What Are Those Helicopters Doing Up There?

Newcomers to AirVenture Oshkosh often think they're under constant surveillance, pointing to the low-level helicopter traffic over the grounds. Au contraire; those are sightseeing rides, and they're well worth including in your AirVenture trip, including checking out the EAA Museum complex at the west end of the EAA property.

The helicopters may be familiar to watchers of vintage television shows, as they are the familiar bubble-nose Bell Model 47 (H-13) chopper featured in MASH, that sometimes-irreverent show set in the Korean War era. The EAA owns two Bell 47's and uses two or three extra leased aircraft to handle the show traffic. The ride is about five minutes long, following a circuitous route over the AirVenture grounds that provides a great view. Plan on a wait of an hour or so, because it's become a popular diversion from ground-bound activities.

AirVenture's North 40 seen from the helicopter ride.

The Bell 47G series, produced in the 1950s and 1960s, became a common equivalent with "light helicopter" because it handled a lot of roles, including military pilot training, offshore oil exploration, small cargo lift, and emergency response. The 47G's are powered by six-cylinder Lycoming vertical-oriented engines of 435 cubic-inch displacement, with the G-3 versions using wooden main-rotor blades and the G-5 carrying metal blades. The familiar chopping sound of the two-blade rotor system carried over into Bell's later helicopters, even the Jet Ranger and Huey turbine models.

EAA's smooth-running operation at the Pioneer Airport is highly safety-oriented, with both video and verbal briefings for the passengers, escorts to and from the aircraft to assure a safe path, and securing and checking safety belt restraint. There's no lost time, hence the continuous rotor engagement, minimal pilot distraction and exact procedures maintained. After 30 years of offering the helicopter rides, they have it down to a fine art.

If you're got some spare time, take the Museum Bus from the Bus Park beside the main gate and walk across the Pioneer Airport runway to the helicopter tour hangar. And go through the top-notch EAA Museum while you're at it.

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LeRoy CookAuthor

LeRoy Cook has logged 17,000-plus hours, has written more than 1850 magazine articles and has flown about 500 different makes and models of aircraft. A midwestern-based CFI, he enjoys introducing new people to flying and is always looking for a different airplane to fly. He currently has four aviation books in print. He holds two ATP ratings, two commercial ratings and four flight instructor certifications. He started flying in 1960, gave his first dual instruction in 1965, and began writing about aviation in 1969.