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1977: Let's Slap an 8-Track in the Player and Fly, Fly Away

It's hard to imagine a crazier mismatch than the energy-challenged 1970s and a gas-guzzling, flying camper, but Winnebago's Heli-Home (aka the Heli-Camper) was a real thing forty years ago.

Ads touted it as “the most dramatic, comfortable, convenient and unique RV in the world.” The Heli-Home had room for six passengers and packed a complete, if tiny, kitchen and living space into its 115 square feet. Entertaining aloft was a must -- the Heli-Home was equipped with a TV, a mini-bar, and an eight-track tape deck.

This was the 1970s, after all.

Fewer than ten Heli-Homes were sold. Maybe its hefty price tag ($185,000 and up) and its greedy gas mileage -- 75 gallons an hour -- had something to do with that. But the contraption attracted a lot of attention at RV shows and dealerships and it got attention from TV news crews, as demonstrated by this WTVJ news clip from 1977.

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This video and audio is copyrighted/owned by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College.