As the new year progresses, sales of The Bell 47 Helicopter Story remain quite strong. Majority of the book sales are in the USA and Canada. Likewise overseas, the Bell 47 Books are available at the Aviation Mega Store hobby shop in The Netherlands. Customers outside the USA and Canada are better to contact them for their copy as buying from Helicopterheritagecanada.com shipping costs have become totally expensive due to the shipping costs.

For 2024, I will continue to sell the Bell 47 Book in the USA and Canada for $89.95 including shipping costs (and taxes in Canada.) This is a great deal for the book purchaser as postage fees are just over $30.00 now. In Canada the Bell 47 Book can still be purchased at The Aviator's Bookshelf in Vancouver, British Columbia, V6E 3Z3. Copies of the Bell 47 Book are still available at the Vertical Flight Society Library book store (Check with them for their Bell 47 Book prices.)

Customers continue to praise the detail and quality of The Bell 47 Helicopter Story:

"All I can say is "WOW."  This has to be the most detailed book I ever have seen on an individual helicopter model."

"I have read my copy of the Bell 47 book. Such an awesome history of an outstanding machine. I love seeing my Bell 47 serial number in the book also."

"You did a great job on the history of the many models of the Bell 47. Even my Bell 47 N932B made the book. I am trying my best to honor the history of the Bell 47. I am keeping N932B in top shape and still flying it."

Now is the time to purchase your personal copy of The Bell 47 Helicopter Story before they are all gone. 

If you are on Facebook, I have added the Bell 47 Book on the Aviation Enthusiast Book Club page. Orders for the book started to be placed within minutes. Have you checked out the helicopterheritagecanada.com Facebook page. New photos are added every month. Most have never been published before. 

Check out my latest story in the February/March issue of VERTICAL magazine on Joe Fabick, Fabick Aircraft Company. Joe was the youngest helicopter pilot trained by Bell Aircraft on helicopters at Niagara Falls, N.Y. back in 1947. His company went on to pioneer the first use of helicopters in the Colorado mountains during 1948.. Fabick also pioneered the first use of helicopters in seismic operations in Alberta Canada in the fall of 1948. A major seismic program with helicopters was conducted near Chard Alberta along the Northern Alberta Railway tracks in 1949.The photo above shows the Fabick helicopter, a modified Bell 47B, landing at the Edmonton, Alberta airport in November 1948 after conducting experimental seismic operations near Athabasca.

The feature story in this first newsletter in 2024 is on Albert H. Luke who learned to fly helicopters at Bell Aircraft back in 1947. He was the first commercial helicopter flight instructor at the Lewis College in Lockport, Illinois in the USA starting with a single Bell Model 47B on wheels. 

As there were very few training schools on helicopters in Canada at the time, Canadians attended the Lewis College for rotary wing training. One of the first Canadians was Gordon Townsend with Spartan Air Services Ltd. Spartan had started up in 1950 with one Bell 47D helicopter. Gordon had been trained  in Canada at De Havilland (When they had the Bell Aircraft dealership for selling helicopters). Gordon felt he needed some additional helicopter instruction and travelled to the USA and to Lewis College. Al Luke gave him additional instruction on helicopters. Other Canadians followed over the years to fly with Al Luke at the Lewis College in Illinois.

Enjoy the story.

Bob Petite

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