1950-1952: Arizona Helicopter Service Heliport, Grand Canyon/Tusayan, AZ

The debate over who pioneered the first helicopter air tours over Grand Canyon prompted me to do some research on the subject. After reading some books and talking with a few long time residents of Tusayan, I found my answer. The company was called Arizona Helicopter Service and it was one of the first post-war commercial helicopter companies in the United States. During the late 1940s, businessman and helicopter pioneer Edwin "Monte" Montgomery came to the Grand Canyon and saw an opportunity to fly helicopter sightseeing and charter flights within the Canyon. At the time, only fixed-wing airplane flights were being offered. Montgomery owned two Bell 47 helicopters and one Hiller 360. Business at Grand Canyon literally took off for Arizona Helicopter Service and they were soon kept busy catering to both tourists and offering support and rescue for canyon rafters on the Colorado River.

In May 1950, Mr. Montgomery leased an area of land near the town of Tusayan which served as a heliport for his tour/charter operation. In it's brief time at the Canyon, Arizona Helicopter Service had some close calls, but no fatalities. During the summer of 1948, a Bell 47 lost lift attempting to "sling load" a heavy surplus Quonset hut to Havasupai Canyon. The copter crashed landed within some trees on the South Rim with no injuries. During July 1950, a Hiller 360 lost power and crashed on takeoff within Grand Canyon. The accident left the pilot and passenger shaken with minor injuries.

By 1952, the ongoing Korean War slowed business and Montgomery decided to close his Grand Canyon operation. Mr. Montgomery's other helicopter business ventures proved more successful. In 2011, Edwin Montgomery was inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame. More than a decade would pass before another helicopter company would take over where Arizona Helicopter Service left. That company would be Grand Canyon Helicopters. A helicopter air tour company which continues to operate today.

Edwin "Monte" Montgomery was the founder and owner of Arizona Helicopter Service. The company was one of the first in the U.S. to operate helicopters commercially.
An old hay barn was converted by Ed Montgomery into a hangar for Arizona Helicopter Service's helicopters.
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The Hiller 360 (civilian variant of the military UH-12) was a brand new helicopter for Arizona Helicopter Service. It was recognized with it's framed 'bubble'-type cabin and no fuselage structure. It was powered by a 175hp Franklin 6V4-178-B33 engine.

This helicopter would later crash in the canyon during a river runner support charter flight. The July 1950 accident resulted in minor injuries to the pilot and passenger.
During the summer of 1948, a combination of lifting too much on a hot day with not enough power resulted in this Bell 47 helicopter landing hard in the trees.

The accident occurred about 1.5 miles north of Grand Canyon/Red Butte Airport during an attempt to "sling load" a surplus military Quonset hut to Havasupai Canyon.
Arizona Helicopter Service Heliport - 1950

A nearby vacant field in the basin of the Coconino Wash served as a landing field for Montgomery's air tour operation.
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Arizona Helicopter Service Heliport - 2013

Today, the field is still vacant with only a few changes in the past six plus decades.

For its short history at Grand Canyon, Arizona Helicopter Service really made its mark as being the first early rotor-wing service to test the limits of air travel at the Canyon.

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