Helio Aircraft
Two Boston academics built an aeroplane that could take off across a runway and fly under control at 27 mph; the CIA loved it so much that the company later sued the agency for trying to ruin it.
Helio Aircraft: the company and the aircraft that made its name
Smart airplanes for dumb pilots
Otto Koppen taught stability and control at MIT, and in 1936 he wrote a paper called Smart Airplanes for Dumb Pilots. In 1948 he and Lynn Bollinger set out to build one. Their demonstrator, a rebuilt Piper Vagabond with full-span slats and big flaps, first flew from Boston Metropolitan Airport on 8 April 1949. The production Helio Courier, certified in July 1954, had automatic slats and could stay under control at about 27 mph. At air shows it took off across the runway rather than along it.
The Courier and the secret war
About 500 Couriers were built in Pittsburg, Kansas, between 1954 and 1974. In 1957 a Strato Courier set an altitude record of 31,200 ft over Mexico City. The military Super Courier, the U-10, served with the US Air Force, Army Special Forces and Air America in Vietnam; over 120 were built. Seven Twin Couriers went to the CIA under the cover designation U-5, and 20 turboprop AU-24 Stallion mini-gunships were built, most ending up with the Khmer Air Force.
Lawsuits and revivals
General Aircraft bought Helio in 1969, and in 1974 it went to court claiming the CIA had planned to ruin the business by arranging unlicensed production of the Courier. A revival by Helio Aircraft Ltd built just 18 more aircraft before it was evicted from its factory in February 1985. The rights changed hands several times; since 2019 Helio Alaska has held the type certificate and tooling. Missionary and bush pilots still prize the Courier’s short-field performance.
Helio Aircraft in numbers
La empresa
- En breve
- Fundada en 1948
- Founded as Koppen-Bollinger Aircraft Corporation in Massachusetts
- Production plant at Pittsburg, Kansas
- Bought by General Aircraft Corporation, 1969
- Last production ended 1985
Producción
- Más conocido por
- Helio Courier
- About 500 Couriers built, 1954–1974
- U-10 Super Courier: over 120 for the US military
- AU-24 Stallion gunship: 20 built
- 18 H-700/H-800 built in the 1980s revival
Hoy
- Ahora
- Defunct; type revived by Helio Alaska
- Helio Alaska holds the Courier type certificate since 2019
- Couriers still flown by bush and missionary pilots
Los números
- Couriers built
- alrededor de 5001954–1974
- Minimum control speed
- about 27–28 mph
- U-10 for US forces
- over 120
Every notable Helio Aircraft aircraft
| Aeronave | Role | Primer vuelo | Construido | Estado | Nota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helioplane No. 1 | STOL demonstrator | 1949 | 1 | Jubilado | Converted Piper PA-17 Vagabond; donated to the Smithsonian in 1963 |
| Helio Courier (H-391B and later) | Avión utilitario STOL | alrededor de 500 | En servicio | Certified July 1954; automatic leading-edge slats | |
| Helio U-10 Super Courier | Military STOL liaison and special operations | over 120 | Jubilado | USAF, Army Special Forces, Air America | |
| Helio H-500 Twin Courier (U-5) | Twin-engine STOL aircraft | 7 | Jubilado | Delivered to the CIA | |
| Helio AU-24 Stallion | Turboprop utility and gunship | 1964 | 20 | Jubilado | Most went to the Khmer Air Force in 1972 |
| Helio H-700 / H-800 Courier | Avión utilitario STOL | 18 | Jubilado | Direct-drive engines and winglets |
Helio Aircraft aircraft in the world’s air forces
2 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Helio Aircraft types. Ninguno de ellos todavía tiene uno en servicio.
| Fuerzas aéreas | En servicio | Anteriormente volado |
|---|---|---|
| Cuerpo Aéreo de la Fuerza de Defensa de Guyana | Helio Courier | |
| Real Fuerza Aérea Camboyana | Helio AU-24A Stallion |
Where Helio Aircraft built, who led it, what it achieved
Fábricas
- Boston Metropolitan Airport · Canton, Massachusetts — First home of the company
- Atkinson Municipal Airport plant · Pittsburg, Kansas — Acquired July 1956; nearly destroyed by wildfire March 1966
Gente
- Otto C. Koppen · co-founder, designer — MIT professor (1901–1991), earlier designed the Ford Flivver
- Lynn Bollinger · cofundador
Récords y primicias
- Strato Courier altitude record of 31,200 ft over Mexico City, 1957
Helio Aircraft, year by year
Koppen-Bollinger Aircraft Corporation founded
Helioplane No. 1 first flight
Helio Courier certified
Pittsburg, Kansas, plant acquired
Strato Courier altitude record
Stallion prototype first flight
Bought by General Aircraft Corporation
AU-24 Stallions delivered to the Khmer Air Force
Production ends; lawsuit against the CIA
Revived company evicted from its factory
Helio Alaska acquires the type certificate
Everything people ask about Helio Aircraft
What is the Helio Courier famous for?
Did the CIA use the Helio Courier?
How many Helio Couriers were built?
Who designed the Helio Courier?
Around Helio Aircraft
Todos los datos, verificados
- Helio Courier – Wikipedia
- Helio Aircraft Company – Wikipedia
- Helio AU-24 Stallion – Wikipedia
- Otto C. Koppen – Wikipedia
Verificado el 3 de octubre de 2026.