The Plane that Turns Backyards into Runways
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- Опубликовано: 12 окт 2024
- The Helio Courier is a brute of a STOL plane with a very rich history, dating back to the post-war era. Loved by both military and civilian operators, the Courier required a skillful pilot to master, but in the hands of an experienced aviator, could perform magic on runways and in the air.
Now approaching nearly 75 years since its birth, the Courier is slowly becoming a relic and sadly, its numbers are dwindling. One devoted aviation group in Alaska is working hard to change that!
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Learn about JAARS and their noble mission, and how the Courier allowed them to operate where no other plane could:
www.jaars.org
Special thanks goes to the great folks below who graciously allowed me use of their footage:
Brian Uretsky: / @brianuretsky
Lukas Stutzer: / @helioalaska8285
Also shout out to Mike Mower from JAARS with a lot of great information about the Helio. Fewer guys know it inside and out!
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I don't own these clips. All rights are reserved to their respective owners. If your clip is included and you'd like it removed, please email me, and we'll address the matter right away. richard@e-sense.tv
Sources:
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I flew the the Helios for a fishing lodge in Alaska. We installed helicopter airspeed indicators in ours because they registered airspeed from zero up. We flew on floats down to around 35 mph and, in a headwind, it was easy to earn tips by wowing the tourists by 'helicoptering up' in an absolutely vertical 'elevator' ascent. Incidentally , the Helios's nickname is 'the poor man's helicopter'. In heavy fog, we would inch our way forward at treetop level using a technique called 'hanging it on the prop' which meant pulling off the throttle to decrease the air speed and, as the nose was pulled up to maintain altitude, power was gradually added. Eventually a guy could get the ship up to full power with the nose at a very high angle of attack permitting plane to travel in level flight at a ground speed of around 15 mph. The trick was to get the rig into the 'zone of negative control' where pushing the yoke forward would cause the the ship to rise and pulling back would cause the plane to descend. I could go on for hours about the tricks a guy could pull in the 295.
Thanks for the tip! Trust me I could go on for hours listening. I love deep diving on these planes and it was a treat to learn about the Helio. I figure she deserved some exposure here on youtube 👍🤘
I'd like to invite you to share more about your experience with the Helios.
that and rhe turbine❤❤❤
My dad replaced a Hughes 269 with our Courier.
A great multi-purpose aircraft. Glad to hear that someone is reviving this marvelous plane 🙂
I'm excited to see what happens!
Thanks for having my Helio H295 in the video! N295LA.
hope you don't mind!
I grew up on a farm 40 miles from the Helio factory in Pittsburg, KS. My dad leased a Courier from '69 to '72. Factory pilot Larry Montgomery would drop in to our airstrip often. My dad used our Courier in his pipeline patrol business. I have many fond memories of our Courier.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Did you visit the factory often?
I wonder if we ever crossed paths. My dad was a land man in KS and OK.
Im a Joplin native Before I was born my dad commuted to and from Pittsburg taking classes there I was born in 56
You did an excellent job of defining its history and capabilities.
cool
Thank you!
...NOTHING TO SEE HERE BUT AWSOMENESS...LOVE THE HISTORY LESSONS...👍
Thank you!
It doesn’t defy physics. It merely using great engineering to leverage physics to the hilt.
Agree. Just some good ol hyperbole, lol
What an aesthetically pleasing, capable little aircraft. If I were younger and still flying, I’d love to own one! Thanks for this excellent video!
Thanks for watching! As far as age, I'd venture a guess that most Courier owners are well retired. Go for it!
Many decades ago, in 1936, there already was such an aircraft in Germany, the Fieseler Storch Fi 156. For takeoff, the Storch needed 50 meters in headwinds and 20 meters for landing.
Yup, the Storch was definitely a pioneer STOL airplane. Which is why I did not claim the Helio as the 1st stol plane. The Helio employed quite a few fearures from the Storch, such as the slotted wings. The Helio, however, could carry 6 passengers, so that was a novelty.
Hope you folks enjoyed this brief documentary on the amazing Helio Courier.
Don’t miss out on these next brief documentaries on more badass planes.
Globe Swift ➡ ruclips.net/video/4Wf2RYJihuU/видео.html
Dyke Delta ➡ ruclips.net/video/VSGE0rvhy4U/видео.html
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Didn’t know this jewel existed how epic !
Glad to share it!
Wonderful airplane. I hated to see it fade away. Love to see it return. The long fuselage helps it to avoid nosing over in hard braking and looks great along with the large vertical tail. Excellent design to this day. =PC=
It is! I really hope it makes a comeback too
Excellent job on this video and such a remarkable airplane!
Couldn't agree more! and thanks!
One thing that could help an updated version of the Helio Courier is distributed propulsion. While retaining an engine in the nose, each wing could have two or three 10 kW motors and propellers. They might have to be mounted from the wing's lower surface so as not to interfere with the slats. Or, the slats could be segmented into shorter units to allow the low-drag nacelles and props to be mounted to the leading edge. The motors could be shut down during cruise flight while the engine keeps running (and recharging the batteries). Several experimental aircraft have this arrangement. Even an AN2 (large biplane) was so equipped.
That sounds...a bit complicated? But i love the thinking
The Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter has just as impressive a STOL capability and has been considerably more commercially successful - well worth a video about that one.
True. Also wondering why it did not take market away from the Cessna 180/185 ?
They are different machines...different price point, different fuel burn, the Porter is much larger, plus a bit longer takeoff role. I don't think they really compete - but the Porter has a huge advantage with a turboprop, seeing that it's becoming impossible to buy avgas in some countries. Which is why JAARS replaced them in their missions today. As to a video, I think the Porter is already very well covered, whereas there's no documentary on the Helio. (plus, i'm fond of old piston airplanes, lol)
Different mission, different machine (although the Cessna is much more practical airplane)
@@aircraftadventures-vids Fair. On reflection, the Porter was more a competitor for the Stallion than the Courier.
@@MrHws5mp 100% 👍
good show ! I hope Helio can make a comeback.The sound of that geared Lycoming is a treat , not like that shrieking prop noise of a 180 at take off. will probably be a prat and whitney pt-6 turbo prop
I confess that NO piston engine nor blade noise turns me off, lol (unless you're up in alaska and hear it every day). But I do agree that the geared Lycoming is wonderful to listen to. About 20 years ago I recall a trigear Helio slowly flying in circles around my neighborhood, it was a nice symphony playing above me.
Great video! I love learning about the unique machines that were designed and built over the years.
There’s a Courier that lives locally to me and I’m friends with the owner. I think it’s about time I go ask for a ride.
I appreciate the detail you went into describing the evolution of the plane. I had no idea… but now I’m smarter! Cheers!
Thanks for your feedback David! Hope you get a ride!
Fab history of a little known plane. Never flew one, always wanted to. Thanks for vid
Glad you enjoyed it Thanks for watching
My very first flight in a GA aircraft was in a Helio Courier, specifically N62JA at a JAARS day at their airport in Waxhaw decades ago. In a "Wow, the world is small but Alaska is smaller" instance, I had to go to Alaska for work about a year ago. I was making small talk with the Turo host who picked me up in Anchorage after noticing an Iditarod Air Force sticker on the back of the jeep. I mentioned that I had seen a clip of 62JA at a STOL competition in Alaska just a couple weeks before. He said he knew the current owner (and apparently, owner of the type certificate now?) of 62JA. Cool to see it feature heavily in this video.
Alaska seems like the perfect environment for the Courier
that's a plane that looks really eager to fly.
Hopefully it can be brought back into production at cost that makes it accessible it individuals and small operators
I'm with you!
There is 2 outfits starting production. One for the Stallion and one for the Piston.
I'm aware of the piston...but not the Stallion! Man I wish them both luck, would be great to see both flying together at Osh one day
I got to take a ride in a JAARS Courier at a local grass field fly-in several years ago. He did max-performance take-off and landing and it was truly impressive. I read that there is now a turboprop conversion available for surviving Couriers using the PT6A and it gives as good performance as the original geared engines.
You might have met Mike Mower, who helped educate me on many aspects of the plane. He's a real Helio Wizard.
Hope it works out with the brand new Courier. Will be nice with full glass cockpit, center stick and 800shp turboprop with 5 swept blades.
Someone in the comments mentioned that there's an effort in place to revive the Stallion, well there you go!
@@aircraftadventures-vids So cool, fingers crossed! Mike Petey's Draco kind of gave a glimpse into what a new Courier would look like and be capable off. I know that plane was a modded Wilga but wow a bling Courier in that vibe would be awesome!
You learn something new everyday huh!
Great video!!!
✌️🇺🇸
Thanks 👍
Awesome video and very well researched! I got to fuel the one in the Alaska Aviation Museum, N6319V, in 1994 when it came to the FBO I was working at far away from it's home in Ottawa, Canada. What a cool aircraft!
Great podcasts about the Helio
I was fortunate enough to enjoy looking at a Helio Stallion in the early 70s It was whangarei at De Ridder airport in Louisiana
Amazing aircraft. Turbines in private aircraft were rare at that time
Thanks for sharing that
Well done!
Thank you, Scott!!
Great plane. Great video. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Meet the zenair 801 180hp - can land in deep grass/weeds too - no small tailwheel. Flies at 35 kts , 4 pass, fits in shed with 32’ wide doors and almost impossible to stall. Got a wide load - pin the doors up to the wings and load up bicycles, 2x4x8’ etc. Love my 801 😀
The Zenair is an awesome machine for sure!
Great video!
Thanks!
A tail dragger that doesn't tip over is fantastic. I have played in the X-plane simulator for Android for about ten years and still tip over the Dakota and the Piper Cub 😅 I'd love to fly this beauty for real! Thanks for sharing, subscribed!
Thanks for the sub! And drop in the comments later what you think about the Courier in x-plane (just don't groundloop it!)
I got to visit the new owners of the Helio Courier type certificate in Birchwood, Alaska. They are updating it with more bush mods with a test Courier
I spoke quite a bit with the new owner, am really excited to see what they come up with.
It may be difficult to crash, but it's not impossible. I saw one that crumped at my hometown airport in Florida when I was learning to fly in the early 1970s. The good news was the cabin remained intact and nobody was killed.
Exactly as it was designed!
There was a Helio Dealership at my home airport F46 in the early 70’s.
I take it the runway was only 500 ft long, right?
@@aircraftadventures-vids
In those days it was 2300’ asphalt, nowadays I believe it’s landlocked at 3300’ long. I remember both demo planes were painted the same but one was a tricycle gear. During landing
I could hear the slats popping in and out as they were put thru their paces.
@@chuckcawthon3370 ah yes they are loud!
10:20 And I bet MORE love their "Super Cubs"!
You mentioned they were used by police departments for surveillance, but I only know of one. The Pima County Sheriff's Department started using them in 2000 and had two of them they used for patrol support. They had a camera system and huge spotlight. Eventually both were converted to Turboprops.
The winner of these years sol, landing in less than 7ft, taking off in 5ft
They'll soon be taking off backwards!
Great video. My Dad was Chief of Design at Helio in Bedford MA in late 60s into early 70s. He worked on the Stallion and other things with various arms of govt...lol..The Twin Courier is a big mystery ...curious...How many who contracted ...where ...and what happened to them..That original Helioplane is in one of the Smithsonian facilities ...one that i dont think open to public ..Garber..Curious too all the high lift devices on the Courier and Stallion are quite old...late 30s in some cases..I dont think the design will come back because the cost of manufacturing would be exorbitant with all its mechanisms..I remember meeting Lynn Bolinger in Concord Ma Nashawtic Hill Rd ..1970...
Damn! Thanks for sharing your experience. You’ll be happy to know that there’s a group of dedicated Courier people who are working hard on bringing it back again!
I remember in the 1970s someone had one of these planes parked in his front yard next to his house. Took off and landed in the backyard.
I would have loved to be his neighbor! I'd be bumping rides all the time, lol
There was a book I read back in the late 80’s when I flew a Helio, said how the CIA manufactured them in Asia as there was a disagreement with the manufacturer. Anybody else heard of this?
I read about that too! I was on the fence whether to talk about that but it would detract from the intent of the video. But I read that supposedly 1/2 the production of Couriers were CIA-built (with NO serial numbers).
@@aircraftadventures-vids it mentioned about a pilot going to pick up Helio No13But he found it being assembled, was told it was the wrong number13, his was around another corner. Great vid, thanks
The only plane that ever really came close to the HC was the Pilatus Porter. I flew the Porter in SE Asia and it's built like a tank. We use to call it a flying Timex because it could take a licking and keep on ticking.
The Porter replaced the Courier in JAARS missions, but mainly because of the lack of avgas, which is the Courier's largest shortcoming (out the US at least). The porter is one bada$$ plane for sure
"James, I think I'll take a Sunday jaunt....I'm in the mood for a leisurely ride, so warm up the "Courier," not the "Lear"......
Such interesting airplanes back in the 60s. When they were affordable, of course.
Affordable is relative, people were making way less money, but there were way less barriers to learn to fly (and ownership was easier, as a result) My dad bought a war surplus BT-13 for $900 in 1952.
@@aircraftadventures-vids Just like owning a house I guess.
Ah.. the Helio Courier, my second favourite aircraft.
Well, don't hold back...which is your first? do tell!
@@aircraftadventures-vids The Falcon XP is my #1 favourite aircraft of all time; the canard Ultralight I talked to you about.
i saw one twice in Viet Nam. the first at Cu Chi asked if he could take the midfield taxiway in the air. I was tower. I said if you can. he did. another at Tay Ninh was Air America and sold me a 45 cal burp gun with a drum for $50, I never fired it and was to scared to try to smuggle it home. Amazing airplane. I have always wished to have one. to late now
Interesting, had never heard of it.
I'm not a pilot, but have watched a lot of videos by Pilot Debrief that analyze the causes of crashes. This seems to solve many of those.
If I heard it all correctly, these were the down-sides:
1. Difficult to control at slow speeds.
2. Difficult to maneuver on the ground due to the long wheelbase.
3. Expensive.
4. Heavy.
5. Complex.
And I presume "heavy" also means lower fuel economy, as well as lower cargo capacity.
And I presume 3-5 are due to the large control surfaces, and that's probably unavoidable even with the latest technology today.
I love Hoover's channel! As to your points, all correct - consider the Courier a very niche product, that does what it does very well, but at a price of course.
That flat 8 lycoming is going hurt at the pump though!
You know it!
Nice
There's one at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum at Bangkok, along with a Spitfire XIV, a Fairey Firefly, a Mig 21 and a bunch of other interesting types. No placard. I recognized it due to the round window at the back.
No placard? Maybe the museum hasn't identified it yet 😂
No, it was probably being replaced or something of the sort.It was one of the outdoor exhibits.
Yep! You can have your very own Courier.....for several HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS! And that's the price they were going for in the 1980s, when I read about the airplane. They may cost millions, by now. You can get a Zenith Air STOL 701 for a tiny fraction of that price, and it has similar short-field performance.
It seems like the experimental market (kit plane) should tackle this design.
👍👍👏👏🇺🇲🇺🇲
Thanks for sharing.
you bet! tx for watching
Would LOVE to fly one of these OUTSTANDING aircraft. Much better than the Pilatus Porter!.
My father was involved with and president of our states chapter of The International Flying Farmers, The owner of a well know large nursery stock producers owned one of the eight cylinder versions of the Helio Courier and I can attest to the fact every time he took off everyone stopped to look and admire that bird.. He had a custom executive leather interior with 6 passenger seats, He would fly his National & international buyers around to his various growing locations which each had suitable runway’s on sight.. J Frank Schmidt & Son Co. Boring Oregon…
That sounds like a fun ride! The flat-eight is one of my favorite engines.
No need to imagine a plane that can take off from my back yard.
I don't have a back yard.
On the other hand, a WWII era Storch could manage it from my SIDE yard - and some of the kit-plane versions need even LESS space.
Fieseler’s Storch comes to mind. This here is much prettier.
True, once I was already 1/2 through production it came to mind but I figured it would convolute the narrative. But at least I didn't make a claim it was the "first" ever STOL plane, lol.
My hangar neighbors are trying to rebuild them.
The airplane 77C you show in the ground loop is not a helio courier. It looks like a C-170 to me. Substitutions are not appreciated and besmirch the HC.
Yes, it's video of 170 alright. As an aviation enthusiast, it never occurred to me that anyone would ever confuse the two, but I could see a casual viewer to mix them up..yeah, no bueno. But I can't edit it now
01:07 wow look at that fin. This plane was made for a different purpose.
And you have to be an Elite to own it.
Great airplane as long as the wings don't fall off.
Why would they fall off? I wonder what the "G" ratings are on this plane.
And if you like the courier you would be wild about the helio stallion …..
To the company in Alaska,,,,, look at an engine that runs on auto fuel. They're out there. Higher rpm's which give better torque and less expensive (didn't want to use the word cheaper) to operate, purchase, and overhaul! 4 cyl putting out 200 H.P. and Turbo'd!
Auto conversions have been out for a long time but typically plagued by the issues - unable to run at high speeds for a long time, weight, etc. FAA sure doesn't like them either. It's a tough nut that people have been trying to crack forever. I read about about a guy who did an LS swap on a Bede-4. Was a bit scary to read about, lol.
Yeah great plane , but it just combined a lot of well established STOL principals.
and to that point, it does it very well. It's a niche product.
If you can afford one, you won't need to take off from your "back yard," you'll have your own, personal, 5000 ft. airstrip....and maybe your private "FBO," to go with it!
I wonder what were its disadvantages, if any, compared with the Cessna 180/185 Skywagon?
Well there are few, and it turns out that it's a widely discussed topic on backcountry message boards.
a) Slower plane on same HP (therefore, higher fuel burn) b) Geared engine that requires more maintenance c) Lower TBO d) harder to source parts e) MANY more 180-185's produced, therefore much easier to support. Still, for some missions, the Helio will still reign supreme.
@@aircraftadventures-vids Thank you. (c) to (e) are, IMO, "acquired" disadvantages (ie. resulting from not taking a large enough share of the interest and market). I grew up flying on my dad's series of C-185's and I have always been in love with that beautiful plane. I wonder if, when equipped with all the aftermarket STOL enhancements it could do even better than the Helios excepting slow flight, of course...but that would be for the Cub owners to claim, I suppose.
Helio Alska's H295 has won the heavy touring class at the Valdez STOL competition the past few years, outperforming the Cessnas.
A real wheel-barrow on the ground.
@@RPHeliopilot I see. That settles it for me. It's good to know, thank you.
Oh, never mind. I thought the thumbnail said "King of Stool"
😂
Great presentation. I love the graphics and audio at 2:18 🤣🤣 Many years ago I worked at an FBO in Arizona that had a Helio Stallion hangar queen. Its tires were nearly three feet in diameter. It was there for months. Never saw it fly. One day it was gone.
Hopefully someone saved it! You wouldn't happen to know the tail number?
@@aircraftadventures-vids No, too long ago.
Great aircraft BUT will never fly in or off my backyard........LOL
Why not? Just mow the grass!
@@aircraftadventures-vids Because it is surrounded by trees and power lines cross the lower half....LOL
My RANS S-12 can do most of these things. And after I do a major overhaul and some redesign, it will have automatic leading edge slats and be able to do everything the Helio Courier can do, flight profile-wise. The S-12 will never carry as much cargo as the HC. The Helio Courier was basically like a modernized version of the Fi156 Storch.
I would take Lindbergh's assessment of the Flivver with a grain of salt. He had likely never flown a plane as light as the Flivver and was probably mostly just having trouble adjusting to flying such a light plane. Smaller, lighter aircraft are more challenging to fly and Lindbergh's first plane weighed about 3x as much as the Flivver. Besides, Lindbergh was a fascist antisemite so who cares what he thought anyway?
The S-12 is considered to be highly stall and spin resistant too. There is no such thing as stall- or spin- proof. I have both stalled and spun the S-12 and could likely do the same in a Helio Courier.
Rans produces great products! I briefly met Randy Schlitter at sun n fun in the mid-90s. This was after his disastrous experiment with the Rans Pursuit, which was one of most amazing kitplane designs of the 90s (and one he would probably prefer you not know about)
Defy physics? I don’t think so
just a little hyperbole
COOYRIER. LOL.
Just a Fieseler Storch Copy
It's neither stall or spin proof. No airplane is.
Technically correct, but it's hard to get it into a stall.
You obviously haven’t flown one…you have to work real hard to stall or spin one ….great plane to fly tagging grizzly bears and tracking them in Yukon and NWT IN EARLY 70s
@@imthatimvernon I'm an aerospace engineer. Tell me more about how it's "stall proof." lol
Show
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A blatant copy of The Fieseler Fi 156 "Stork" of 1935!
It's not a copy at all. That's like saying all STOL planes are copies. It did however use same similar elements such as the slatted wings (which, by the way, already existed by the time the Storch came out)
😅😂
I'm not sold. If it was that good it'd still be here like the 172
That's like saying "Tractors don't sell as well as Honda Civics, therefore, tractors are a failure"
a) As stated in the video, it faded because of it's old, unsupported engine. b) It also said a company in Alaska is trying to revive it.
Great plane, that’s too bad about the engines…
Yea, they were the most suitable though.
I flew fixed wing singles for a long time but I have a gyrocopter now. 1000% less headaches, low and slow and maintenance is easy and inexpensive compared to fixed wing annuals. I fly for fun now so no real need for anything else… at the moment. 🚡🚁✈️
I’d to fly in a gyro one day! Love them (as I should…see my channel avatar)
Many decades ago, in 1936, there was such an aircraft in Germany, the Fieseler Storch Fi 156. For takeoff, the Storch needed 50 meters in headwinds and 20 meters for landing.
Certainly, the Storch was a pioneer in STOL design (which is why I stopped short of calling the Courier the first stol plane).