Clip the wings on a bird, and you're a horrible human being. Clip the "wings” on a metal bird, and if you're skilled and creative enough, you've got yourself the most awesome recreational vehicle around.
World, meet the Helicamper, unofficially dubbed the coolest RV on earth. These days, we've all grown accustomed to hyperbole as part of everyday speech, but the Helicamper is perhaps one rare instance where it's warranted. This is the coolest, most awesome, and bonkers creation you're likely to see anywhere else.
Back in the 1970s, Winnebago dreamed big huge, of creating the first flying RV that could also land on water if the owner's budget allowed for the extra option. That dream materialized in the Heli-Home or the Heli-Camper, six or eight Sikorsky S-55 S-58 conversions best described as flying RVs, fitted with all the creature comforts of home and designed to be family-friendly.
This Helicamper is not one of them. As a matter of fact, not a single one of those units survived the passage of time intact, so the only thing left today is the awesome brochures that Winnebago circulated in the hope of getting the Heli-Home into mass production, and which ultimately served solely for brand awareness. This Helicamper is a DIY (do it yourself) build with an impressive backstory but lacking the ability to fly. That doesn't make it any less impressive, though.
Photo: Helicamper RV
The Heli-Camper is the work of a pair of veteran Coast Guard pilots, Blake Morris and Maggie Morton, who first made international headlines after the maiden voyage of their unique RV in the spring of 2022. Even though they've been vacationing regularly in their towable since, it continues to be a work in progress that takes up their time and money. And it is as striking today as it was back then, when the first spotlight shined on it.
The RV started as a 1978 SA 330J Puma helicopter, tail number N2851T/SN1499, built by SUD Aviation (later known as Aerospatiale and then as Airbus) and delivered to the German military police in 1979. In operation until 2003, it was benched until 2008, when German authorities shipped it to Romania for restoration, but they decided halfway that an upgrade made more sense from a financial perspective. EP Aviation (Blackwater) bought it and sent it to FOB Shank in Afghanistan, where it would serve as a workhorse until 2011.
Blake and Maggie had no clue about any of this when they came across it on Marketplace in 2020. Some guy in Florida got it after it was sent to the U.S., and it had been gathering dust since. Blake knew he wanted it because it was still in decent if no longer airworthy condition, but he didn't know yet what he might do with it. Then came the idea of turning it into an RV.
Photo: Helicamper RV
Upcycling decommissioned aircraft into recreational vehicles is not a new practice, but it's not the most widespread because of the high level of complexity with each project. On the face of it, such a conversion is easy because you're working with a body made to withstand different temperatures and all weather conditions, while also being very spacious. In reality, things are far more complicated.
The Heli-Camper made them even more so. Blake and Maggie put in over 900 hours in the initial conversion, which included stripping the interior bare and building, piece by piece, their future vacation home on wheels. In doing so, they made sure to stick to the aviation theme by integrating components into their everyday life (control rods are now paper towel holders, for example) or by keeping certain parts intact. The former cockpit is an excellent example of that. It's Maggie's unique vantage point from where she takes her morning coffee.
The former helicopter sits on a twin-axle trailer with its tail, nose, and blades removed. Inside, Blake has been able to fit a sizable and complete kitchen and a dining area that becomes a bed at night by lowering the table and joining the two benches. A bathroom with a toilet and shower is available, plenty of storage and plenty of room to move about. There's a large-screen TV in the bedroom and professional-grade sound system both inside and out, AC, and an oversize awning.
Photo: Helicamper RV
What's not upcycled is custom-made, and the result is an RV that's simply bursting with personality and rich history. The dining table is handmade by Blake, with several layers of epoxy holding in place badges and coins, deck plates, and a piece of the rotor blade. It matches the fold-out counter extension that Maggie uses in the kitchen for meal prep. The bathroom door is an actual airplane toilet door, in keeping with the aviation theme, and the shower curtain is "heli-themed."
Blake and Maggie have documented the progress of the Heli-Camper project on social media since the moment it arrived in their Alabama backyard, but they never disclosed the amount they paid for the aircraft or the conversion. Not that it matters that much: the Heli-Camper is a beautiful and unique example of upcycling, and a brilliant instance of two vets pouring their love of aviation into an old and discarded military bird. It's the coolest RV on Earth, for sure.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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