Franklin resident David Harry kneels alongside the 1957 Hiller helicopter he built in this 1991 photo.
Daily Journal Archive Photo
News from around Johnson County as reported on Aug. 3 in the pages of the Daily Journal and the Franklin Evening Star from the last 111 years.
On this day in 1991, the main story on the front page of the Daily Journal was about a Franklin man whose restored chopper gave him a lift.
Franklin resident David Harry, 39, restored a 1957 helicopter — which he used to occasionally commute from his home to Mount Comfort Airport near Greenfield. The flight school owner often took off and landed in his backyard off West Jefferson Street.
“In the morning I’ll get up and see all those people on I-65; it’s such a madhouse,” Harry said. And with the number of cars and frustrated drivers on the road, Harry figured he was a lot safer in the air.
Harry had owned the helicopter since 1986, but had only recently started commuting to and from Mount Comfort Airport, where he operated All-Safe Flight, Inc., a pilot training school.
At $2.16 per gallon for fuel, the commute could be expensive but traveling by air saves time, he said. Driving from his home to Mount Comfort took at least 45 minutes; the helicopter flight lasted only about 25 minutes.
Not only was there no traffic to slow Harry down, but his helicopter cruised at 75 to 80 miles per hour and he had no fear of being pulled over for speeding.
There had not been any complaints from Harry’s neighbors about the flights. In fact, everyone seemed to enjoy seeing the bright orange helicopter, said Pat Harry, David’s wife.
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Other memorable Johnson County stories from this day
1971
A Greenwood woman was arrested the day prior after she was accused of embezzling funds from the city’s license branch.
1943
A truck carrying bomber radio parts for war efforts was struck by a train at a crossing on North Main Street in Franklin.
1923
People across the nation were mourning the death of President Warren G. Harding. In Franklin, flags were flown at half-staff and events were canceled as the community grieved.
