Back in 2008 I flew our R44 from (ORK) North Little Rock to Springdale AR (AFG) to get fuel and pick up my pilot to do power line inspection for Empire District from Joplin Missouri over to Springfield due to recent storms. What a lucky day for me, on approach coming into Springdale to meet George this is sitting just across the field from the control tower. I flew in landed at the pumps to fuel up and go to the restaurant to have lunch with George. I go up to the restaurant and George and I ordered a couple cheese burgers and while we were eating we notice they were doing a preflight on it. We finished up lunch went into the FBO and I asked the guy behind the counter if they were going to be flying it. He said that 10 people had paid $1000.00 dollars each for a 1 hour flight around town. He said the flight was scheduled to leave in about 30 minutes or so. I have been there a lot and never knew it was there at all. So we go out and I start a preflight and I noticed George was setting up to fly, I looked at George and said what are you doing, he said I’m going to fly us to Joplin, I said no you are not and you can call the boss right now. This helicopter is mine to fly to and from Joplin and yours to fly only when we are on the power lines. He looked at me and said your right than lets go. I said we are not leaving here until that thing pulls pitch I want to be in the pattern with that for sure. When they fired it up we fired up. Pretty interesting because it only took them about three minutes more than me to go through warm up. He made his call to the tower and I followed suit. He pulled pitch and so did I. He was sent out before me and we followed him until he turned to town. I also have some video somewhere that George took with my camera. I found these pictures while looking through my entire picture folders looking for pictures of my Rocky man who passed away yesterday. I wanted to make a video for the family so I thought I would share them with you all. I think it is the Piasecki H-21B. It was really cool flying the pattern beside history.

Here are some more with us in the pattern and on ground.

That Is Freakin Far Superior and Beautifully maintained!!!!

It must cost a fortune to operate that thing .
Way cool.

now that is cool. thanks for posting the pics.

It was designed by Piasecki.....but ours were Army H-21B's and were built by Vertol. They hauled a bunch of troops in Vietnam.
The blades were made of plywood ribs and skin with a tubular 4130 spar.

I believe you are 100% correct. I wish I would have grabbed the FBO's curtesy car and drove over to check it out. That would have been better than a cheese burger. I heard through the grape vine that that one did served in Nam, I also was told that the pilot was a copilot on that machine in Nam, now he is the Captain… I do believe it still fly’s today,

They are great helicopters.... I have seen a video of them flipping one with remote control, to see what it does.... actually brings a tear to the eye to watch it

It makes me mad when they do stuff like that to good machines, like at the end of the viet nam war, evidently they were getting iriqoi helis out of the box and putting the rotors on, so they could watch them fall off the boat and into the sea (needed room for troops).... but so damn sad! Wasteful barstarges

Now I'm crying !