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Elsewhere you find such outstanding helitaxi companies as Mercury, National and Petroleum Helicopters. Another real success story connected with helicopters is in the field of CAB certified helicopter airlines. Although there are only three companies currently certified to serve this segment of the traveling public, more than 80 applications are pending before the Civil Aeronautics Board. The three scheduled lines are in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Together they have experienced growth never before known in commercial aviation. Fixed-wing airlines have enjoyed a traffic increase of 15 per cent annually, doubling their volume every five years. However, helicopter passenger traffic has doubled every year since 1953. During the past year the three U. S. helicopter airlines carried a total of 230,000 passengers. Robert Cummings, president of New York Airways, told me that even now they are turning down at least one passenger for every one they carry. In 10 years, Chicago Helicopter Airways has flown 4,230,000 scheduled miles, with a performance factor of 95.3 per cent. This totals more than 72,000 flight hours without mishap. Currently it is carrying more than 20,000 passengers per month. The paying passenger list of this helicopter airline exceeds many of our larger, long-established local service airlines. All of this adds up to the fact that helicopter operating companies are already in your cities, or they will be there shortly. Perhaps you have seen the report made to Edward P. Curtis, President Eisenhower's special assistant for Aviation Facilities Planning. The study, "Helicopters in the Air Traffic Control System, 1957-1965," lists five markets which represent a fertile potential for the continuing sale of rotary-wing aircraft. They are the Department of Defense, corporations, air carrier, air commerce (other than air carrier), and private. Helicopter production in the past few years went approximately 80 per cent to the Department of Defense, 15 per cent to contract operations, and the remaining 5 per cent distributed among corporations, air carriers, and private users. The Curtis report predicts that by 1965 the Department of Defense will purchase only 40 per cent of the manufactured helicopters in the United States, the remainder divided as follows: corporations 27.5 per cent, contract operations 22.5 per cent, air carriers 8 per cent, and private operators 2 per cent. Yet this will only be possible if the helicopter has landing areas which keep pace with the machine's abilities. Since 1946, helicopter sales have averaged about 550-600 units per year. During the period covered in the Curtis report, annual sales from all sources are expected to average 1,100 to 1,200 helicopters. It is further predicted that about 70 per cent of the unit sales for the latter nine years will occur between 1961-1965. If my arithmetic is correct, the industry can expect to sell about 6,000 commercial units in the period from 1957 through 1965. There is going to be a great influx of helicoptes into your cities in the future. It is imperative that we plan for this advance concept of transporting our citizens in urban areas. Let's take a look at the types of helicopters that will be utilizing your heliports, helistops and heliways. In brief, the helicopter industry is now developing and producing machines which fall into three major categories. The small helicopter, two to five place machine, is characterised by a single engine and gross weights to approximately 3,500 pounds. Turbine-powered helicopters in this class are now operational and others are under development. The urban uses for this class of helicopter are largely of
