Whirlybirds star passes...

[JohnB]

Craig Hill, one of the stars of the classic helicopter adventure, Whirlybirds, has died in Spain at the age of 88.
RIP.

For those of you too young to remember, the show ran for decades in syndication and is credited with popularizing helicopters and inspiring a generation of helicopter crazy kids...me included. I saw the show when it was new, and later saw it in japan (dubbed into Japanese and sponsored by SONY...the opening featured Sony's new Bell 47J Ranger. When I took up helicopter flying, it had to be in a Bell 47..the show used 47G2s and a 47J from National helicopter Service out of Van Nuys. The 47J still survives. The G was "played" by several helicopters, so perhaps, one of those also survives.

The series other star, Kenneth Tobey (also seen in John Wayne's Wings of Eagles as an Army pilot, and 12 O'clock High as a sentry, as well as the C-47 pilot/hero in The Thing and an air traffic controller in Airplane!) died about 10 years ago.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/w ... ies-698003

Last edited by JohnB on Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:29 am, edited 2 times in total.

[Champ driver]

As a kid I used to watch that show all the time, sorry to hear that both of the main actors are now gone.

[CoastieJohn]

Fixing and flying in helo's was my background in the CG. I do not recall that show. I just checked Youtube and there are episodes on there. I'll have to watch a few when I get a chance.

Off the top of my head, I can only think of a three other TV shows where a helo had a "role" or was prominent in a show. That would be Airwolf, Blue Thunder and Magnum PI. Any others???

[airnutz]

Off the top of my head, I can only think of a three other TV shows where a helo had a "role" or was prominent in a show. That would be Airwolf, Blue Thunder and Magnum PI. Any others???

How about the sickly pink Sikorsky S-58T of "Riptide"...Screamin' Mimi?

Yep, "Sky King" and "Whirlybirds" ...Saturday mornings for many years...RIP

[makin' boost]

Whirlybirds and Skyking, many hours of my youth spent in front of the black and white TV watching these shows.

Good stuff ..................

[Jerry O'Neill]

Don't forget the Jet Ranger on "Chopper One". I loved that show.

[BigGrey]

I always watched Highway Patrol starring Broderick Crawford. I was amazed at how he could shoot and nail a bad guy by firing out the door of a Bell 47 with a .38 snubnose revolver which he didn't even aim properly.
I also laughed at how every JetRanger sounded like a Bell 47 on Hawaii Five-O.

Les

[Canso42]

I remember Whirlybirds. -barely- It was one of my favorite action shows. My next door neighbor also watched it and we often pretended we were chopper pilots and I have a three inch scar on my right leg from 'bailing out' of our swingset-turned-Bell 47.
Seems like they wore ball caps, Ray-bans and A-2s.

[JohnB]

Seems like they wore ball caps, Ray-bans and A-2s.

Golf jackets actually. An A-2 would have been too warm in a 47 bubble in Southern California.

The Helicopter Association's historian/model collector, John Slattery, had a real Whirlybirds patch (he wrote to the show and they sent him one!) and I talked him into having them reproduced. I have a few including one framed with my Kenneth Tobey autograph.