Helicopter 66
Helicopter 66.
Helicopter 66 (US Navy bureau no. 152711) was a Sikorsky Sea King used for the water recovery of many of NASA's Apollo astronauts, including those returning from the first manned moon landing in 1969. Space historian Dwayne A. Day has called it "one of the most famous, or at least most iconic, helicopters in history". Delivered to the navy in 1967, Helicopter 66 was in the inventory of U.S. Navy Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Four for the duration of its active life. One of its pilots, Donald S. Jones, went on to command the United States Third Fleet. It transported the Shah of Iran during his 1973 visit to the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. Later re-numbered Helicopter 740, it crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 1975 during a training exercise, having logged more than 3,200 hours of service. It was the subject of a 1969 song by Manuela and was made into a die-cast model by Dinky Toys. Replicas of "Old 66" are on display at the USS Hornet Museum and the USS Midway Museum.
Helicopter 66 (US Navy bureau no. 152711) was a Sikorsky Sea King used for the water recovery of many of NASA's Apollo astronauts, including those returning from the first manned moon landing in 1969. Space historian Dwayne A. Day has called it "one of the most famous, or at least most iconic, helicopters in history". Delivered to the navy in 1967, Helicopter 66 was in the inventory of U.S. Navy Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Four for the duration of its active life. One of its pilots, Donald S. Jones, went on to command the United States Third Fleet. It transported the Shah of Iran during his 1973 visit to the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. Later re-numbered Helicopter 740, it crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 1975 during a training exercise, having logged more than 3,200 hours of service. It was the subject of a 1969 song by Manuela and was made into a die-cast model by Dinky Toys. Replicas of "Old 66" are on display at the USS Hornet Museum and the USS Midway Museum.
