First Float Equipped Helio

[JamesCaird]

Hi Guys-  I am working on some "Memory Lane" stuff.
   In another post I mentioned that my father, John Wallace, had begun working for Helio as a Mechanic, A&P type and then as production foreman at the Canton, MAss. shop which in early 60's (maybe) moved up to Bedford, Mass.  I am working to locate some film he took of a Courier during initial float certification and flight testing in 1954 or 1955.  This work was taking place either on the Merrimac River in Mass, or possibly up at Lake Winepesaukee in NH.  (I think the former)  Unfortunately at the time  a NE Hurricane was bearing down on the region, it would have been August or September, and as a precausion the aircrafdt was to be flown west out of the storm's reach.  During that transit the aircraft was lost, destroyed.  I don't know the cause.  By chance some years in college I made the acquaintance of another student whose father was Edward Ellwell (from memory)  It was my new friend's  father who was the pilot of the lost Helio.  His family story was that "the wings came off". I never heard any more about it and am interested to research the facts of those events.  Any connections or memory out there?  When I find the photos and the film I will be able to get the N-number.  Will check in later/Cheers/Bob

[Doug Johnson]

I discovered an interesting photo while mining for information

[JamesCaird]

Hi Doug-I have seen that photo elsewhere.  Dwight Adams, who is atributed for the photo posted a note somewhere else about that aircraft and special ops with the Helio Courier on floats.  If Dwight is out there somewhere (?) maybe he could chime in regarding another Helio story I have heard but can't find at the moment.  It was about a Helio being prepared on floats for a "Black Ops" mission into Russia.  As the story goes, after training in small lakes in NH and Maine, a deniably clean Helio (no numbers on anything) was shipped to Norway or Finland.  After reassembly, some spooks were loaded as Pax and flown across the Baltic and dropped into some small lake and left to collect data about some sort of Russian Cold War type weapon or Radar Test.  When mission was over, with a beacon of some sort Helio dropped back down into lake and collected the guys and off they went.  Can anybody verify the truth of any of that?  Such as what happened to the "Clean" Courier?  Pilot still with us?   Cheers/Bob

[greatlakeshelio]

I know Dwight Adams and talked with him last week, he flew those for the Special Forces from Ft. Bragg, N.C. in the mid-seventies. He will be coming to our Fly-In in July. He has everything good to say about his experiences flying the Helio all around those areas.

I'm in contact with him often.

Stephen

[JamesCaird]

Hi Steven-Is it possible to ask Dwight to verify any knowlege of the Helio /RussianBlack Ops that I mentioned?  Would dearly love to be at the Fly-in to hear some of this stuff myself but I am sorry to say that I will be away on work.  Cheers/Bob

[greatlakeshelio]

I currently know of one such Helio in existence that was used for remote detonation with IED type device for use in Russia to light off a possible "nuke" weapon. These were flown down low and short range to insert small teams to implement clandestine remote sites. The airplanes were 1400 series Helio utilizing civilian decor.

[JamesCaird]

STephen-Thanks for the reply.  Looks like there is more to the story?  Cheers/Bob

[Doug Johnson]

Stephen,

When you see Dwight maybe you can convince him to come over to this site and post some pictures and stories.

I'm sure there was more information at the site where I found the photo but I don't remember where I got it.

I was telling someone that there's a lot of Interesting History Trivia that will disappear if it doesn't get posted.

Doug

[Louis]

What is that wingtip?

Louis

[Doug Johnson]

Good eye I posted the picture and didn't see it I guess I was looking at the floats.

Looks like a drooped tip doesn't it?

Doug

[Louis]

The only other time i saw a wing tip like this one on an Helio was on the 700 and 800 modified by the guy that was making the metal legs replacement of these models.  he had remove the terrible sinfull wing tip that came with 700-800 to try a drop wing tip.  I am surprise to see it on the photo you posted on this old Helio.

Louis

[greatlakeshelio]

The U.S. Army decided to apply these droop-tips to the few Helio's the 5th Special Forces had at Ft. Bragg, N.C. Apparently to help in additional roll control and better rate of climb, as far as their effectiveness I cannot answer that, but I've seen numerous single-engine airplanes with these tips. Stinson, Tri-Pacer, Cherokee, and the Piper Colt...odd looking things!!

The claims made by Demars "Super Tips" may be a bit exaggerated, but here is the STC. They no longer make them.

Madras 'Super Tips' approved under STC SA1938WE.

[Doug Johnson]

I looked up that stc: http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgstc.nsf/0/4e2b3e73c2087d39862576e0006b6c82/$FILE/SA1938WE%20SuperTips-STC%5B1%5D.pdf

and attached it.

I think the Hoerner tip would be more useful. Just my opinion.

[Doug Johnson]

I accidently ran across this;

Drooped wing tips on the Helio

The plane in question is a Helio Courier on floats, several of which were used for covert ops by Special Forces in SE Asia during the Vietnam conflict. My father's company, Plane Boosters, Inc. supplied several sets of "droop tips" to them for evaluation.

SA957SW,"Cub Crafters, Inc",Reissued,01/28/1996,"1920 South 16th Avenue P.O. Box 9823","Yakima","WA","98909-0823","Installation of plane booster kit 101-C1000."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             


Doug

[franek grabowski]

Gents
I am researching covert operations flown in Europe, and established some names of the men who flew Beavers and then Couriers. This is a very messy subject, with a lot of conflicting details, and I am not sure if I will not violate the forum rules with inaccurate informations.
That said, it is claimed, the first man, who realised value of Courier was Heine Aderholt, who had one plane converted at Edo. I presume it was Courier bought/ordered on civilian market, possibly by a shell company. I think only three Super Couriers were ordered and delivered by USAF. Anybody knows, what was the aircraft converted by Aderholt, and when it had happened? It was after his return from Europe, thus indicating 1957.
Franek