Cyclic Hotline - Frelon means 'hornet' in the French vernacular. It may have been an ugly beast to you, but, as the pundits say, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and the old bus has a very special place in my heart, after 6 years and 1500 hrs. of (mostly!) really enjoyable ops. At sea level, for which it was designed, the Super Frelon was the hot ship of the day - I remember an occasion when, admittedly light on fuel for a short hop, we hauled 45 construction workers plus a few odd welding machines and sundry toolboxes out of a tight site - standing room only!!
The Frelon set a world speed record on a 3km, 15/25km and 100km closed circuit in July 1963. The 6-bladed main rotor was of Sikorsky design, and the transmission system by Fiat.
All in all, a great bus, and a true aerial friend.
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