Larry Bell jump-started his company's foray into helicopters when he hired Arthur M. Young, a talented inventor, to provide expertise for helicopter research and development. It was the foundation for what Bell hoped would be a broader economic base for his company that wasn't dependent on government contracts. Bell Aircraft Corporation had originally only produced airplanes, including the famous Bell X-1. The Bell Model 47 became the first helicopter rated by a civil aviation authority in the world and would become a civilian and military success.