Helicopter 66

Helicopter 66
Helicopter 66 pictured in 1969
General information
Other name(s)	"Old 66",[1] Helicopter 740
Type	Helicopter
Manufacturer	Sikorsky Aircraft
Owners	U.S. Navy
Serial	BuNo 152711[1]
Total hours	3,245.2
History
In service	1968–1975
Last flight	June 4, 1975
Fate	Crashed and sank in the Pacific Ocean

Helicopter 66 was a United States Navy Sikorsky Sea King helicopter used during the late 1960s for the water recovery of astronauts during five missions of the Apollo program. It has been called "one of the most famous, or at least most iconic, helicopters in history",^[2] was the subject of a 1969 song by Manuela, and was made into a die-cast model by Dinky Toys. In addition to its work in support of NASA, Helicopter 66 also transported the Shah of Iran during his 1973 visit to the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk.

Helicopter 66 was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1967 and formed part of the inventory of U.S. Navy Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Four for the duration of its active life. Among its pilots during this period was Donald S. Jones, who would go on to command the United States Third Fleet. Later re-numbered Helicopter 740, the aircraft crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 1975 during a training exercise. At the time of its crash, it had logged more than 3,200 hours of service.