The 1970s will always be remembered as an era of great technological advances, a golden age of innovation. It was a period when great innovators were given free rein to bring some of the wackiest ideas to life, which resulted in the birth of some of the most iconic automobiles such as the Lamborghini Countach and the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Thanks to a YouTuber named Calum Gillies, we’ve come across another such wild creation from the ’70s which has somehow been forgotten by humankind. Meet the Winnebago Helihome, a US Military helicopter-based flying RV that came with a complete camper cabin.
According to the YouTuber, a Florida-based company named Orlando Helicopter Airways had purchased decommissioned Sikorsky S-55 helicopters from the US military in the 1970s and had come up with the idea to convert them into flying motorhomes. That’s how a helicopter RV named the Heli-Camper was born, which caught the attention of Winnebago Industries. The company was a leading RV manufacturer in that era, with a market share of around 70 percent. Winnebago was sold on the idea and commissioned Orlando Helicopter Airways to build a Winnebago-branded version called the Helihome.
A prototype of the Helihome flying RV was built that featured all the conventional creature comforts of a plush motorhome from the 1970s era, including convertible seating, an electric stove and refrigerator, heating and air conditioning systems, and a bathroom with a chemical toilet and shower. The flying motorhome also had a color TV, which was a big deal back then. Understandably, the company wasn’t able to sell Helihome to potential buyers, mostly because usual RV customers didn’t have a pilot’s license to operate a helicopter. Then there was its eye-watering price tag. The Winnebago Helihome started at around $300,000 in the late 1970s, which is approximately equal to $1.34 million in today’s money. The incredible creation continued to be used as a promotional tool by the company for several years before being pushed into oblivion.
