First built in 1958 as a 2-seat helicopter pilot trainer, the Jaycopter was used to familiarize potential pilots with flight patterns and problems peculiar to helicopters. So closely did it simulate helicopter action that after 15 hours training in the Jaycopter, a trainee was able to fly a helicopter.

The 16-passenger Jaycopter at the World's fair will fly to a ceiling of 100 feet and have a 125-foot diameter circular flight path. It is powered by electric motors for quiet operation and has a special hydraulic safety system on electro-magnetic valves to control the descent in the event of a power failure. The lift is provided by variable pitch propellers, just as in real helicopters, but because of the counterbalanced boom, very little power is required. All doors are equipped with electric safety locks which prevent take-off until all doors are tightly closed and locked. Once in flight, the doors cannot be opened.

Realizing that a machine used for public amusement should not be too violent or extreme, the Jaycopter has been designed so that the tilt forward and aft is limited to 30 degrees while lateral movement is restricted to 20 degrees. As a result, safety belts are not required.