From litterbug to the mission field

The above 2 pictures are of the same type airplane. They are both Helio Couriers, which is a very unique aircraft capable of very slow flight and therefore able to get into some very short runways. The first picture is the military version used in Vietnam for psychological warfare. I used to volunteer to throw leaflets from that aircraft in Vietnam (1966-1967) and flew over 200 hours while there. The pilots let me do the flying to and from the target and I really enjoyed that. The nickname for that particular aircraft type was "the litterbugs" for obvious reasons.
The second aircraft is an old photo of the first Helio Courier off the assembly line, that's why it is called 'Ol No 1'. It was built in 1954 and has flown till a couple of years ago for JAARS. It is still being used for mechanic training in the hangar, but not flown anymore. JAARS has a number of Helio Couriers still being flown, some of them started their life as military aircraft.