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Paradise, Hawaiian Style


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It's funny, but I would have never thought of how outrageous this movie was if I wasn't flying helicopters myself. Never really cared for old Elvis movies, but since this one was centered on a helicopter tour service in Hawaii, I couldn't help myself.

 

They succeeded in breaking every rule in the book in the first 20 minutes. Leaving the ship unoccupied with the rotors still spinning, moving cyclic around while flying like he's testing full movement during pre-takeoff, taking hands off the controls in flight, flying with six large dogs in the cockpit. Great stuff!

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Yea its a good movie, I have not seen it in 40 years, you have to understand something, 2015 rules and norms don't apply to what the rules were in 1966, the regulations we live with today with regard to tour flying in Hawaii and for that matter the Grand Canyon, is for the lack of better words some of the reckless escapades on the 1960's and 1970's - the tours got popular so there were more getting into the business and with more flying well there were more accidents and well the rules followed! Then again it the movies, they get to do stuff with not having to worry about things like accidents and well making something like a profit! Its an Elvis movie so there is going to be a void in reality- its a drive in movie, back when we had drive its to go to! Bell 47 J's were long ago replaces with A-stars and the like!

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Right. And if you didn't know how to fly a helicopter - you wouldn't know the difference. It was still cool watching the helo flying. That was filmed during the Vietnam war - 1966.

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Yep in 1966 I was all of 11 years old, and what I knew at the time you could fill with a thimble! I don't take movies very seriously, out side of Bio Pic's and some license is always taken, its all made up! Elvis could do what he was doing for the simple fact the aircraft never left the ground with him in it! I can tell you that on the day he died, I was interviewing with Lake Aircraft to be a production test pilot on the Lake Anfib aircraft, that was before I made the transition to helicopters- I didn't get the gig, the company when bankrupt - a few of those airplanes are still around!

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