Today we travel back to 1958, on this day in that year the Vertol Model 107 performed its first flight.
The V107 was envisaged as the successor of the H-21 "Flying Banana". Further development of the aircraft let to the emergence of the CH-46 Sea Knight. This helicopter saw extensive use in both the US Navy (in service until 2004) and the US Marine Corps (in service until 2015).
A commercial variant the BV 107-II was actually developed even before the CH-46 Sea Knight, it was commonly referred to simply as the "Vertol".
It was operated commercially by New York Airways, Pan American World Airways and later by Columbia Helicopters. Among the diversity of tasks was pulling a hover barge, and constructing transmission towers for overhead power lines.
In December 2006, Columbia Helicopters purchased the type certificate of the Model 107 from Boeing, intending to eventually produce new-build aircraft themselves.
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