Chopper 2004 wrote: Dear all, In advent of showing Pan Am TV series, I watched the trailer belowand shows an S-58 and trying to rack my brains to what choppers they flew through the decades. I recall they flying Bell 222, Westland WG.30 in the 80s but can anyone else shed light what else they flew?
Chopper
I cannot think of any additional types employed in the Pan Am shuttle service of the 1980's.
As you know, Pan Am outsourced this activity to Omniflight Helicopters (the outfit founded in 1962 by Dan Parker, grandson of George Parker the founder of the Parker Pen Company).
Pan Am offered a shuttle service between East 60th Street's 'Manhattan Heliport' and New York's three main airports, namely: JFK, Newark and La Guardia. The shuttle was complimentary for First Class ticket holders.
The Pan Am shuttle service was probably the last New York airport-helicopter-shuttle service to operate until the arrival of US Helicopter in March 2006.
Onmiflight initially leased/purchased 4 Bell 222's to service their contract with Pan Am. Although I am not certain as to when Omniflight commenced these operations, I am fairly confident that it must be circa 1980.
An Omniflight Bell222A collects First Class passengers from New York's Newark Airport for the short hop to East 60th Street Heliport in Manhattan
Pan Am arranged for Omniflight's aircraft to access spaces at all New York's major airports which were adjacent to the stands of their arriving aircraft. Above, 222 No.3 awaits passengers at JFK
Bell 222 pair at the East 60th Street Heliport aka the Pan Am 'Metroport'. (This image taken from the 1983 movie 'Scarface').
In 1984 Omniflight leased 2 WG30's from Westland to add to the 222 fleet:
An Omniflight WG30-100 over Manhattan c.1984
Omniflight Westland WG30-100 at the East 60th Street Heliport (Pan Am Metroport) lifts into the hover on 1st July 1986, now wearing Pan Am's larger style letters in blue, to depart along the East River for New York's JFK Airport (Photo: Bill Hough)
Then in 1987 something happened which I remember reading about in Flight (article below) and which, at the time, I found astonishing given the severity of the FAA's judgements against Omniflight. Even if Omniflight
were guilty of all these transgressions I was of the view that the FAA would have given them a short grace period to get their act together rather than shut them down overnight as it were.
However, there is doubtless a backstory to this event and which might help put things into perspective:
A piece of Pan Am heli-shuttle memorabilia:
Pan Am Shuttle Luggage Tag
Sav