By Cheri Sicard
In September 1977, a bold illustration graced the cover of Popular Mechanics featuring a flying camper with the headline “Flying Campers: Go Where You’ve Never Been Before.” The image promised pure freedom—a fully equipped kitchen for cooking your latest catch, a TV for evening relaxation, and a cozy living space sailing through the skies.
While Popular Mechanics was known for wild ideas, this time the dream was real. The flying RV had hit the market, catching everyone’s attention with its blend of adventure and comfort.
In the video at the end of this post, Calum Raasay takes us back to this exciting moment of RV history.
Winnebago and the RV boom of the ‘60s
By the early ’60s, Winnebago dominated the RV world, creating the template for modern mobile homes. Its secret was efficient assembly and sharp marketing. By 1961, it owned about 70% of the U.S. RV market.
Even with rising gas prices and a shaky economy, the public’s love for road trips never faded. Winnebago started searching for the next big thing—something to wow buyers looking for excitement and luxury.
Enter the Sikorsky S58 helicopter
During the 1970s, the U.S. Army cleared out its fleet of robust Sikorsky S58 (Choctaw) helicopters. These machines carried U.S. Marines through Vietnam as trusty workhorses, transporting troops, supplies, and even converting to early gunships. They stood out with a roomy passenger cabin, thanks in part to an engine set above the main cabin instead of in front—perfect for adding all the comforts of home.
Sikorsky S58 key specs:
- Seats: 12–16 passengers
- Uses: Transport, medevac, gunship
- Special feature: Engine above main cabin, spacious interior
- Known for: Reliability, ease of maintenance
While many now tie the Heli-Home to Winnebago, the real driving force was Fred Clark, founder of Orlando Helicopter Airways. Clark’s background as a Navy pilot and his company’s experience rebuilding helicopters set the stage for something unique. As Fred put it:
We buy surplus military S55 and S58 helicopters and really make a camper configuration out of it. The Sikorsky was about the only thing I could think of that would ever work. You could have a kitchen and a bathroom and all that inside like a regular camper.
Clark’s first “Heli-Camper” caught the eye of Winnebago, which saw potential in making it part of its luxury lineup.
Upgrading the Army helicopter
Reimagining a no-frills Army helicopter as a rolling suite wasn’t easy. The result offered comforts you’d expect in a well-appointed RV, but far above the treetops. Inside, travelers found:
- Plush carpeting and full soundproofing
- Seating area converting to bunks for four
- Compact galley with two-burner electric stove, fridge
- 6,000 BTU air conditioner and large furnace (via 3,500-watt generator)
- Small bathroom with chemical toilet and shower
- Ample storage and even room for outdoor gear and a rifle
- AM/FM radio, intercom between cockpit and cabin, and a color TV
All this was finished with Winnebago’s signature bright paint and upmarket touches.
Winnebago never planned to mass-produce the Heli-Home. They mainly used it as a promotional vehicle, parading it at RV trade shows and featuring it on magazine covers to draw in crowds. For buyers, it came with a jaw-dropping price tag of $300,000 (more than $1.5 million today), making it more fantasy than family purchase. Only a handful ever made it to actual sale, mostly for unique uses like field offices and high-end camping.
Be sure to watch the video to see rare original brochures, photos, and sales materials showing just how this venture came together. One classic brochure features the helicopter parked by a river, outdoor veranda deployed, with detailed interior photos. Some brochures include playful touches like tables marked for board games and pass-through hatches from the main cabin to the cockpit—padding and soundproofing everywhere.
From obscurity to icon
The Heli-Home stands out as a quirky slice of aviation and RV history. A few committed buyers used theirs for riverside camping or even forestry work. Today, collectors and enthusiasts still trade stories and photos online, keeping the legend alive.
Equipped with floats instead of wheels, the helicopter can rise from your door and land in a swamp or lake, river or savannah… Families could fly beyond the roads to explore wherever they like. —Igor Sikorsky, 1942
Although production was limited, the Heli-Home continues to dazzle anyone who hears about it. Its story pops up again and again in blogs and videos—proof that big dreams, no matter how strange, never really die.
RELATED
- See the African Jungle Yachts—RVs that disappeared in Africa in the 1930s
- The Tin Can Tourists: Where America’s RV journey began
- Visiting Elkhart’s RV/MH Hall of Fame—the ultimate RV museum
- Incredible 1937 Packard motorhome in mint condition, worth six figures
- You’ve got to see this vintage trailer-turned-houseboat
- Winnebago’s ‘Heli-Campers’ give insight into the future of RV design
RVDT2947
Looks alot like the USN/USMC H-34 that had an R-1820(?) engine enclosed in the clamshell nose.
Yeah, the R1820 was in the nose, not “above the cabin”.
And you’d have to be licensed to fly a BIG helicopter.
You are totally wrong about the engine location. The engine in the S58/H-34 was located in the nose of the aircraft behind a pair of clamshell doors. The drive shaft passed upward through the cockpit to the main transmission which was located above the main cabin. The S55/H-19 shared the same configuration.
Thank you for the video and summary, Cheri. A nice dream, but seems impractical in “oh so many ways.” Have a great day and safe travels!