The Helio Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer founded in 1948.

History

The Koppen-Bollinger Aircraft Corporation was founded by Otto Koppen and Lynn Bollinger in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in 1948 to develop a light

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...

utility aircraft. Initially located at

Boston Metropolitan Airport Boston Metropolitan Airport was an airfield in Canton, Massachusetts Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,370 at the 2020 census. Canton is part of Greater Bost ...

Canton, Massachusetts Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,370 at the 2020 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of downtown Boston. Hist ...

, it was renamed the Helio Aircraft Corporation by the time manufacture of the Helio Courier commenced in the early 1950s at a plant in

Pittsburg, Kansas Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States, located in southeast Kansas near the Missouri state border. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ci ...

. The plant, located at the Atkinson Municipal Airport was acquired by Helio from Mid-States Manufacturing Company in July 1956 and was almost destroyed by a wildfire in March 1966. In 1959, the company announced it was moving its factory to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. The business was bought by the General Aircraft Corporation in 1969, was renamed Helio Aircraft Company and continued production until 1974, when General Aircraft commenced legal proceedings against the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

, alleging that the agency had planned to ruin the business through organizing unlicensed production of the Courier. The production rights were sold by General Aircraft to Helio Aircraft Ltd in 1977. Despite an abortive attempt to restart production, the company remained essentially inactive until 1980. The Courier was returned to production, but only 18 aircraft were built. In 1984, the company was forced to lay off 100 workers and the following February it was evicted from its factory. The rights to the Courier and

Stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

were bought and sold a number of times more before being purchased by Helio Aircraft LLC of

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...

, which announced plans in 2004 to return both types to production.

Aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

Helio Aircraft LLC website
Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States Manufacturing companies established in 1948 1948 establishments in Massachusetts Defunct manufacturing companies based in Massachusetts {{US-manufacturing-company-stub