And Now, the Ultimate Arvee

A fishing expedition to an unnamed lake, miles from the nearest road, in dubious weather. It sounded unsafe, if not foolhardy. But then, reports Senior Writer Michael Demarest:

We were very compleat anglers. We were compleat with a $300,000, 46-ft. Heli-Home, which consists in effect of an S-58 Sikorsky helicopter mated to a Winnebago motor home. The ultimate in Arvees (recreational vehicles), it is a cross between a magic carpet and a pasha's pad.

That bass-filled lake, separated by marshy, stream-laced, uninhabited and largely trackless terrain from Sanford, Fla., could not be reached by any land vehicle. The 25-mile trip was made by the chopper in 15 minutes. After landing at lakeside, we unloaded three inflatable rafts from the back of the H-H, pulled out the rods and bait, drew down a screened canopy to make an outside lounge, and were paddling on the lake within 30 minutes.

No Toy. The scenario could be repeated endlessly: elk hunting in Montana, oil prospecting in Alaska, a quail shoot in Mexico, a social-cum-business bash in the Mojave Desert, a sales spiel atop Manhattan's Pan Am Building. The H-H passenger rides high above smog and speed limits, encounters no parking problems, and gets farther from the madding crowd than a hyperthyroid hermit with climbing irons.

The vehicle could not exactly be called a flying camper. It is air-conditioned and heated by a propane furnace. It is equipped with an enclosed shower and toilet (and holding tank), an ample refrigerator, a two-burner electric stove, two hot-water heaters, a sink, color TV, an AM-FM radio, a cartridge and tape stereo system, and an auxiliary generator to run the appliances. The cabin, with 115 sq. ft. of living space, can accommodate eight passengers on comfortable Pullman seats, plus another deadheader beside the pilot in the cockpit. The seats are convertible at mealtimes to make two tables for six. After nightcaps, tall stories and Mary Hartman, the cabin becomes a comfortable dormitory for four (other guests can camp out under the canopy or the stars). With all the demands on its systems, the craft can carry enough fuel for a 350-mile flight at 100 m.p.h. At that speed, one can talk inside without shouting; the noise level, 102 decibels, is comparable to that in a rear seat of a 707.

To be marketed by the Itasca division of Winnebago Industries, Inc., the Forest City, Iowa, motor-home makers,

Heli-Homes are made, and were conceived, by an early whirly enthusiast named Fred Clark, 45, whose headquarters are in Sanford. Since 1965 Clark has been adapting helicopters under license for crop spraying, airline connections and Government use,.After long experimentation, he and Winnebago agreed that the S-58 Sikorsky was the best-suited chopper for Heli-Home conversion. Clark has already bought 56 surplus Sikorskys for H-H use, from as far away as Germany and Israel. Each of the craft will be rebuilt from the hull up under strict FAA supervision.

Winnebago, which at this stage is still demonstrating the Heli-Home, has dropped it into 10 major cities from Los Angeles to Miami--to universal amaze. For the man who has everything, or the company that wants something more, the Heli-Home may indeed outclass the private jet as a practical, all-purpose, tax-deductible vehicle that is not just a toy. Or, for $10.000 a week, plus pilot's salary, plus gas (75 gal. per hour), the party thrower or corporate showman can rent an H-H and be up and away.

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