) A group of 17 publicity photographs (various sizes, largest 410 x 500 mm). Many with the "Bell Aircraft Corporation" stamp to the verso. These depict helicopters in use for farming and fire-fighting, as well as the various models offered and a portrait of Bell? posing with two model helicopters. Lawrence Dale Bell founded the Bell Aircraft Corporation in Buffalo New York in 1935 making fighter aircraft. As luck would have it in 1940 Bell met up with a youthful inventor Arthur Young who showed him his ideas for a semi rigid, teetering-blade rotor design which used a weighted stabilizing bar. Bell recognised the importance of Young's invention and immediately hired him to help build a helicopter. At thsi time the leaders in the American field of helicopters were Igor Sikorsky and Lawrence LePage. In 1941 Young was set up with his colleague Bart Kelley first at Elmwood Avenue then at Gardenville New York. Bell had wanted Young to draw up blueprints for production straight away, but in fact there were many further technical problems to be worked out. The subsequent Model 30 'Genevieve"was constructed by 1943 and was of simple but effective design and by March 1946 had developed into the Bell 47, which became the first aircraft certified for civilian use in the U.S. and the most popular helicopter model for the next 30 years. Young left Bell after the 47 to pursue Philosophy while Kelley rose to become Head of Engineering at Bell. Provenance : Arthur Young an important, early archive of the development of the bell helicopter, from the original sketches roughed out by Young late at night in 1939, his patent designs of the bell model 30 to the publicity photos of experimental aircraft.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
