San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines: Difference between revisions
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'''San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines ''', based in the [[United States]], was founded in 1961 and went out of business in 1985.<ref>{{cite book|title=Aviation law reporter, Volume 2 |
'''San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines ''', based in the [[United States]], was founded in 1961 and went out of business in 1985.<ref>{{cite book|title=Aviation law reporter, Volume 2 |
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CCH Incorporated, Commerce Clearing House}}</ref> (It disappeared from the OAG in 1976-77; no one here knows the roots of the |
CCH Incorporated, Commerce Clearing House}}</ref> (It disappeared from the OAG in 1976-77; no one here knows the roots of the 1982-85 airline of about the same name that supposedly flew Bell helicopters between OAK and SFO.) |
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== History == |
== History == |
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Revision as of 16:26, 8 July 2013
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| Founded | Template:Avyear | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1 June 1961 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | Template:Avyear | ||||||
| Headquarters | Oakland, California | ||||||
| Key people | Mike Bagen | ||||||
San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines , based in the United States, was founded in 1961 and went out of business in 1985.[1] (It disappeared from the OAG in 1976-77; no one here knows the roots of the 1982-85 airline of about the same name that supposedly flew Bell helicopters between OAK and SFO.)
History
San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines was one of the first helicopter airlines to operate without federal subsidy[2] and the first with just turbine-engine helicopters. Founded by former Los Angeles Airways vice president Mike Bagen in 1961. Landing sites were hard to find in San Francisco, but the Oakland Port Commission strongly supported the service. Passenger flights started with two leased ten-passenger Sikorsky S-62[3] turbine helicopters making 62 flights a day.[4] The airline said its helicopters were no noisier than the neighborhood trucks.[5] In 1962 the airline got the AM-103 contract allowing U.S. mail transport by helicopter until 1976.[6] In 1965 SFO tried a 15 seat Westland-Bell SK-5 hovercraft between OAK, SFO and Pier 50 in San Francisco.[7] In 1969 it carried 320,000 passengers on over 100 flights per day.[8]
In May 1968 it scheduled 14 weekday departures from the Ferry Bldg, 11 from Marin, 13 from Berkeley, 3 from the Oakland parking garage and 9 from Lafayette. If you were ticketed east beyond Colorado then the helicopter to SFO would cost you $4.75 from Marin or Lafayette or $4.50 from Berkeley.
SFO Helicopter declared bankruptcy in July 1970. At the end of 1970 it was flying just to Marin, Berkeley and SFO-OAK; in 1973-74 Emeryville replaced Berkeley. It's in the March 1976 OAG and not in the March 1977.
We don't know whether the 1980s airline was connected to the original, or to what extent it existed. The February 1984 OAG shows flights just between SFO and OAK: 31 weekday flights each way.
Destinations
- San Francisco (San Francisco International Airport)
- San Francisco (heliport at 37°47′48″N 122°23′39″W / 37.7967°N 122.3942°W just north of San Francisco Ferry Building)
- San Francisco (pier 50B-- just used by the hovercraft)
- Oakland (Oakland International Airport)
- Oakland (parking garage at 37°48′03″N 122°15′55″W / 37.8008°N 122.2654°W)
- Oakland (10th St southeast of Fallon)
- Berkeley (north side of University Ave, about 37°52′00″N 122°18′23″W / 37.8668°N 122.3063°W)
- Emeryville
- Lafayette (near 3738 Mt Diablo Blvd, about 37°53′26″N 122°07′59″W / 37.8905°N 122.1330°W)
- San Jose Municipal Airport
- Palo Alto Municipal Airport
- Sausalito (37°52′47″N 122°30′50″W / 37.8798°N 122.5138°W)
Fleet
The San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines fleet as of 1965:
| Aircraft | Total | Routes | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikorsky S-62 | 1 | |||
| Sikorsky S-61N | 3 |
See also
- New York Airways Helicopter airline
References
- ^ Aviation law reporter, Volume 2 CCH Incorporated, Commerce Clearing House.
{{cite book}}: line feed character in|title=at position 32 (help) - ^ James R. Chiles. The God Machine: From Boomerangs to Black Hawks: The Story of the Helicopter. p. 218.
- ^ Flying Magazine: 8. August 1961.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Richard A. Leyes, William A. Fleming. The history of North American small gas turbine aircraft engines. p. 255.
- ^ Lindy Boyes (December 1961). "San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines". Flying Magazine.
- ^ "CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-103". Retrieved 25 January 2012.
- ^ Flight Global: 80. 30 December 1965.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Ronald T. Reuther, William T. Larkins. Oakland Aviation. p. 101.
External links
