This 1958 Helio Courier Is a Trailblazing STOL ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Today’s Top Pick is a 1958 Helio H-391B Courier.

Most pilots who enjoy STOL flying have a favorite aircraft that is particularly well suited to the activity. The Cessna 185, Piper Super Cub, and any of the Maule models typically come to mind. For those who wish to land on a hastily cleared patch of jungle, though, there may be only one right answer—the Helio Courier.

Painstakingly designed to operate from the shortest, most remote fields, the Courier has long been a rare sight at typical airports. That is because it is meant to serve in places where there are no airports. Missionaries working in far away lands and special operations military units were among the aircraft’s early adopters. They also appealed to bush pilots, which is why so many of these airplanes wound up in Alaska, where off-airport missions are common.

You do not have to be a backcountry specialist to make use of the Courrier, whose six-seat interior and load-lifting muscle can be just what your family needs for its next cross-country journey.

This 1958 Helio Courier has 4,455 hours on the airframe and 1,054 hours since overhaul on its 240 hp Lycoming GO-435-C202-6 engine. The aircraft is equipped with a Reiff engine preheating system. The VFR panel includes a Narco AT 150 radio and Terra AT3000 altitude encoder. 

The interior has five seats and was reupholstered in 1995. The exterior was repainted in 1985.

Pilots looking for a pioneering STOL aircraft for carrying people and cargo to backcountry destinations should consider this 1958 Helio H-391B Courier, which is available for $150,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use the airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.