MH-53M 69-5785   LIMOKOPTER  

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On 13 May 2007 Daniel Herbert Morgan, 50, was killed when the Grumman G-164 Ag-Cat he was flying clipped a power line and went down. His bi-wing aircraft apparently was dispersing seed rice over farmland when it started to pass underneath high-tension wires. The tail snagged a wire and crippled the plane, causing it to tumble a fifth of mile before it crashed near a wheat field and burst into flames.

 


Daniel H. Morgan III, 50, died Sunday, May 13, 2007, in an airplane crash while crop-dusting in Colusa. He was born in Loma Linda and was a longtime resident. He was a self-employed businessman in Apple Valley. Dan had a love for flying. He was a helicopter and light plane pilot, vehicle fabricator, expert mechanic and custom painter, along with many other entrepreneurial skills. Dan was known by many here in the High Desert and will be missed. Dan is survived by his mother, Blanquita Morgan Saylor of San Marcos; father, Daniel H. Morgan Jr. of San Bernardino; daughter, Laura Beachtel of Tempe, Ariz.; sister, Rama M. Inza of Morgan Hill and aunt, Maria Elena Stoll of Miami, Fla. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sunset Hills Memorial Park, 24000 Waalew Road in Apple Valley. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the American Cancer Society in his memory. Sunset Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary is handling arrangements.



 

On 4 March 2007 Sid Nanson informed us that when he was vacationing in Bulgaria he seen a clip on the Discovery Channel that highlighted a clip of a Chopper Bike Meet in the US where the apparent star of the show was a converted H-3 helicopter that had been refurbished and made "road worthy".  Sid asks if we knew anything about this.

 

We began to check it out and found out that it was an H-3 helicopter and had been bought and refurbished and placed on a school bus drive train.  It was redone on the interior and had been driven to the Sturgis Bike Show and then on to Mt Rushmore.

 





Web images from Wax Daddy "Formula 113" website

  ~ click picture to enlarge ~


Links to You-Tube video's with shots of the LimoKopter in them (cut and paste into your browser to view)


Wax Daddy Formula 113 Car Wax on the Kustomizers Big Daddy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjaLfmB45C0&feature=youtube_gdata


Cruising with the Helicopter Limo  ---  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-lixk1icGM&feature=related


We then discovered that the Discovery Channel had three short videos on some of the work that had been done.  It was through the videos that we were able to determine that the airframe had been purchased in Kansas.

 

                       

 

As late as May of 2002 there were six H-3s stored behind a garage in Pratt Kansas. These were bought out of Davis Monthan by an outfit called "PA Exchange" of Pratt KS in 1995.  There were three Air Force (63-9679, 65-5697 and 65-12788).  The other three were USCG aircraft. (Note: This info provided by Sid Nanson)


A call was made to Pratt however PA Exchange is out of the business and the person that answered the phone was only able to confirm that there had been helicopters there at one time. 

 

A close look at the second video above indicates that it is 65-5697.

 

Further investigation revealed that the owner of the "Limokopter" had a business in Apple Valley CA.

 

We next contacted a close ROTORHEAD friend that lives in Apple Valley CA, Don Cannon. Don was unable to locate the business through the phone book so he went to the City Building and was able to secure the address.  Don drove to the address and sure enough there sat the "Limokopter".  Don met Dan Morgan who owns the shop as well as the "Limokopter".  Don spent some time with Dan and was able to confirm what we knew about the bird being in Kansas.  Dan's shop is the Apple Valley Paint and Fabrication, 17130 Navajo RD, Apple Valley, CA.

 

Don made a second trip back to see Dan and the "Limokopter" and took the great shots that we have below.

 

The USAF ROTORHEADS are indeed appreciative of the effort that Don Cannon took to locate the "Limokopter" and then take these great shots and provide them to us.  Thanks Don.

 



H-3 65-5697 converted to the Limokopter, Owner Dan Morgan Note his picture in window

 

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