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Helio Courier

I have spoken With Jim many times, he is probably putting the Allison up front, this engine only weighs 205 LBS. and up to 420 SHP, that would make the gal go into orbit, but the fuel concerns may not justify the expense, since GW is only 3000 pounds. Clarence Brent was going to modify the H391B with thicker tubing from .040 to .050 to allow GW increase but found the trouble not worth investigating. All H395's with serial numbers higher than #556 can be upgraded to 3800 #.. Larmont Aviation received the STC in 1980, but Larry Montgomery is no longer with us, but the STC is still there.

The anti-balance trim system requires a sliding bracket that returns the surface to the trim position mounted on the left side..
 
Here's an oldie, but a "goody" during flight testing we have here the pre-production H-391 Helioplane Four as it was called, showing it's stuff. This airplane later crashed in bad weather on the way to Canada

heliofour.jpg
 
OK will be neat to see the short field performance on it when it is done!! It should go were the legal cubs won't go light.
 
Poweroflift, thanks for all the Helio stuff, photos, opinions, and history. Great stuff!

cstolaircraft said:
OK will be neat to see the short field performance on it when it is done!! It should go were the legal cubs won't go light.
cstol........don't bet your airplane money on it. :D
 
Dave,

My pleasure. There are things the Helio does well, there are things all others do well, so like I said earlier not everyone is going to go out and jump on the Helio bandwagon due to the lack of support (parts) and the long gone "geared" Lycoming's, although Central Cylinder has all the Lycoming needs for this. I just happen to be a Helio nut, and you already know that, so someone has to keep the ball rolling to get something going. Maybe that will never happen, but I'm not giving up just quite yet.. The last Helio built was 26 years ago, and those were not the best models produced and far too heavy!!
 
I liked the 395 with the GO480 the best also like the 1200 H295's

Jim is keeping it light, 40" tires and a TSIGO480 that puts out over 340 HP

Jerry
 
They (Lycoming) actually never built the TSIGO-480, unless the rajay turbo system was added after, but why do that?

IGSO-480 would be the choice with the mechanical driven "supercharger" and that engine was used in some versions of the "T-Bone" and develops 340 HP @ 3400 RPM, you will get 320 HP all the way to 20,000 feet. Turbo-supercharging is a lot of moving metal in there and I would think TBO is less than 1200 hours, a tear down is mandatory @ 700 hours for these provided the nose case is tight!!.. There is also the weight factor, you are close to 500 pounds up front, the IGSO-540-B1A develops 380 HP and was used in the Commander 680F/FP/FLP and Queen Air 80/88, wow 40" tires!!

I would have gone turbine (Allison) B-17F with 96" three-blade, full reverse!!
 
The Helio "Strato" Courier was the H391B with the GSO-480-A1A5 (340 HP) and set an altitude record in Oct. 1957 over Mexico City. According to Jane's of that year the cruise was 184 mph, and top speed was 192. Helio never went into production with this airplane, and I'll bet it was because of only 60 gallons of fuel which gave it not much range. This installation was borrowed from the 680 Commander. Better have a lot of air going through there to keep it cool. I have a picture of it somewhere so you can look at the cowling set-up and augmenter exhaust pipes!! Quite the airplane. JAARS had a hand in this for use at high altitudes but the decision never materialized!!
 
I am flying out of a Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan and will have no use of a phone for a long time.

Give Jim a Call and get the info from him. It has been 2 years since I last was at his shop and looked at his 391B project. He had the tires and they were a lot larger than the old 36' Good Year I had on my last Helio. I think he got them from Byron Rood and they had been used on the Sherpa. 40" is what I remember and they looked COOL

My memory is not be good on the details?????? and I think you are corect on the IGSO-480.

Please let us know the details of what he is doing and status of his 391.
 
Dave Calkins said:
Poweroflift, thanks for all the Helio stuff, photos, opinions, and history. Great stuff!

cstolaircraft said:
OK will be neat to see the short field performance on it when it is done!! It should go were the legal cubs won't go light.
cstol........don't bet your airplane money on it. :D
I wouldn't think of it!! And with the 480 up there the cubs will still have it beat.
 
cstolaircraft said:
Sounds neat!!

What do you guys think about the sherpa K650t?

Why not give me this, same useful load, but much faster (180 KTS.)

Just tame the minimum control speed and handling, and you have it man!!

alphaalpha.jpg
 
Sure I'd take the stallion any time too !!!!But with only two flying try to get parts for it any where. The Sherpa would be hard to get parts for, but you could get them, and new too, would just take awhile.
 
It sure is and with near 3000 fpm rate of climb, I doubt there is any serious competitor. There is however some parts facility for the Stallion, but how much remains to be seen!!
 
powerlift,

Just curious.....are you in South Carolina? I have looked at a nice turbine Helio that is hangared there. He lives near Seneca.
There's a sweet Just Highlander there also.

WW
 
Okay, thanks. If you are ever up in North Central Mn you are welcome to stop in.
WW
 
You can always do this for grins!! Helio H700 extremely modified to include, Garrett TPE-331-6 (840 shp) (MU-2) with water injection, super swamper tires 38" on the mains, F-101 Voodoo nose wheel assembly, freight train horns rated @ 140 decibels, log-splitter, malaython sprayer (for bugs). Extended wing span to include 175 gallons of Jet-A....Empty weight 3400 pounds, fuel economy? about what you would expect. At 25,000 feet TAS was 190 KTS (not indicated, of course)...So here we have have the Helio SUV!!!

heliobigfoot.jpg
 
Check out those axles on the mains, it's no wonder the thing can fly!!..On Thursday he ran it up to do a Helio showcase fly-by and blew the guy's tent down behind him who happened to be a Super Cub owner...He was none to happy!!!
 
I remeber reading about this and seeing photos.

My point about no brains is proved out by his damaging someone else's property with his "monster". :(
 
Dave Calkins said:
I remeber reading about this and seeing photos.

My point about no brains is proved out by his damaging someone else's property with his "monster". :(

That really wasn't his fault, the EAA folks should have parked him elsewhere. The prop is 106" diameter, you are going to blow stuff around with that..put the blame where it belongs!!
 
A little to much POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is the ground roll?? And the gross weight??? What does he use it for??? logging :D :D :lol:
 
Here is a helio stallion!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Sorry I messed up first time though. pic is on next page!!!!!

http://www.supercub.org/photopost/data//515/medium/HelioStallion.jpg[/img]
 
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