Aspen Helicopter

The Helicopters that operated with ex-Stoddard at the Pacific Missile Test Center- from Bryan Swoops, the pilot.
Attached is a -.jpg file with a photo of me and a bunch of guys in front of one of my helicopters at the radar site atop San Nicolas Island. The aircraft is a Bell Model 206B-3 JetRanger III. It is a 5-place single-turboshaft-powered helicopter equipped with "pop-out" floats. I am not certain, but I believe this particular ship is N39049. The call sign would have been "Aspen 049". It is possible that it is one of two other JetRanger IIIs, operated by Aspen Helicopters Inc. at the time --- N707TV ("Aspen 707") or N5012F ("Aspen 12 Foxtrot").
I am the smiling guy in the middle, in back, with no hat. Immediately to the right, with the black and white hat, black v-neck sweater and sunglasses is another Aspen pilot, Jerome Maitland Boyle, CWO, U.S. Army (Ret.) and author of "Apache Sunrise". He's an ex-Cobra pilot, and he wrote a successful book about his experiences in Vietnam. These men are all either General Dynamics personnel or PMTC Surface Targets Directorate personnel. They operate the ship and prepare the CWIS systems or cameras and telemetry. All are evacuated before a test, then returned after the test is completed. It has been too long for me to remember the names of any of these guys, with the exception of the tall man at the far left. His name was "Doug", and he was a drummer. Next to him is "Tony", who was cook aboard ex-Stoddard and used to make my life more interesting by feeding a Great White Shark that followed the ship about a hundred feet back. (He also used to feed me almost every time I'd land aboard ship, but that is another story....)
This is another Aspen Helicopters, Inc. aircraft, returning from a mission to ex-Stoddard. The helicopter is a Bell Model 206L-1 LongRanger II, N3911S. It is a 7-place, single-turboshaft powered helicopter, equipped with pop-out floats. In the photo "Aspen 9-1-1" is just turning from the downwind leg to the base leg, approaching the helipad at OLF San Nicolas Island.
"OLF" means "Outlying Landing Field", usually associated with a larger Air Station, in this case NAS Point Mugu. San Nick is frequently referred to as "SNI", but the actual 3-letter designator for the airfield is NSI. Point Mugu is NTD. Note that this photograph pre-dates the construction of "Hanger 18". A few days after this photograph was taken, N3911S was destroyed when an FBI pilot, flying in mountainous terrain during heavy rain, struck a power line.
This is a photograph of me, flying Bell Model 206 A/B JetRanger N22EA, landing on the fantail of ex-Stoddard, somewhere west-northwest of San Nicolas Island. This is an "artsy" picture taken by one of the General Dynamics personnel aboard. If you look closely, you can see the screws of both outdrive units are raised, and the radar reflector sled in tow.

This is a photograph of several helicopters which were used on the CWIS project, parked at the Aspen Helicopters Inc. ramp at the north side of Oxnard Municipal Airport (OXR), approx. 7 miles northwest of NAS Point Mugu (NTD). From left to right, the helicopters are: Bell Model 206B-3 JetRanger III N5012F Bell Model 206L LongRanger N8057B Bell Model 206B-3 JetRanger III N39049 Bell Model 206B-2 JetRanger II (N90214) [Note: main rotor removed for maintenance.]

N707TV at Camarillo Airport (CMA), March 1982. 5-place, single-turboshaft-powered helicopter. 420 shp, transmission limited to 317 shp (100% Torque). Maximum Gross Weight is 3,200 pounds. Aircraft is equipped with "pop-out" floats and wedge windows in rear doors

"Aspen Nine-One-One", a Bell Model 206L-1 LongRanger II, N3911S, at Camarillo Airport (CMA), March 1982. Aspen 911 is a 7-place, single-turboshaft-powered helicopter. Its Allison 250-C28 engine is rated at 500 shp, transmission limited to 370 shp. In standard configuration, Maximum Gross Weight is 4,050 pounds. (4,150 pounds with upgraded main rotor trunnion installed.) Aspen 911 was destroyed when the FBI pilot flying it at night, in mountainous terrain during heavy rain, struck a power line and crashed

This is me "in my office" aboard Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III N707TV, outbound from OLF San Nicolas Island (NSI) to ex-Stoddard (DD-566). Note the distinctive Ray-Ban "Aviator" sunglasses.

Here is a scan of my old business card with the Aspen logo....