Bell 47G1      NC 4B ?

                              

                                    This photograph is somewhat of a mystery (at least, to me).  The inscription on the fuselage
                                    (enlarged below) states that this is a Model 47G1.       However, it is unlike any Model 47
                                    known to me, and I assume, therefore, that it was the (or one of the) prototype(s).  It shows
                                    the helicopter outside the old Bell plant in Buffalo, whereas production Model 47s were built in
                                    Fort Worth.    I obtained the photo from Bell at Buffalo in the early 1950s.   The bloke in the
                                    harness certainly looks relaxed!    The registration looks like NC 4B (would not have been 48,
                                    since that would have been a FAA number), but again, this does not appear in any data base I
                                    have been able to find..  Unfortunately it appears only to have been painted on the underside.