By Jim Roberts
If you came of age in the ’70s and ’80s, chances are your image of a helicopter stems from the iconic opening scene in the television series M*A*S*H, where a bubble-nosed H-13 Sioux lands in a cloud of dust as nurses run to off-load an injured soldier. This week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, as in every year since 1994, Bell 47s, the civilian versions of the H-13, are making the rounds over the AirVenture grounds. Happily, their passengers are wide-eyed sightseers, and you can join them daily at EAA’s Pioneer Airport.
I spoke with one of the pilots, Chris Anderson; his father, Tim, rebuilt a Bell 47 in the 1970s and sold it to a friend of EAA founder Paul Poberezny. Paul’s friend flew it to AirVenture each year, and the Bell was used for traffic control and public relations flights for VIPs. In 1994, EAA bought the helicopter to start a sightseeing operation, which grew to the current fleet of two EAA-owned and two leased aircraft.
The Bell-47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on March 8, 1946, and more than 5,600 were produced. The AirVenture fleet spans production years from 1956 to 1972, and Chris said, “They’ve all been restored, and they’re well cared for. We babysit ’em like nobody’s business. They built a heck of a helicopter for the time, and it’s a joy to fly.”
The operation serves nearly 800 passengers daily, and Chris noted, “We get a lot of repeat customers; one gent shows up every day to take a helicopter ride. Some of our passengers start out a little apprehensive, but usually by the time we’re 10 feet into the air, they’re going, ‘This is really neat!’ They’re just impressed at the great view and how large AirVenture is. I see a lot of happy faces; the kids just go nuts.”
All this takes a crew of 20 pilots on a rotating schedule, and almost 50 ground volunteers. I met pilot Marshall Crandall who started flying at AirVenture when the operation began in 1994, and he has been here every year since. He’s flown as a fixed-wing corporate pilot but said, “Helicopters have always been my love.”
When asked about his most memorable passengers, without hesitation he recalled, “Everybody’s special, but about two years ago I flew two Medal of Honor recipients and got a chance to talk to them a bit.” Here he got a bit emotional, continuing, “They were just outstanding people. I can’t tell you how impressive they were.”
Watching passengers’ reactions after landing, you get the idea they’ve just gotten off a magic carpet ride. Nine-year old Anna Stoehr, who flew with her mother Cintia, ran over to her dad, threw herself into his arms, and exclaimed, “I want to do it again!” Chances are, you will too.