Two men in Birchwood, Alaska, are hoping to revive production of the Helio Courier, a highly regarded STOL bushplane that was built for about 20 years ending in 1974. The duo, identified only as Abe and Lucas, acquired the type certificate and thousands of hand drawn plans and are applying modern construction techniques, including 3D manufacturing, to the ambitious goal of displaying a new Helio Courier prototype at the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering later this month. Airplanes in the Wild shot this informative video on the project.
This is exciting to me. I had my first airplane ride in a Helio Courier in Maine in 1954. The plane’s owner, Alan Bemis, was an original investor in the Helio Courier company. I flew with him many times up through high school. His inspiration and my “genetic” interest in flying resulted in many years as a corporate pilot and flight instructor for me. I would greatly love to see the Helio Courier fly again. I visited the company at Hanscom Field in Massachusetts around 1968, and even saw the twin Helio at a now closed field near Norwood, MA at one point. GOOD LUCK to the Boys in Birchwood, hope they can bring the Helio Courier to life again.
Incredible… absolutely incredible. The patience, determination, knowledge, skill, etc., absolutely incredible. More power to them. Speaking of power, note the absence of batteries. Imagine that.
