# Telecopter

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{{Short description|Television news helicopter}}
A '''telecopter''' is a [helicopter](/source/helicopter) used to gather footage for [television stations](/source/Television_station). It is a [portmanteau](/source/portmanteau) of television and helicopter.

The [KTLA](/source/KTLA) '''Telecopter''' was the world's first [television news](/source/television_news) [helicopter](/source/helicopter), which first went into operation in 1958<ref>{{cite web
  | last       = Joiner
  | first      = Stephen 
  | title      = History of Flight: Zoom Shot
  | quote      = One day in L.A., a helicopter changed television news forever
  | publisher  = [Smithsonian Institution's](/source/Smithsonian_Institution) [National Air and Space Museum](/source/National_Air_and_Space_Museum)
  | date       = April 30, 2009
  | url        = https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/zoom-shot-57396049/
  | access-date = June 6, 2022}}</ref> and was invented by [John D. Silva](/source/John_D._Silva).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Collection: John D. Silva papers {{!}} Archival Collections|url=https://archives.lib.umd.edu/repositories/2/resources/1440|access-date=2020-08-17|website=archives.lib.umd.edu}}</ref>  The on-board video and audio equipment communicated with a line of sight KTLA transmitter receiver on top of [Mount Wilson](/source/Mount_Wilson_(California)).  The first helicopter was leased to KTLA by National Helicopter Service and Engineering Company in [Van Nuys](/source/Van_Nuys).<ref>{{cite web
  | title      = Original press releases issued by KTLA regarding the creation of the "TELECOPTER"
  | quote      = Photos taken during its construction in Dick Hart's backyard in North Hollywood
  | publisher  = National Helicopter Service and Engineering Company
  | year       = 1958
  | url        = http://www.nationalhelicopter.com/telecopter.html
  | access-date = 2012-02-25}}</ref> For several years, KTLA (channel 5) was the only TV station with a helicopter based TV camera crewed reporting platform.

The Telecopter was designed and introduced by KTLA chief engineer John D. Silva (1920-2012).<ref>"John D. Silva dies at 92; introduced news helicopter", Bob Pool, ''Los Angeles Times'', December 7, 2012</ref>

Today, KTLA's news helicopter is known today as "Sky 5" and it is used during breaking news coverage. 

==Versions==
The first three ''Telecopters'' were:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Version
! Year
! Helicopter
! Notes
|-
| 1
| 1958
| [Bell 47G-2](/source/Bell_47)
| Equipment mounted externally
|-
| 2
| 1959
| [Bell 47J-2 Ranger](/source/Bell_47J_Ranger)
| Equipment mounted internally
|-
| 3
| 1969
| [Bell 206 JetRanger](/source/Bell_206_JetRanger)
| 
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Helicopters
Category:Television news
Category:1958 establishments in California

{{US-tv-stub}}
{{aircraft-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Telecopter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecopter) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecopter?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.