Compact in the Sky

The long-distance commuter, frazzled by freeway traffic and weary of club-car chatter, has known for some time that there was a way out of it all. He could buy a helicopter. All it took was money--usually about $45,000 of it. In late 1961 Hughes Tool Co. produced a turbine-powered two-seater model that sold for $22,500, but few commuters could afford even such a bargain. Last week Hughes made the sky attainable.

By arrangement with the Commercial Credit Co., Hughes now offers an easy-payment plan for helicopter buyers, putting them on a par with car buyers. One automobile dealer, San Francisco's Waters Buick Inc., has already got a helicopter on display in its showroom, where any impulsive shopper can step right up and buy it off the floor by plunking down 25%, or $5,625, with four years to pay the rest. There are also lease-purchase possibilities.

The model, a kind of compact copter, has a cruising speed of 70 m.p.h., a maximum speed of 86 m.p.h., a range of 200 miles and an endurance of three hours in the air. Special effects include a 360DEG visibility, a tinted canopy to protect against sun glare, and air-oil shock-absorbing landing skids that "smooth out" the roughest terrain. It is also economical--13-c- a mile by Hughes's estimate. With 53 dealers already signed up and expectations of many more, Hughes has stepped up production to one copter a day, confident the idea will soon catch on.

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