Pioneer In The Use Of Helicopters By TV News

It all began in Los Angeles. In 1958, after KTLA television chief engineer John D. Silva convinced station management to allocate $40,000 to equip a rented Bell 47 helicopter with the ability to transmit live pictures from the aircraft ... the era of airborne television news coverage was born.

Silva passed away November 27th at the age of 92 in Camarillo, CA, the Los Angeles Times reported last week.

In a 2009 interview with the Smithsonian's Air and Space Magazine, Silva said he had gotten the idea while sitting on the Hollywood Freeway one morning.

The technical challenges in the late 1950s were many. Television equipment was heavy and fragile, and the idea was shot down the first time Silva presented it to station manager Lew Arnold. But when Arnold was replaced by Jim Schulke, the reaction was totally different. He was given the go-ahead to begin.

Silva developed the "Telecopter" in secret. He collaborated with engineers at General Electric to devise a microwave transmission system that would fit on the helo. With the useful load of a Bell 47 only 368 pounds, weight was a primary concern. Development of smaller cameras helped, and all power was taken from the aircraft engine's generator so that a separate power supply would not have to be carried.

The first flights were carried out in secret, with Silva working against a myriad of technical problems. But then on July 28, 1958, KTLA pre-empted its regular programming to show its viewers the first aerial shots of Los Angeles. Regular use of the aircraft began on September 15, 1958. And the rest, as they say, is history.

(Bell 47 pictured in file photo)

FMI: www.airspacemag.com