Helio Courier

I have a friend who has one, and who has owned many of them in the past.

They are amazing airplanes-- he used to have a turbine Helio, and he would land and STOP on the runway numbers!

 

Sweet looking machine. I've seen one before, but it was along time ago. The one I saw was piston powered unlike the one pictured. If I remember right, the leading edges actually deploy at higher angles of attack automatically. They basically get sucked out. It's possible for only one side to deploy, although uncommon I'm told. You'd have to be in a slip for that to occur I think. Anyways, maybe others have flown it. I'm sure that turbine version is an animal!
Check out how small the ailerons are. Lot's of flap on that aircraft.

Nice pics,

Lou

 

You can throw it into reverse on short final, or so I've heard... I don't know if that is an approved procedure or not.

 

I believe that is Helio Stallion 001. The first Stallion made. Hard to believe it is almost 45 years old.

 

Very reminiscent of the german Fieseler Fi 156 "Storch" STOL airplane. It had foldiing wings. Similar slat and flap setup.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fieseler_Fi_156

I've seen one of these at Paul Allen's collection in Everett, Wa

 

I've seen the Storch fly at Fantasy of Flight. I've never seen this plane though. Thanks for sharing.

 

Helio Stallion HST-550/A, AU-24A-HE (18 constructed, c/n 001-018), 15 AU-24A-HE's were given USAF s/n 72-1319 to 72-1333. C/n's HST-1, 2, & 3 were the first 3 built as prototypes.

HST-1 was probably originally slated to be placed in the construction line and be recongigured as a civilian model c/n 005 of the stallions but due to lack of interest in the civilian market it never happened instead it was sold as a prototype in 1976 to a company in Avoca, PA calling itself "Air America inc" after some modification to civilian configuration with wing tip tanks. They re-registered it, some say appropriately, as N550AA but it was not taken up before it was exported in 1978 to Bogota, Columbia, HK-???. It was returned to the US civil registry as N550AA as the 2nd c/n 001 in 1997 by Atlanta Air Salvage. The original civilian extended Crash cage, Yoke flight controls, wing tip tanks, and one of a kind cowling were retained during restoration by Rodney Powers.

N550AA was originally HST-1 probably a PT6A-6 turbine due to its distinctive cowling and was the "factory prototype" it was built under U-10X program using U5-B twin crash cage, tail cone and flight controls originally N10038, then N9550A when it was bought. It is the civilian version N550AA "Black Stallion" presently owned by Tim Greene and one of two Helio Stallion still flying.

 

"no. 1 prototype HS-1
erroneously given serial number 001 on return to USA actually prototype serial no. 1, built 05/64 as model HS-550, using incomplete H-500 twin, converted to N10038 (registry reused) HS-1 prototype no.1, HS-550 used to develop the type certificate for the Stallion. After a time in storage sold as N10038 s/n 1 an incomplete airframe '76, to company named Air America (Rik Luytjes) PA reregistered N550AA (later reused) parts used from prototype no. 2 to complete and installed PT6A-27 680 shp turboprop using (STC SA1481CE) becoming a HST-550A, accident pilot lost directional control after landing because of drifted snow on the runway @ Factoryville PA 3/78, seized by Colombian military for drug smuggling and registered FAC1116 in '82, sold to Servicio Aéreo a Territorios Nacionales (SATENA), '97 returns to US, as N550AA (reused) erroneous (2nd c/n 001), restored as HS-550A except crash-cage/fuselage, flt controls and distinctive HS-550 cowling, paint scheme all black, named the "Black Stallion" owner Tim Greene Cashiers, NC, (2nd black Helio of 2), civilian version of 2 still flying.

 

Interesting airplanes. Got a reputation for it's ability to deposit people working for Uncle Sam in very inconvenient, out of the way places.

 

Technology much like the Ryan Dragonfly and Fiesler Storch.