. A couple of years before Bolkow's Waston Island 47's were performing their pleasure flights, this East-Coast 47J2 (below) was doing something similar at Long Beach in California as can be see from the gleeful pax and their driver in his headset-free bliss! Presumably the J2's didn't suffer from the 'screaming gearbox syndrome' associated with their turbine successors (notably the 500).
Evidently this sight-seeing aircraft was based at the old Queen Mary helipad which location is close to the current (opened 2001) Queen Mary Heliport.
Bell 47J-2 Ranger N930NR at Long Beach, California on 1st July 1978 (Photo: Ted Quackenbush)
July 4th greetings to Amercian Rotorheads!