A Magnificent 50-Year Issue

What a keeper the May/June 2017 R&WI issue is! I particularly appreciated your reprise of selected R&WI covers in the first few pages of the issue.

We no longer live in Pensacola, Florida, but I believe the U.S. Navy is still flying the same TH-57 ‘copters on which I learned how to hover in 1970. If only I were 30 years younger, I’d be an Osprey pilot today.

Time moves on, the helo industry adapts to challenges. I wish future U.S. Marine Corps student aviators the same good experiences that we had on the training fields (and the beaches) of northwest Florida.

And of course, we all read every page of each R&WI issue.

Jack Bowdle

Congratulations on 50 great years of publication.

I commenced my helicopter operations in 1963, Lake Tahoe Helicopters, Inc. and received your publication each and every year from 1967 to present. I am the proud owner/reader of every publication you folks have published and perhaps have one of the finest collections of your publications and helicopter history. I have a Hiller Corp. helicopter, having owned and operated most of its ships through the years as well as other wonderful ships the industry has provided, with much success.

Job well done and look forward to more of the same as long as you publish. I will read and enjoy your valued contribution to the helicopter industry.

Ed Court
Gardnerville, Nevada

Great issue with a balance between history and the future as well as hardware and software.

I think that the longevity of R&WI is amazing, as it is hard to recall any magazines basically devoted to helicopters lasting more than a few issues. Probably the only one (and nowhere close) was a U.K. publication, Helicopter World, that ran from April 1958 to at least August 1971.

I do have a comment on Roger Connor’s article (R&WI, May/June 2017, “We’ve Come a Long Way") in particular that concerns scheduled air transport. He has a parenthetical note on page 23, “Most European scheduled helicopter airline services had already collapsed by the early 1960s.” I mostly agree with what he said, but he should have mentioned the BEA (and later iterations of the same company) service between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly in England. It operated continually from May 1964 to November 2012 and only stopped then as the heliport was to be developed for other uses. Having said that, it now seems likely that a similar operation may start later this year.

John M Davis
Wichita, Kansas

Navair Progresses Toward Mid-Year VH-92 Maiden Flight

Museums that hold Bush, Clinton and Obama artifacts and research material will be great hosts for the retired VH-3Ds and VH-60s. Would be nice to pry from the tight fingers of the U.S. Secret Service the retired limos for Bush and Obama museums. Maybe the Udvar Hazy will host one of the green VH-3Ds to pay homage to the SH-3 types flown all those decades.

James Goodwin,
in a comment on rotorandwing.com