Helio Courier

The Helio Courier is a cantilever high-wing light STOL utility aircraft designed in 1949.

Around 500 of these aircraft were manufactured in Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1954 until 1974 by the Helio Aircraft Company. The design featured four leading-edge slats that deployed automatically, and large trailing-edge flaps. The engine was the 295 hp Lycoming GO-480, which had a gearbox that lowered the output RPM and allowed for the use of a large three-bladed propeller to further improve takeoff performance. Couriers were famous for their takeoffs, which often took only a few plane lengths and then climbed at very high angles. During airshow demonstrations, it was common for the aircraft to actually take off across a 100-to-200-foot-wide (30 to 61 m) runway.

During the early 1980s, new owners (Helio Aircraft Ltd.) made an attempt to build new aircraft with direct-drive Lycoming engines, to replace troublesome and expensive geared engines. In a further effort to reduce weight, a new composite landing gear was featured. The new models also featured modest winglets. Two models were produced, the H-800 and H-700. A total of 18 aircraft were built, before production ceased in 1985. The rights to the Helio Stallion and Helio Courier were acquired by Helio Aircraft of Prescott, Arizona.

In 2019, Helio Alaska was formed and based in Chugiak, Alaska. The company acquired the intellectual property and the FAA certificate 1A8 for the Courier, as well as access to surviving jigs and tooling. Advancements in manufacturing from handmade to numerically controlled machining identified a range of variability within the model's construction. New tooling was created, and the State of Alaska has supported the endeavor.