While today’s travelers dream of flying into Disneyland on electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, flying into the park was once possible with a helicopter.

For over a decade, the Compton, California park welcomed visitors via helicopter from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The concept, however, proved it was way ahead of its time.

Los Angeles Airways Starts the Party Los Angeles Airways (LAA) was founded on 1 October 1947. At the time, the cargo-only airline offered priority mail deliveries utilizing six new Bell 47D helicopters.

Soon after, the carrier obtained Sikorsky S-51s, which made rooftop mail deliveries and, later, human transportation possible. The company was considered the ‘world’s first helicopter airline.’

The airline frequently flew to and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to deliver mail. In the early 50s, LAA formed a network connecting various metropolitan areas in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California.

In 1956, Disneyland became the airline’s latest destination just one year after the park’s grand opening. From there, the carrier established a route that whisked vacationers from LAX to the park entrance in a mere 20 minutes. The new route allowed travelers to ride a helicopter from the airport into Disneyland without the hectic LA traffic in between. The park named its new heliport ‘Anaheim-Disneyland Heliport’.

Around this time, the airline had several S-55s, which could carry up to 12 passengers at a time. Disneyland operated four flights daily to and from the park.

The heliport was located right next to the newly built Disneyland Hotel. The route was advertised in magazines and travel guides as ‘the fast, convenient way to Disneyland in only 20 minutes.’

Unfortunately, the heliport made needed expansion at Disneyland almost impossible. Disney would build a new heliport in 1957, then another in 1960.

In 1962, LAA upgraded its fleet with four $650,000 Sikorsky S-61s. These new helicopters came with 28 seats, safety features, and capabilities for rainy or windy flights. These vessels could also travel up to 100 miles per hour and carry almost double the load capacity of the S-55.

Even though the Heliport was widely popular, a former Disneyland employee on TikTok claimed the venture was only profitable due to government subsidiaries and the deal with LAA.

A Pair of Tragedies Shuts the Airline Down On the evening of 22 May 1968, one of the LAA S-61 helicopters crashed in Paramount, California, en route from Disneyland to LAX, killing all 20 passengers and three crew members on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) summarized that one of the blades hit the fuselage during flight, causing the crash. This malfunction proved fatal, causing the helicopter to break apart midair and plummet onto a dairy farm.

The Los Angeles Times at the time reported that a Berkeley Professor, a Hunt-Wesson Foods executive, and the Mayor of Red Bluff, California, were among the casualties.

A second crash occurred on 14 August 1968. This tragedy claimed 21 lives, including three crew members. Like the crash less than three months earlier, this accident happened during the early evening hours. However, the route for this flight was LAX to Disneyland.

The NTSB confirmed that the crash occurred due to a ‘fatigue failure’ in one of the helicopter’s blades. This blade detached from the spindle, causing the helicopter to lose control and plummet to the ground.

Scrutiny from the dual S-61 crashes caused the public to shun the airline. Along with ongoing costs and competition from ground-based services, LAA closed its doors in 1971.

Disneyland revived the helicopter routes in 1972, this time with Golden West Airlines. The endeavor only lasted five months before the idea was nixed for good. A couple of factors contributed to this service’s lack of popularity: the increase in fares from $4 to $16, noise complaints from nearby areas, and negative experiences from passengers.