Comment of the Day: When Helicopters Ruled the Houston Skies

COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHEN HELICOPTERS RULED THE HOUSTON SKIES Helicopter Drawing“Armadillo Airways was the service that flew to IAH from the Galleria, Whitehall Hotel (downtown), Shamrock Hilton and the Westchase Hilton. Flights cost $49 each way. The service was started by the son of the inventor of the Weed Eater. I remember my dad taking this service from an earlier location in the Globe Department Store parking lot at the SW corner of what is now I-10 & Beltway 8. This all went away with the mid-80′s oil bust. Here is an old pamphlet.” [Holtnow, commenting on A Heliport Lands In Spring Branch East] Illustration: Lulu

6 Comment

  • Actually it was Sage that was at the SWC of the Beltway and the Katy Freeway. I remember it becoming a heliport for a little while.

    Globe was located a bit more east on the freeway, and disappeared earlier than Sage.

  • Thanks for pointing that out. Globe was on the SW corner of Gessner at Katy Freeway. Oshman’s later took it’s place at this location. I do remember the vast grassed area in front of the Sage store with a sign stating something to the effect “future site of toll road”.

  • The pamphlet in the link says $25 one-way per passenger. That’s about $55-75 today depending on the exact year, but might still be worth it for the time and hassle savings.

  • Globe was where the Westin Hotel and Memoriall Hermann Hellhole are now

  • $55-75 bucks to get to IAH by chopper – Hell a cab is at least that much.

  • If it really was $55, then there are times when i know for sure i would pay that for a chopper ride to the IAH