Saturday, November 15, 2008

Whirlybird, July 1968

Talk about coolness... just imagine flying to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with Disneyland planned as your first destination. You could rent a car (or have Uncle Leonard pick you up) and drive all the way to Anaheim. Or, if you have a few extra bucks, you could take a helicopter! I know which I would rather do. Imagine getting the chance to view Disneyland from the air (snapping LOTS of pictures all the while)... even in 1968 it would have been a great experience.


Our photographer caught one of the whirlybirds as it waited at the heliport near the Disneyland Hotel. Check out the rows of (presumably) orange trees in the background! I am also assuming that the modest building to the left is where you would check your baggage, and do all of the other things that a passenger might need to do. That long fence to the center right looks like the kind designed to keep golf balls from going astray.


Since these were in no particular order, I kind of assumed that the 'copter was taking off. Notice the red (amber?) lights along the low fence, helping to make for safe landings and takeoffs at night.


Let's wave goodbye to to the flying eggbeater, and then we'll all pile in the hot station wagon for a 70 minute ride home.

7 comments:

Katella Gate said...

Yes, arriving at Disneyland must have seemed magical in the early 60's, but as we all know, the whole idea of helicopters became as quaint as the horse and buggy when personal jet packs replaced the automobile back around AD 1985.

Anonymous said...

Rare, rare, rare. Wow.
I would have loved to have flown into Disneyland at night!

Nancy said...

i wonder who was riding in this particular helicopter....

PTA Transit Authority said...

Great helo pics Major.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tribute to my late Uncle Leonard. We actually DID spend several wonderful visits to the Magic Kingdom with my Dad's funny brother!

Anonymous said...

These are pics of LA Airways. And yes, it would take you to LAX. Taken just north of the DL Hotel. Orange trees and driving range netting in the background. Check-in was in the building to the left. You can see the "staff" with the luggage cart next to the helicopter in the first picture. My dad used this terminal a time or two to connect at LAX on business trips.

walterworld said...

Rare stuff indeed---

The helicopters had a sad end as we know. Those two wrecks that happened spelled of the service...and the lives of 50 or so vacationers...