500 Fan: I must say that this is most interesting in that while I can imagine that Hiller's effort
may have out-performed Bell's entrant, I find it hard to believe that (performance wise) it would have beaten the little egg. Even the four-bladed 500 (ie. the 'C' model or its early military variant) was still a nimble ship and 'must' (one would have thought) have out-performed (at
least in terms of manoeuverability) the other two?
FH1100: For once you get to write about the craft who's name you carry! Lol. Fascinating stuff, many thanks!
I don't think it was any secret that Hughes Aircraft wanted the LOH contract but .. as stated above .. I think they had a winner in anycase. Perhaps not in terms of accommodation but at least in terms of basic performance.
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In the early 80's my godfather was approached by the Brasilian Police to assist in the disposal of a number of FH1100's which had become surplus to requirement when the 'Esquilo' was introduced. I'm not sure what the outcome was but I do recall visiting the police heliport in Rio di Janeiro:
Brasilian Police (Policia Civil) FH1100 in Rio de Janeiro
Policia Civil FH1100 conducting a surf rescue
The Colonel (in casual attire) with Policia Civil air wing chief (and his wife) at the Policia Rio de Janeiro heliport in 1982
.. I'd bet a dollar to ten cents that the version I flew at Henderson, had a full-length servicing platform directly adjacent to the engine compartment.
Your dollar is safe Denissimo .. thanks to William Sheridan who graciously gave his permission for us to post his photo (below):
FH1100 EI-ART in the SRS Hangar at Shannon Airport between 1965-68 (Photo: Bill Sheridan)
Although the lighting is not fantastic .. you can just make out a second platform (above the small one present in my earlier photo) and which is at the same level as the engine bay. So Denissimo .. your memory serves you well!
At the time of this photo EI-ART was owned by the US Ambassador to Ireland, Raymond Guest.
Raymond Guest was born on 25th November 1907 in Manhattan to Frederick Edward Guest, a British Cabinet minister and his American wife, Amy Phipps, daughter of Henry Phipps, Jr. He was the great-grandson of the seventh Duke of Marlborough and was Winston Churchill's second cousin.
During World War II he served with the United States Navy on mine sweepers and ended-up as head of the Navy section of the Office of Strategic Services in London. By the time he left the military in 1946, he had risen to the rank of Commander. He was awarded the Bronze Star and a Legion of Merit, both with combat devices; the Croix de Guerre with star; the Order of the British Empire; the Norwegian Cross, and the Danish Defense Medal.
After the war Guest went on to become a diplomat, businessman, thoroughbred race horse owner and polo player. He was the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1965 to 1968.
Guest twice won the US Open as part of the Templeton team and was posthumously inducted into the polo Hall of Fame in 2006. In 1968 he became the British flat racing Champion Owner. Among Guest's successful horses were Larkspur, winner of the 1962 Epsom Derby and Sir Ivor, winner of the 1968 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and the Washington DC International. Guest also owned steeplechase racers. His most outstanding was L'Escargot, a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee who was voted the 1969 US Steeplechase Horse of the Year and who went on to race in England where he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1970 and 1971 and the Grand National in 1975.