Cowan Simulation has recently released their rendition of the Bell 206B3 for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a popular variant of the 206 family whose production ended in 2010 (later variants were to cease production in 2017). It is their first helicopter for MSFS, after releasing eight different models for X-Plane.

The Bell 206 had its first flight in 1962, after winning a competition held by the United States Navy to develop a Light Observation Helicopter. Their D-250 design went on to become the YHO-4, where it failed to win the contract bid, and Bell found themselves trying to market it as a civil aircraft (Model 206). The first attempt didn’t work well (terrible commercial success), but an eventual redesign aiming for a sleeker and aesthetic body made it a huge success. That one was launched as the Bell 206A JetRanger. 

The first 206B JetRanger was introduced in 1971, with the 206B-3 coming in 1977 with a modified tail rotor, and improved engine. It got popular among TV channels for traffic and news reporting, armies, police departments, and private use. 

The add-on features 4K PBR textures, realistic start up procedure, realistic flight dynamics, custom 3D instruments, virtual reality compatible, Wwise fully dynamic sound pack, detailed night lighting, and free future updates. 

It’s available for purchase on CowanSim’s website for $32.99, requiring at least 2 GB of free disk space to install.

Shout out to Henriks1 on Discord for the news scoop! Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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