![]() The demonstrator's first flight took place on April 8, 1949, flying from what was then called the Boston Metropolitan Airport. The powerplant for the demonstrator was switched to the Continental C85 boxer-four cylinder air-cooled engine, upgraded with fuel-injection, and uniquely equipped with a multi-belt speed reduction unit to drive its Aeroproducts nine-foot (2.75 meter) diameter, variable-pitch two-blade propeller, which contributed greatly to the amazing STOL flight characteristics of the demonstrator aircraft. Only the cabin area of the PA-17's original airframe remained unmodified, with the fuselage lengthened by four feet (1.2 meters), given a taller fin-rudder unit, clipped the Vagabond's stock 29 ft-3 inch (8.92 meter) wingspan down to only some 28.5 feet (8.7 meters), fitted the shortened wings with full-span leading-edge slats, long-span wing flaps that forced the ailerons to be much diminished in their span - only occupying the two outermost rib bays inboard of the wingtip and a longer-travel main landing gear of a taller design, not unlike that of the 1930s-origin Fieseler Fi 156 German military short take-off and landing ( STOL) pioneer aircraft. The demonstrator for the Courier's concept, "Helioplane #1", was converted by the then-local Wiggins Airways firm from a Piper PA-17 Vagabond Trainer, one of the so-named "short-wing Pipers" in production following World War II. Koppen went on to design the Helio Courier. Koppen designed aircraft for the Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company, including the Ford Flivver, an aircraft that was supposed to be mass-produced by Ford. The rights to the Helio Stallion and Helio Courier were acquired by Helio Aircraft of Prescott, Arizona. Two models were produced, the H-800 and H-700. The new models also featured modest winglets. In a further effort to reduce weight, a new composite landing gear was featured. The geared engine, however, required constant maintenance and was a major downside to the design.ĭuring the early 1980s, new owners (Helio Aircraft Ltd.) made an attempt to build new aircraft with direct-drive Lycoming engines, to replace troublesome and expensive geared engines. During airshow demonstrations, it was common for the aircraft to actually take off across a 100 - 200 foot wide runway. ![]() Couriers were famous for their takeoffs, which often took only a few plane lengths and then climbed at very high angles. The engine was the 295 hp Lycoming GO-480, which had a gearbox that lowered the output RPM and allowed for the use of a large three-bladed propeller to further improve takeoff performance. ![]() The design featured four leading edge slats that deployed automatically, and large trailing edge flaps. The Helio Courier is a cantilever high-wing light STOL utility aircraft designed in 1949.Īround 500 of these aircraft were manufactured in Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1954 until 1974 by the Helio Aircraft Company. Helio Courier H-295 on floats, Lake Hood Seaplane Base, Anchorage, AK ![]()
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