Helio H-500 Twin Courier

Helio Aircraft · United States · first flew 1960 · transport aircraft

The Helio H-500 Twin Courier was a twin-engine STOL utility transport developed from the successful single-engine Helio Courier, certified by the FAA in June 1963 with a claimed 320 ft take-off run over a 50 ft obstacle.

Recognition (WEFT)

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Spot it by:

• High-wing STOL twin with full-span leading-edge slats and flaps
• Twin Lycoming flat-six engines in nacelles close to fuselage centreline
• Tailwheel undercarriage; only seven built

A high-wing twin with the engines placed unusually close to the fuselage on the wing roots rather than at mid-span, and the characteristic full-span leading-edge slat system inherited from the single-engine Courier. The tailwheel undercarriage and fixed gear distinguish it from later STOL twins.

Specifications

• The Helio H-500 Twin Courier has a length of 9.75 m (32 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 12.5 m (41 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 298 km/h (185 mph).
• Typical crew: 1, plus up to 5 passengers.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Only seven production examples were completed, carrying USAF designations U-5A and U-5B. The type was used clandestinely by the CIA and USAF Air America operations in Southeast Asia during the 1960s, exploiting its exceptional short-field capability in remote jungle airstrips.

Variants

U-5A and U-5B were military designations for essentially identical aircraft; no significant civil variants beyond the base H-500.

Where you'll see it

Used by USAF and in covert CIA operations in Southeast Asia; civil examples operated in bush flying roles.

Related aircraft

• Helio U-10B Courier
• Beriev Be-12 Chayka
• Curtiss-Wright X-100
• DINFIA IA 38
• E-2 Hawkeye

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