Let's stir the helicopter pot!

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10-21-2011, 08:55 PM
Bell47pilot

Let's stir the helicopter pot!

Every year I invite everyone to stop by Pioneer Airport and get the best view in the house of AirVenture from one of the three beautiful Bell47's we give rides in. Price was $45.00 per person this past OSH. Not sure for next year.

I also invite the noise complainers to stop by for a ride. A new perspective on a noisy irritant might just be the medicine to cure that throaty whine :-) Yes, we do make noise with those flingwings! We fly around 3000 pax give or take a few hundred every year so there are around 1500+ flight operations just from the three noisy helos. We have a very specific "box" we must remain in (and everyone else except the occasional Zepplin or Blimp SHOULD remain out of!) which restricts our flight paths. If you don't like helo noise I'd recommend you do not camp on the north end of Shuler(sp?) as we will be going over your site 1500 times or more during the week. I flew Huey's for four years in West Berlin and was known as "The King of Whop". I could make that main rotor system sing so you could hear me coming five miles out. Over there it was known as "The Sound Of FREEDOM". If I had a Huey at Osh I could rattle the windows in your RV :-) and carry eight pax at a time!

Some folks noise is others music! I can't believe they let all those noisy airplanes fly all week. What do they think this is, an airshow?

Rant Off :-)
10-22-2011, 05:41 AM
Frank Giger

Definition of a helicopter - 10,000 moving parts surrounded by a hydrolic leak struggling to get away from each other.

:)

(Air Assault!)
10-22-2011, 07:23 AM
Interstater

My family loves the sound of the Bell 47s above our camp, it would not be Oshkosh without it!
10-22-2011, 07:23 AM
turbo

1 Attachment(s)

my thought on helis. the most fun, the most money!!!!!!! Attachment 781smiling young eagles and pilot!!!!!!! hartford ct 2009.
10-23-2011, 06:06 AM
Greever

A friend and I took the helicopter ride during AirVenture 2009.

Smoothest flight I have ever had, the Pilot put her down so smoothly in a 15kt crosswind I wasn't sure when the skids actually touched!

$45. well spent imho...
10-23-2011, 07:24 PM
Ryan Hornback

I am hoping to make my first appearance to Oshkosh this year, and If I get to come, I will definitely try to do this. Looks like an awesome experience! :cool:
10-24-2011, 12:10 PM
Adam Loper

Here's my helo ride from AirVenture 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBw_xV23Tao
10-24-2011, 02:10 PM
TonyG

My fiancee and I took the Bell 47 ride at Oshkosh 2010. While she enjoys flying, she never had a whole lot of interest in learning to fly. We took that ride and now she loves helicopters and wants to get her license. Great - she decided she likes the most expensive area of an already expensive hobby!
10-26-2011, 02:55 PM
nfdlpilot

I sometimes think it is a bit noisy too. I guess I should o get a ride before I do any more complaining.:)
10-27-2011, 11:37 PM
Ron Blum

Adding Fuel

Best view of the show you can get (sorry, video just can't give one that incredible panoramic view). Awesome pilots. Great value. Plus, you get to ride in a piece of history that brought a lot of our military personnel back to friendly turf. I'll do it again ... and again ... and again. fly-in-home@att.net

PS. Great article on the "47" in this month's Sport Aviation!
03-09-2012, 09:32 AM
Bell47pilot

Hey Adam,

That was chris doing the flying for you. He is a DE in all kinds of fixed and flingwing aircraft and flys large corporate jets out of MKE. That helo won top honors (I forget the year '05?) when it came out of restoration. I count my blessings to be part of such a great group of folks flying the prettiest old helos around!
03-20-2012, 10:32 AM
skeeter_ca

Really looking forward to Oshkosh this year. It has been over 20 years since the last time i visited oshkosh. This time i'm bringing my 18yr old son. He's a big boy at almost 310 lbs and 6ft2. I was wanting to have us go for a ride in the blimp and/or heli. I'm at 235lbs myself. Would this be a problem in the 47?

skeeter
03-24-2012, 07:38 PM
gbrasch

Hey 47 pilot, need any more pilots to fly those things????? I want your job! Glenn
04-19-2012, 07:14 AM
Giancarlo Riolfo

I flew on the Bell 47 last year in Oshkosh with Don Voland: great! The Bell 47 is the most beautiful and iconic chopper ever (Huey is no. 2).
By the way, sometimes I hear about helicopter's and airplane's noise. For me it's music!
04-08-2014, 05:31 PM
Bell47pilot

We now have a fourth 47 coming on board as a backup and extra duty helo :-) More rides! More rides!
Can't wait to pull pitch!
04-08-2014, 05:32 PM
Bell47pilot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giancarlo Riolfo

I flew on the Bell 47 last year in Oshkosh with Don Voland: great! The Bell 47 is the most beautiful and iconic chopper ever (Huey is no. 2).
By the way, sometimes I hear about helicopter's and airplane's noise. For me it's music!

For me the Huey is #1 and the 47 #2 :-)

I can make a LOT more noise with the Huey!
04-08-2014, 07:23 PM
Brian Hartwick

Are you still the "King of Whop"?
04-09-2014, 06:48 AM
obmaha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bell47pilot

We now have a fourth 47 coming on board as a backup and extra duty helo :-) More rides! More rides!
Can't wait to pull pitch!

Hey Bell,

Quick couple questions for you. What requirements do you have for the pilots flying and do you actively look for help during Osh? Also do any of the 47's have duels?

Thanks
Controller and heli pilot