PASSENGER HELICOPTERS - What Was It Like Commuting in the Whirlybirds?

A detailed overview of passenger helicopter airlines, from the early 1950s to the late 1970s. Covers the history of Sikorsky and Piasecki, plus commercial helicopter operations in major U.S. and European cities.
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[@stephenrickstrew7237]

They are some strange aerodynamics going on at the top of those buildings … those rooftop launch pads seem to be right in the burble zone if there is any wind … Kudos to the pilots who fly LifeFlight missions from Hospitals on dark, windy and stormy nights … And to the Author… Thanks for another great episode …!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Thanks Stephen!

[@jujenho]

Yes. When winds blow quite perpendicular to the building larger frontal area, a strong turbulence is generated at the top, with a downward flow. This may be extremely dangerous to a helicopter landing or taking off. A death blow to regular rooftop operations.

[@findo12]

“Whirlibirds” was shown on tv in the UK when I was a child. A great series. Thank you for reminding me. Almost as good as Celebrating Aviation.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

[@luislealsantos]

Great documentary. People get so focused on military that forget how important these birds are on our daily lifes. Excellent as usual. Thanks

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

[@johnziegelbauer4999]

My fathers cousin worked as an engineer for Sikorsky since 1958 . His name was Richard Diechmann a great guy with some wonderful stories . thanks for the video

[@auntbarbara5576]

Thank you for the trip back in time, and as always, thanks for the memories Mike.

[@georgegennuso]

Mike, for a brief time the City of Glendale CA had a Heliport which was about 3 blocks from my house. I was about 12 years old and had a paper route. The newspaper, as an incentive offered a ride on a helicopter if you could get 3 new subscriptions. I worked my butt off and got the 3 new subscriptions. I showed up at the heliport and the appointed time and they had a Sikorsky S-55 waiting. So a bunch of us newspaper boys climbed in. It was a very short ride maybe 10 minutes. I was astounded by all of the shaking and vibrations.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Amazing story George, thanks! Love how kids and aviation were so connected back then. My unforgettable first impression of the Bell 47 (no doors, by the way) was the shaking, courtesy of two wooden blades, and the unbelievable noise level. Loved how Chuck and PT on Whirlybirds casually talked to each other inside the cockpit in flight. Really?!!

[@georgegennuso]

@@dalecomer5951 It was the Glendale News Press Dale.

[@P61guy61]

I appreciate your quality and content. Thank very much for posting.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Thanks for the comment and so glad you enjoyed this episode!

[@papanoel3999]

This is why you tube is so good at times. Channels like this. I love learning about things. I like to watch documentaries about almost any subject. However, music, football(Liverpool fc) and anything aviation. And sometimes the WWE. I don't really know alot about helicopters, so this is a brilliant video for me to watch.ps, I also had my 1st flying lesson Dec last year. I flew a piper pa 28 for only like 30 minutes, but I loved every milly second of it. Saving up for lesson 2.Also, I subbed

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Appreciate the comment, thanks, and I flew the Piper Cherokee also. Thanks for subscribing and best of luck with your flying lessons!

[@Setebos]

I can never see a picture of the landing pad on the Pan-Am Building without thinking of that line from the Joni Mitchell song "Centerpiece": "A helicopter lands on the Pan Am roof/Like a dragonfly on a tomb".

[@glennweaver3014]

What a nice assortment of helicopters presented in a clear and concise manner, with some of the best photos you have shown to date. Sure learned a lot from this one too.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Thanks Glenn!

[@dougsguitarlounge7927]

I flew HH 52 Seaguard for the USCG back in 1977 through 1979, and my first flight in a helicopter was in a Bell 47 also. It was at the Michigan state fair. I was 10 and it changed my life. Great episode Mike!

[@densealloy]

My father was a Coastie from 68 to 92 (he had split service ) and I grew up all over America. As a retired Marine myself, I have a ton respect for the Guard. I couldn't imagine doing SAR in the conditions the CG. Thanks for your service..

[@dougsguitarlounge7927]

@@densealloy Semper fi Marine! Thank you for your service to! My Uncle was a Marine, he was wounded on Guam in WW2.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Something very special for both of us flying in a helicopter at age ten! Awesome that you flew the HH-52, and thanks for your service.

[@wkelly3053]

Great presentation! Thanks for including SFO Helicopter! 👍👍👍

[@280StJohnsPl]

About 1965 I was living in Queens, NYC and the NY Airways helicopter would fly over my neighborhood each day and night. Always enjoyed seeing it

[@merlin51h84]

Another absolutely fascinating history lesson. I knew of these helicopter services but didn't realise the breath and length of their operational schedule. Thanks again Mike for the wonderful video.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

[@LauwersFreddy]

Thank you for this interesting episode! Learned a lot.

[@brucer81]

Excellent bit of history and a walk down memory lane as I flew on Los Angeles Airways back in the 60's as a young boy traveling with my parents.

[@josephpalmieri3095]

I have always been enamored with rotary winged flight. Lovely presentation Mike. Thanks for the look back.

[@larsjensen1358]

Thanks for a unique episode and some very amazing pictures. I enjoyed every second of it.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Many thanks!

[@michaelmartinez1345]

That was very interesting!!! I worked on CH-46 D & E Helo's when I was in the service in the early to mid 1980's... We went on them to various places and onto Helo Carriers... What a fun time that was!!! One thing I particularily remember about them, is the way the fuselage's torqued when in flight... The forward access panels that you mentioned that opened in flight on those Helo's are called 'Work Platforms'... The panels just ahead of those that are located on the forward Pylon, are called 'Clam-Shells' ... The Aft Pylon had 4 'Clam-Shells' and they were used to work on those areas... The drive-shaft between the Fwd. & Aft transmissions were called a 'Synch-Shaft' and they had to be checked for any cracks or unusual things... There were other things that were located in other places on those planes that were of value for military operations... That was one of the highlights of my aviation adventures... Helo's are awesome!!!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Fabulous comment and thanks for watching!

[@johnziegelbauer4999]

Thanks Mike , nice upload..

[@alexandrec9372]

Very interesting! Thank you for upload! Great Work

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

[@stevecausey545]

This was a lot of fun. I always thought the vertols flying from the Pan Am building to be the coolest thing! Thank you again Mike!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@johnmoran8805]

Thanks Mike! Brought back a nice memory of grade school. Don Miller the traffic copter guy for KMOX, would fly to the school, land on the front field. Half day field trip without leaving! Too fun for a kid. Q&A plus a tour, and got to sit inside for a minute!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Neat story, thanks!

[@pfield39]

Excellent insight into a particularly niche operation. I remember seeing a New York Airways helicopter landing in Stamford, Connecticut when visiting in 1961, must've been a Piasecki, I was only 8 so the memory is faint, but thanks for the type confirmation! For the past 49 years I have been flying out of White Waltham in Berkshire where the Fairey Rotodyne was assembled and tested. One of the reasons it was scrubbed was the horrendous racket the tip jets made, although towards the end they were making progress with noise suppression. I am told that when it took off or landed it could be heard from many miles away, far too loud for urban operations. I've always been fascinated by helicopters but regrettably only have 90mins helicopter stick time, all in Bell D1s (47s) at Chino over a period of 20 years! Too old now to learn such a complicated flying skill. Great episode Mike, keep 'em coming!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great story Steve, and appreciate the comment, thanks!

[@antigrav1302]

Hey Steve, which school at Chino Airport did you fly the D1s at, was it Reid's Helicopter Service, Meadowlark Aviation, or Zemlock Helicopter Service?

[@pfield39]

@@antigrav1302 Hi. Looking at my log books, my meagre helicopter experience has been: Meadowlark (Ray Petkow) 25mins 1975, 30 minutes ditto in 1980, 35 mins in 2004 with Mike Zemlock. In 1980 Ray did comment that at that rate I would be checked out at age 95. Was intending on retirement to return to do enough to go solo, alas loss of class 2 medical meant my FAA license is no longer valid. My Socal flying over the years was out of Cable, C150, 172 and Warrior, plus lots of passenger in their late Beech Travelair. Happy days.

[@antigrav1302]

Ray was a character with his inflight cigar smoking and expletives! (He had an ash try mounted on the side of the instrument console, ha, ha.) I got my private helicopter rating with Ray Petkow back in 88. Went on to get my commercial and CFI with Zemlock, taught for Zemlock in the 47 to build time from the early to late 90s..............👍

[@pfield39]

@@antigrav1302 Late reply, sorry, don't monitor this email address. My meagre helicopter time was first with Ray, also tried to fly with him in a PA38 but murk was so bad we had to abort. The next year on my visit I remember helping him fix some dodgy wiring in his hangar, he was certainly a character. Flew with Mike Zemlock a couple of times. When I retired I always intended returning to get more chopper time, maybe go solo, alas it never happened. Still flying my Porterfield though, the only one in the UK. Cheers!

[@joeschenk8400]

Great history and evolution of helicopter airlines....I remember the Pan Am building accident as if it were yesterday. Thanks for the memories.

[@jameshafner1442]

Me too... how did 1977 get to be so long ago ?

[@finlayfraser9952]

Good Stuff as always Mike!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Many thanks!

[@davidshell1738]

Good morning Mike☕️ Another great episode 👏 I’ve always loved rotorcraft! My dad wrenched on H19s in the Army and then worked for LA Airways on S61s in the early 60s. His boss didn’t like him finding problems during his inspections because they didn’t want to cause a delay. (Sad that I deal with the same crap on the big jets to this day) He left and went to Hughes. Then in 68 two LAA 61s go down. Sad. I actually got to fly to Disneyland from LAX, but I was really young and don’t really remember much. Thank you Mike!!🍻

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Amazing story David, thanks, and yes, the fact that both LAA S-61s came down in residential neighborhoods only added to the tragedy. Appreciate the comment!

[@orangelion03]

Hello Mike. Robert Arance here...we've met, you knew my dad =) Excellent video, brought back a lot of memories... My little brother and I watched Whirlybirds and Ripcord! as kids in Argentina, early 60s. Made such an impression that stayed with my brother, eventually leading him to get a rotary rating. Loved going on flights around LA with him. He's also a pretty good aviation/digital artist. When we first came to US in 1964, we lived in Downey near the North American plant, and they had a regular helo flight between Downey and their LAC facility. Again, inspiration for my brother. I remember watching the big Sikorskys operating out of a pad in Pomona, late 60s. IIRC, the route was from LAX to Ontario with stops in Pasadena and Pomona. There was another (short lived) attempt to operate a helicopter shuttle in LA area in the mid 80s. Airspur flying Westand G30s (LAX-ONT-Burb-LB). I worked at Garrett-Airesearch at LAX at the time and would walk over to the landing area at lunch to watch the ops. As a lifelong model builder and former aviation art collector* I really enjoy your channel. Cheers! PS: Enjoyed the Ejection series. In one of the chapters of my engineering life, I was a test engineer with McD-D Escape Systems. My dream job actually...inspired by? Ripcord! and a children's book on the XB-70. *Yes, I had a couple of your signed prints in my collection (Sandy One and the F-15 poster that you signed for me). Also had the concept/marketing artwork of the Polliwagen you created for my dad. The collection also included automotive art and it was all thrown away/destroyed (30 years worth, along with the majority of my slides/photos) due to a communication error. Hence the "former".

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Hello Robert, and how wonderful to receive your comment! And yes, I remember your Father (Henry, I believe?) and the whole Polliwagen experience. I spoke with Joe Alvarez last year and he was very ill - Phil Paul had given me his number knowing he was not doing well. Sounds like you had an amazing career - especially with the MAC/DAC ejection seats (ACES II?) Thanks for writing, and all the best, Mike

[@cliffhigson7581]

Whirlybirds was before my time (now 55) and don't recall seeing it here in Australia in repeats but I did find it with 57 full episodes on KZbin out of 111 episodes.

[@stevefreeland9255]

Another excellent production! I so enjoy these videos. I feel like Mike and I are at a table sharing a cup of Joe while he talks about flying helicopters and their history.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great comment, thanks!

[@pi.actual]

Great content. My only big helicopter ride was on an S61 from OAK to SFO in '72 or '73. It was memorable.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Awesome you got to fly on that!

[@kingtiger435]

In my eyes, the thought of being a passenger on one of those helicopters seems like the peak of luxury, imagine the views you could get. Shame that it doesn't really happen anymore.

[@Slickboot21]

Yeah. Shame we don't all have our own heli-pads on our lawns (although some do, or so I've heard). Thanks again, Mike.

[@twistedyogert]

I've always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon. Is that weird?

[@Matt_from_Florida]

@@Slickboot21 *5200 Greenland Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32258* --- The homeowner *used to* keep his helicopter sitting on the landing-pad in the pond. However that was more than 15 years ago. Greenland Rd. was a sparsely-populated road and his home was one of, if not 'the' first home on the street. However 15 or 20 years ago _'civilization moved in.'_ The road filled-up with private homes plus a high-school and an elementary-school, which I'm guessing spelled the end of living peacefully beside your neighbors when no one else is very fond of your whirly-bird!

[@trekkeruss]

It happens hundreds of times a day if you are a wealthy person in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

[@jbarnhart2653]

Another reason they died was that "someone" decided to start a heli-shuttle business at the same time as the crash. This "someone" is well known for destroying everything he touches...look it up.

[@donwebber7034]

My parents let my brother and I fly LA Airways from the San Fernando Valley to LAX in the mid 60s. They dropped us off then drove to LAX to pic us up. Un eventful other than the thrill of flying. It was probably an S-61. I’ll never forget that trip, thanks Mom and Dad.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Wonderfull story, and I had a very kind cousin who did the same exact thing for me and my sister on a New York Airways BV-107 from LaGuardia to JFK. Saw us off in the 'copter, then drove down to JFK to pick us up. Great memories!

[@ELMS]

This was great. I made a plastic model of a Fairey Rotodyne as a child and was endlessly fascinated by the concept.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Same here!

[@stevemorse5052]

Same here! It was a Airfix kit, correct?

[@AtheistOrphan]

@@stevemorse5052 - Yep, Airfix. It featured in their catalogue for many years.

[@stevemorse5052]

@@AtheistOrphan One thing I remembered was that the fuselage looked like the Vickers Viscount, or at least the windows did. Airfix made some pretty good models, I don't know which was my favorite, the C47/Dakota or the Avro Lancaster. I built both many times in my childhood.

[@viksaini]

Thanks Mike for covering a rare chapter in commercial aviation. Chicago Helicopter Airways, which flew Sikorsky equipment, connected O'Hare, Midway, Meigs Fld, and other points including Gary, Indiana. It suffered the same fate as the others.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great comment, thanks!

[@cbroz7492]

.. I worked for Sikorsky from 86 to 2000 at the West Palm Beach plant where we made the S-76...

[@lucytillman5463]

Fan of Whirlybirds as well! Saw first closeup of Bell 47 medevac with patient panniers at Cincinnati Lunken Airport in 1958 or 59.

[@garfieldsmith332]

Thanks for a very interesting story. I never knew there was so much passenger service via helicopter. I only knew of the Pan-Am chopper, and I saw it flying overhead in the mid sixties. Seeing the pictures of these old post WW2 helicopters brought back some memories. The R-5 reminded me of Mickey Rooney in The Bridges at Toko-Ri; however I believe the one in the film is a similar aircraft than the R-5. And the H-19, well I remember seeing them in the film Battle Taxi. And of course who could not forget Whirlybirds. Back then in the late 50s helicopters were awesome.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great comment, thanks!

[@davefost]

Wonderful episode again, Mike. Your channel is a never miss for me. I was 11 when I flew on my first commercial flight, YYZ to Washington National via LaGuardia. We had a lay-over on the aircraft (and American 727 but did not have to deplane. Being an airplane guy, I was glued to the window and was excited as all heck when I saw a New York Helicopters S-61 boarding. Later at a teen in England, watched a British Airways S-61 taxi out and depart from Penzance... I was in love with those S-61s and the 107s. Last scheduled heli service I personally saw was Helijet in Vancouver flying S-76s on sched service from downtown to the airport, Nanaimo, and Victoria.... how they manage that, I have no idea. It's not cheap but it's not outrageous either, IMHO. Whatever happened to a helicopter in every garage? Some days I want my childhood back, dreams of the future intact!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great comment, and agreed 100% on wanting those early impressionable years back. US Helicopter offered S-72 service from the East River Heliport out to JFK in the early 2000s, and I paid $156 for the six-minute flight. Worth every cent not to make that hour-and-a-half drive on a Friday night. Thanks for watching!

[@davefost]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Yikes... grammar aside, I mentioned S-72s instead of S-76s... it would be quite the thing to see an S-72 in commercial service! Good thing you knew what I meant, not what I said. LOL

[@dronemonkey2038]

Very good insight.

[@tomkam9783]

I got to fly on Los Angeles Airlines when I was about five. It was a family trip to Disneyland. We landed at LAX early in the morning from Hawaii where my Dad worked as an A&P mechanic for Hawaiian Airlines. Stayed the night in a hotel that overlooked the east ramp across Sepulveda (I remember a lot of red carpet in the hotel and the LAX terminal). Sometime later, I think it was the next day, we went back to the airport and got on a Sikorsky S-61 for our flight to Anaheim. I always loved helicopters from an early age and I knew I was on a Sikorsky even then. Of course it wasn't until just a few years ago that I learned how dangerous that was. Yikes! Unfortunately, I've only had one other helicopter flight so far, but it was a good one; an hours long fly-along with the LA County Sherrif. Highly recommended.

[@maxsmodels]

Another great one Mike!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Thanks, Max. 'Hopefully some good research material for your Tamiya BV-107-II kit!

[@marksinthehouse1968]

I remember as a child They wanted a heliport near Southwark bridge but was rejected we have battersea heliport but now surrounded by high rise towers risky but when it was built it was bomb sites ,once choppers had to follow the route of the Thames ,great video loved to of seen the magna copter 150 seater on the board at westlands in the 60s

[@Robutube1]

"I came up with that title all by myself" 😂. Another excellent episode Mike - TVM!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Many thanks!

[@sunguar]

Nice history of passenger helicopters. Glad to see the Fairy Rotodyne mentioned, just wish you had mentioned the Piasecki H-16, (which happens to be a favorite of mine) with more kits produced than actual aircraft.

[@GRosa250]

There was a heliport on the bank of the Hackensack River in Ridgefield Park NJ, about 1.5 miles east of Teterboro Airport, that I took a couple trips from in the late 80’s and early 90’s. It seemed like a good location to get to NYC but has since closed down.

[@pauladams286]

Thank you for a great episode, on a subject that rarely gets a mention. Whirlybirds did not screen in New Zealand - it ended about the time TV started up in NZ. The opening scenes of the TV series That Girl featured the heroine and the Vertol 107, I think atop the Pam Am building. Those scenes were the best part of the show. The original issue of the Airfix Westland Whirlwind S-55 Helicopter came with markings for a British European Airways machine in the 1950s.

[@pauladams286]

I have just had a look on You Tube, trying to find the clip that I remembered with the helicopters, but could not find it. Yet I am sure it existed.

[@robertphillips2983]

In Australia Ansett ANA airways operated a Sikorsky S-61 in the second half of the 1960's. I remember seeing it fly over, in Melbourne.

[@kenshores9900]

Interesting episode. I was told by the private aviation people with a large corporation that helicopters were very dangerous and unsafe. There is the mystic and the adventure that causes us to put rational thought to the wind. Thanks Mike.

[@lancerevell5979]

"Airplane s fly, but helicopters beat the air into submission!" 😀

[@kenshores9900]

@@lancerevell5979 But what happens when the air isn’t beaten into submission?

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great comment, and from the very beginning, rotary-wing aircraft have given pilots the trade-off of vertical takeoff and landing convenience plus unique rescue and observational capabilities, with higher mechanical complexity and cost. The safety of auto-rotation (gliding down to a landing using the lift of the rotor disc) was also offset with more serious safety issues involving mechanical failure of the driveshaft or rotor assemblies. Thanks for watching!

[@joeljenkins7092]

My favorite flying experience is in helicopters. I always enjoyed flying aerial photography with Clarke Thomas of Fostaire, out of St. Louis. I asked him how you get a helicopter off of the roof of a building if you had an emergency. He said, "chop it up and sell it for scrap." BTW: loved your home built. :)

[@geertzwager1309]

Whoa, Fostaire! That name brings back some memories! On my first trip to the US in 1991, I marvelled at their JetRanger flying tourist trips from a boat close to the St Louis arch. Being a student then, the cost of a flight was too steep for me, but just watching these helo's up close come in and take off was enough to make my day, being a rotor fanatic.

[@SCSuperheavy114]

Thanks for this Mike! I remember the helicopter pad by Roosevelt field (I think by the racetrack?) when I was a small kids watching 107’s land and take off. Little did I know I would be flying in the ch46 the military version later in life. Miss the Frog! Loud and smelly!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great comment, thanks, and amazing how those early impressions lead to aviation careers. Thanks for watching!

[@erichpizer1]

informative content new to me. tks

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

_"I think they later went on to some bigger things in the music industry."_ Now THAT is an UNDERSTATEMENT If ever I heard one...😊

[@leifvejby8023]

The Rutles?

[@charlesbrantley6421]

Thanks!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Appreciate your support of the channel, thanks!

[@cbroz7492]

...I grew ulneith the Whirlybirds also...except the show was in Saturday mornings..used'ta watch it surreptitiously at my dadTV repair store in Fort Lee ,NJ..

[@Tordogor]

Dear Mike: Amazing video! As always, you beautifully bring back wonderful remembrances of the Avuation past. When you worked in Douglas, Did you made any illustration work on Space and Missiles? Did you meet the genial Spaceship designer Philip Bono? Thanks for your magnificent work!!!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Many thanks, and I worked at the DAC Long Beach plant,so we were doing DC-9, DC-10, A-4, and T-45. Didn't know Philip Bono however.

[@Tordogor]

I love the Art associated to Bono's concepts - as those appearing in his book with Kenneth Gatland. When I was a child, my favorite Aerospace Art was that appearing in trade and popular Science magazines (AW&ST, A&A, Interavia, SciAm, Pop Mech, etc.) of rockets/spaceships; the Aviation illustrations that I was crazy for were on model kit boxes.

[@jerryconnors8663]

Mike, another great video on the history of pax helicopter operations here in the U. S. First ride Mar ‘61 on a NYA Vertol 44B IDL - EWR to catch an Allegheny flight to Altoona. Next, I was interline sales for NYA and flew the S-61s on numerous flights Jan - May 77 in and out of the PAB “Pan Am Bldg”. Was up there that evening after the tragic accident. Needless to say that was the death nell for chopper ops in midtown NYC. I could tell you the unbelievable story and how they removed the chopper from the top of the Pan Am building. Mike, keep those historical look backs coming our way!!

[@geertzwager1309]

Do tell! From what I remember they de- assembled the helicopter and brought all parts down by elevator, because taking the wreckage off the roof by helicopter was forbidden?

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Amazing comment, thanks Jerry. Did you know John Sloane at NYA? And yes, would love to learn how they removed the 'copter from the roof. Thanks for watching!

[@jerryconnors8663]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Sorry Mike, I did not know John Sloan. I was there from Jan ‘76 to Jul ‘77. I then got a more secure job with Braniff based in NY. Yeah, secure until deregulation help put Braniff out of business. I then went to work for Hilton Hotels national sales for 33 years finally throwing in the towel in 2014. And now the story of the S-61 on top of the Pan Am bldg. It was no secret that they won’t allow it be “hoisted”. So, they disassembled it piece by piece and brought them down on the two freight elevators in the bldg. Then, shipped all of it up to Sikorsky in Stratford and there they put it back together (I don’t know how long it took). But the “new” S-61 was sold to Courtline Helicopters in South Africa. That was all I heard.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

@@jerryconnors8663 Amazing story, thanks!

[@drinaghphotography270]

S61 and S62 made by Sikorsky were, I believe, the HH3F and HH52A respectively of the USCG and were the aviation workhorses of their times before being replaced by the current Dolphins. Having served on both during my time in the "Guard" I can truly say they were strong reliable aircraft and I feel privileged to have been a crew member.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Wondcerful comment and thanks for your service!

[@andrewfalenski6583]

I remember riding as a kid from SFO to OAK on a S61, caught a UNITED flight to LAX, and then a S61 from LAX to Disneyland.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Now THAT's the way to travel!

[@bidlymovies987]

Don't forget SFO Helicopters also serviced Sausalito heliport. I remember driving by the S-61 many times as a kid. My dad rode it some but I was never allowed to fly on them.

[@dennischallinor8497]

Excellent video! For these reasons, we will never see flying cars. Thank God!

[@WAL_DC-6B]

I fondly recall seeing and hearing in the 1960s the Sikorsky S-58s that Chicago Helicopter Airways operated between O'Hare, Midway, Gary (Indiana) and Meigs airports (downtown Chicago). They had operated S-55s for a while and even had helicopter service for to the affluent Chicago North Shore suburban area with a helipad, at Winnetka, IL. Apparently, the helicopter service to Winnetka was eventually discontinued as the loud roar generated by the S-58s engine proved just too noisy for the "rich folks" despite the travel convenience (airfare from O'Hare to Winnetka in May, 1960 was $8.00).

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great comment, thanks!

[@bertg.6056]

A very interesting presentation, MIke ! Have you done one on military helos yet?

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

We're planning a video on that topic, thanks!

[@lancerevell5979]

Perhaps do a follow-up episode on fire-fighting helos and the Skycranes in industry. Good info on the passenger operations!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great suggestion, thanks!

[@martinpennock9430]

Another wonderful video! I remember seeing tv shows talking about the future when helicopters would take us everywhere. Maybe it was Disney on Sunday night. Ever thought about a video covering the commercial aircraft that became military models and vice versa? Just a thought. Maybe you've already covered it. God bless you and your family. Take care!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Thanks Martin, and yes, we're already planning a future video on commercial aircraft converted to military transports. May we please use your name for the "By Request" credit line?

[@martinpennock9430]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Yes! Thank you so much for all you do. God bless you and your family.

[@AtheistOrphan]

I remember flying in the British Airports Authority Gatwick-Heathrow shuttle S-61 G-LINK in the early eighties.

[@stevehomer7741]

Really enjoy you videos. It keeps me going back into my old Wings mags. How about another edition of "Commuting by helicopter" to cover offshore industries transporting workers to remote offshore locations? The offshore commercial helicopter services started in the 1950s and continues to the present. It is a significant helicopter market that has driven commercial helicopter development. Offshore helicopter services over longer distances and into harsh environments required developing new approaches helicopter design, facility design and saftey systems. Bell, Sikorsky, Weslyan, PHI, British Airways should be good content souces. Thanks

[@michaelcosta3098]

Mike I remember when one of the S61's went down at the intersection of 22L and 29 at Newark, my neighbor was a Newark Firemen and he said the rear Rotor Blade broke off!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Yes, there were four fatal NYA helicopter accidents - a Boeing-Vertol 107 at Idlewild in October '63, an S-61 at JFK, the Newark crash you mentioned, and the S-61 rooftop accident in May '77. Thanks for watching!

[@cmdredstrakerofshado1159]

The Pan Am building heliport was featured in the Clinton Eastwood movie Coogans Bluff .

[@hertzair1186]

05:07 …LF Models recently came out with the first injected molded kit of the HRP, and it is in 1/72 scale. Bought one off eBay immediately!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Very cool!

[@jetsons101]

The Moon Rocket at Disneyland really did go to the moon, I went there 8 or 10 times as a very young kid years back, it was a great flight---"Really" Mike, another GEM of a watch, how do you do it??????

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great comment - thanks Mike!

[@kaptmorgan1515]

Can you tell me what service flew from the Orange Show in San Bernardino California to LAX.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Not sure what era, but LA Airways flew the piston-powered Sikorsky S-55 in the 1950s, and turbine-powered S-61 in the 1960s. AirSpur flew Westland helicopters in the 1980s. 'Hope that helps, and thanks for watching!

[@smittysmith3227]

I was an eyewitness to the May 22 1968 LA Airways Flight 841 S-61 helicopter crash in Paramount California. I was 9 years old playing little league baseball and I can still see it to this day. By the time I looked up at what everyone else was looking up at the aircraft was already inverted with the rotor blades not the familiar spinning disc I was used to seeing but were just flopping around and separating from the aircraft. I watched it fall all the way to the ground in a trail of debris and then the post crash fire engulfed all that remained. I believe the wreckage fell into one of the old small dairy farms that were still close to the suburbs of LA back then. I would go on to serve on helicopters myself in the US Army Air Cavalry and other combat helicopter battalions and was scared to death the whole time with that memory etched in my mind.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

I appreciate your sharing this story, and thank you for your service.

[@rmp5s]

I've been in MANY helicopters, both flat out military, from the CH-53 (which likes to shoot random fluids all over its passengers as a sign of "It's working") to random little civvie ones and one thing they all have in common? They're LOUD!! They're not all 53 loud (think "deafening crickets") but I think this is the main reason helicopters aren't more popular for passengers. Best ride ever, though? V-22 Osprey. 😎

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Very cool, thanks!

[@mjw1955]

Don't forget about Airspur! About 1982-84 I believe.

[@stuartlee6622]

I used to fly on New York Airways between Newark Airport and LaGuardia and Idlewild. The views were great, but they vibrated terribly.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Yes, I remember that as well. Thankfully, the flights were short!

[@fucqtheworld]

My dad used to take me to the helipad at Fairmont Park in Riverside, CA in the early sixties to watch the LA Airways Sikorsky land and take on passengers. I caught the flying bug there.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Neat story, and never knew L.A. Airways served cities that far east of LAX. Many thanks!

[@lebaillidessavoies3889]

This was the future 👍

[@torbenmagnusson4046]

Mike, you missed most important operator: Air Greenland, flying s61n between cities in Greenland

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Good point, thanks!

[@delsydsoftware]

Great video! Does anyone know why the New York Airways helicopters had Civil Defense markings on them?

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

I believe that was to denote the 'copters as official emergency evacuation vehicles in the event of a major disaster or nuclear attack. Obviously, not sure how well that would've worked for the latter. Thanks for the question!

[@stephenrickstrew7237]

How loud was the Fairey Rotodyne .. ?

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great question, and noise tests showed as high as 115db at close range, and 96db from across the airport. Exceedingly high noise levels even for those days.

[@stephenrickstrew7237]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 thanks 😊 with two turboprops and four tip jets .. … probably made quite the strange sound…!

[@apdaviation4352]

Nice video I worked for NY Helicopter from 82 -87 . For about 6 -8 months I had the best job in the company. I would fly to different stations to cover vacations, sick calls and on the crazy days wr would just keep running extra sections, We would hot fuel them at 34 st heliport. In Aviation for almost 40 years in different positions. But I have to say NYH was the best PS Got married on a s-58 . Marriage cert. Read Aloft over N.Y.

[@orangelion03]

OK, getting married on the helo! Boss move my friend!

[@twistedyogert]

Wouldn't adding a screen to the intake restrict airflow into the engine and effect performance and fuel efficiency?

[@bertg.6056]

Of course, but it's a tradeoff for safety's sake.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

The pointed conical anti-FOD (Foreign Object Damage) engine intake screens can be clearly seen in the color photo at 06:20. They were actually quite aerodynamic and did not affect the 'copter's performance.

[@twistedyogert]

@@bertg.6056 Life is full of trade-offs.

[@danf321]

It’s a shame helicopter shuttle service didn’t succeed. I live near Hollywood Burbank Airport and often need to fly to cities that are only serviced by airlines out of LAX. It would be so convenient to ride a helicopter from Burbank to LAX instead of fighting the miserable traffic.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Agreed 100%!

[@mpetersen6]

If all you're carrying for luggage is a carry on at most a goo light rail network cacarty a higher volume of passengers at a higher stay standard. The transportation system in a country the size of the US should be a mix of all three. Autos, air and rail.

[@platt-lepagearchive9381]

Frank Piasecki's XHRP-1 wasn't the first twin rotor helicopter to fly in the USA, that would be the Platt-LePage XR-1, which Frank Piasecki worked on as his first helicopter engineering job, at Platt-LePage Aircraft. After WWII Frank would go on to purchase the second Platt-LePage helicopter, the XR-1A from early helicopter operator, Helicopter Air Transport when HAT went bankrupt. Frank flew the XR-1A for a time, and kept the airframe for a number of years until it was scrapped without Frank's permission in the 1950s.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Good information, thanks!

[@jimday9875]

outstnding

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Many thanks!

[@chuck9987]

You just keep hitting them out of the park! Great views of "old" New York. There is/was a helicopter repair shop about 2 miles form my house. Some of the "Life Flight" medical choppers were serviced out of there. Weirdest thing I have ever seen was the towing of an H-34 down Joy Road by tractor after it ran into engine problems and was forced to land on the median of a local freeway. They folded the rotors and with a police escort towed the chopper about 5 miles back to the service center. The H-34 was lifting HVAC equipment.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great story, thanks!

[@thelovertunisia]

why is flying with a helicopter for the same distance more expensive than a conventional fixed wing aircraft? Fuel consumtion?

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Great question, and the answer is higher maintenance and operating cost of the mechanically more-complex helicopter. Fuel consumption is actually about the same. Thanks for watching!

[@marcbrasse747]

Another great one, Mike. I only have one point of critisism in general and that is that your video's tend to be rather US centric. It's therfore nice to see you included the Sabena service and the Fairey Rotodyne. The latter could by it's scale and efficiency increases have gotten the cost per seat factor under control. As could an US alternative design have done, off course. If only!

[@jamestyler6782]

I had hoped that Air-Spur at Lax would be successful, but sadly after a tail rotor failure and crash, this was not to be. At least I got to see them come and go from Lax for a while.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

I remember that Westland accident - didn't it crash next to the San Gabrial River and 605 Freeway? Thanks for watching!

[@jamestyler6782]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I believe that is what happened. I was stationed with the U.S. Coast Guard at the time and we used the same corridor to get in and out of LAX. I really enjoy your content, and I thank you for the Bell 47 article you did for me in Wings magazine.

[@righty-o3585]

Wasn't it a Bell 47 in opening for MASH?

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Yes, that's correct, the TV show (and movie) opened with Medevac H-13s, the U.S. Army version of the Bell 47G. Good catch!

[@righty-o3585]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I was a little young to understand the humor in MASH , and I always rememebered the opening sequence because my dad loved that show, and when you mentioned the helicopter being in a TV show, I thought for sure you were going to say MASH. I liked the song but never watched the show. So I'd leave the room as soon as the song was over. I was 7 when MASH ended so... 😊

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

@@righty-o3585 Neat story and thanks for the comment! Amazing how those early TV memories shaped our lives.

[@righty-o3585]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Totally. I have the complete MASH DVD box set now. Every episode. Now that I understand the jokes, that show was friggin hilarious lol 🤘

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

@@righty-o3585 Love it!

[@BoB4jjjjs]

Shame the Fairey Rotodyne never came to be, cut backs, company take over and stories of noise killed it. It was not that noisy, one person that complained of the noise it made had one land just outside his office, he never noticed it landing, so much for the noise en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Rotodyne an amazing aircraft :-)) There are videos of it on KZbin if anyone is interested. It had rotor tip jets that turned the rotors until it had forward movement than they were shut off.

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Interesting point, and I've heard several different slants on the Rotodyne's noise issue. An engineer working at that airfield said it could be heard during engine run-ups for miles away while others mentioned stories like yours. Apparently they were working on a fix when the program was cancelled. Thanks for watching!

[@BoB4jjjjs]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I heard they were noisy when starting the rotor tip jets, but once up to speed they were quieter, however, I never heard one, so it is mostly hearsay! :-l Mind you, I hear a Roberson helicopter starting up from 2 miles away! Might even be three miles! On a calm day.

[@haroldellis9721]

I think our Troop needs a Chinook, because driving to camping trips is for suckers.

[@sski]

Great video! I always get the, "Hey, like the helicopter..." thing because my last name is Sikorski, but the Polish (i), not Russian (y). Don't get me wrong either. I'm very proud of that because I always wanted to BE part of that lineage. I've always been an aviation enthusiast since I was born an Air Force brat, my dad serving from the late 50s to the early 80s. My mother even did some looking into the background of my father's family and found some 'things', but it got murky around the 1917 Russian 'troubles' period when the commies were on a rampage and folks were changing 'i' for 'y' along with borders. But so cool to see all these great helicopters that I remember either seeing in recent books as I was growing up or in person on bases and in the public realm. Thanks, Mike!

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Wonderful story and comment - many thanks!

[@sski]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 The pleasure's all mine, Mike! Thank you for all the amazing content!

[@mpetersen6]

The thumbnail for this video clearly illustrates Stines Law* "Never believe the cover of Popluar Mechanics" New York Airlines made an appearance in the Clint Eastwood film Coogan's Bluff *author, aviation buff, pilot and futurist G Harry Stine

[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

Good catch!

[@mpetersen6]

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I first saw Stine's Law in an article by Jerry Pournelle. He once gave testimony at the UN in which he stated. You can not predict the future. But you can invent it.

[@UniversalChallenge4454]

a flyboy even as a boy lucky dog

[@robertdragoff6909]

It looked good on paper, but in real life, Copters are tricky to fly and a nightmare to maintain. Flash forward to today and now the dream is automated drones will take people all over cities.... Let's see what will happen.

[@MaxKrumholz]

MIL4 ISSR WAS Copy try of Sikorsky H19 with simple Engine

[@stephenhall3515]

The Fairey Rotodyne alleged noise problem was proved to be false and the real demise of a system which would have changed the world was political and financial. There was indecent haste to find faults by British government wanting to please America at any cost. Boeing's helicopter division also pressured US buyers to reject the Rotodyne. Given that the Rotodyne was a gyroplane and not a helicopter it was incredibly torque stable and the rotor was not powered except in VTOL or hover. This allowed for far higher speeds than any helicopter as well as the rotor acting as natural bladed 'parachute' in the event of engine failure or damage. Free rotation in flight also allowed for generation of electricity and would have slotted into modern advanced battery technology -- possibly hastening that development and giving us electric planes by now and a revolution in inter-city very safe transport. Happily, gyrodynes are making a come back with modern composites and hybrid/electric engines in south Asia and western countries will end up buying what should have been allowed to develop at the time.