On the broad flying field alongside the Niagara Falls plant of Bell Aircraft Corp., a queer-looking new thing appeared last week. It was Bell's first postwar helicopter, designed for commercial flying. While President Lawrence D. Bell proudly watched, the helicopter rose straight up, swished around the field with a hollow, rattling roar, came down to an eggshell landing.
Larry Bell's new streamlined helicopter will carry five people. But on all other details he was mum. Although the Civil Aeronautics Board has yet to approve it, Bell is confidently tooling up for volume production....