of versions and under different designations for three decades. It was designated H-13 Sioux by the US Army, and during the Korean War, it served a variety of roles, including reconnaissance and scouting, search and rescue, and medevac. The "Telecopter" was a Bell Model 47 rented by television station KTLA in Los Angeles, California. It was outfitted with a television camera and it made the worlds first flight by a television news helicopter on July 3, 1958, with its inventor, John D. Silva, aboard. When the television station reported it was receiving no video, Silva exited the helicopters cockpit to climb onto its landing skid while it hovered at 1,500 feet (457 m) so he could investigate the microwave transmitter bolted to its side, where he discovered a vacuum tube had failed due to vibration and hot weather. After Silva fixed the problem overnight, the Telecopter made the world's first successful television news flight on July 4, 1958. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had a number of Bell 47s during the Apollo program, used by astronauts as trainers for the lunar lander. Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan had a nearly disastrous crash into the Indian River in Florida in 1971, before his flight to the moon. The 47 has also served as the helicopter of choice for basic helicopter flight instruction in many countries. Records 13 May 1949, a Bell 47 set an altitude record of . 21 September 1950, first helicopter to fly over the Alps. 17 September 1952, Bell pilot Elton J. Smith set a world distance record for piston helicopters of by flying nonstop from Hurst, Texas, to Buffalo, New York. As of 2018, this record still stands. Variants Section source: Complete Encyclopedia Civilian 47 Pre-production version, powered by a Franklin piston engine. 47A Improved version of the Bell 47, powered by a Franklin O-335-1 piston engine. 47B Equivalent to the military YR-13/HTL-1, powered by the Franklin O-335-1. 47B-3 Agricultural/utility version with open crew positions. Also, offered in a version to the US Postal Service as the Bell Airmailer . 47C 47D First to appear with a molded "soap bubble" canopy. 47D-1 Introduced in 1949, it had an open tubework tail boom reminiscent of the Bell Model 30 and three seats. 47E Powered by a Franklin 6V4-200-C32 engine. 47F 47G Combines a Franklin engine with the three-seat configuration of the 47D-1 and introduced the twin