MovieChat Forums > It Came from Outer Space (1953) Discussion > Helicopter: trivia, mystery, or what?

Helicopter: trivia, mystery, or what?

posted 12 years ago by tomtac
4 replies | jump to latest

Folks here might be interested in the registration info on the helicopter, at:

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N189B.html

Built in 1948, de-registered in 1959, it currently (Jan 19, 2013) states it is a Bell helicopter, model 47D, a two seater.

But in the movie, there is room for three people. The thing is shown flying with them, so it is not just a ground shot trick.

What I don't know is whether that couch seat, which held two men and a woman with no trouble, would be the usual "two seats", or if the owner (a company in Bakersfield, CA named "Helicopter Surveys, Inc.") installed it. I'm not sure I see how the seat belts worked on them.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] kimbpaul 9 years ago

Unimaginable that the passengers could talk to one another over the noise, their hair barely moves in an open air cockpit

[–] jondoe888 9 years ago

There's a photo, online, of the heli on a platform, where they must have shot some of the flying closeups from below. It may have been a woman stuffed in the middle of the real flying scenes - or the torso of a dummy.
My eyes bugged out when they first showed this ship! What was the purpose of sitting in that blade wash. Was this to save weight?

[–] FilmBoy (1167) 3 years ago

Looked like a flying lawnmower. So sketchy. I was wondering while watching how many safety features are on a modern 2 seater heli compared to that thing.
Doubtful they even had seatbelts - I couldn't see any on them.