The World's Best Pickup Truck
A mainstay of air transportation, the Huey provided the soundtrack to the Vietnam War.
- By Rebecca Maksel
- AirSpaceMag.com, August 25, 2011
Thumb.jpg)
.jpg)
Lt. Col. S.F. Watson (U.S. Army) Collection/NASM.
The U.S. Army's UH-1 helicopter, better known as the "Huey," flew more than seven million flight hours between October 1966 and December 1975. Include the Huey Cobra model, and the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association estimates that the Huey had more combat flight time than any other aircraft in the history of warfare.
The UH-1 “sprang from the cold, muddy battlefields of the Korean War, where the original M*A*S*H helicopter, the Bell 47, recovered thousands of wounded soldiers and delivered them straight to critical care units,” writes David Hanselman in the National Air and Space Museum's collection notes for this fabled aircraft. In 1954, when the U.S. Army launched a design competition for a new medical evacuation helicopter, Bell Helicopter Company was expected to compete for the contract since their -47 had performed so well in Korea.
According to the diaries of Bell engineer Bartram Kelley, who designed the Huey, the Army wanted a helicopter that could carry a payload of 800 pounds, with a top speed of 131 knots and a maximum endurance of 2.7 hours. The requirements called for a pilot and medical attendant to be able to take off from an unprepared area, day or night, and land at a pre-determined destination on an unprepared area. There they would pick up two litter patients and return to the point of departure.
The Army was impressed enough with Bell’s XH-40 prototype to sign a contract for 200 medevac helicopters, plus an additional 100 to use as trainers to teach pilots to fly at night and in bad weather. And so began the saga of the Huey, which became a familiar sight in the sky for an entire generation of soldiers.
See the gallery above to learn more about the Bell UH-1’s history. All photographs are part of the Lt. Col. S.F. Watson (U.S. Army) Collection at the National Air and Space Museum.
Above: Two Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters in flight over Vietnam, circa late 1960s/early 1970s.
| Tweet | Digg |
Comments (13)
Aircraft is a D model. When UH-1D's were converted to H models the pitot tube (shinny tube on nose)was moved from the nose to the cabin roof also the two homing antennas were removed.
Posted by Tom Shields on August 9,2011 | 06:10 PM
There should be more to the unit identification than just "A Company". The complete unit name would include the Battalion and Division i.e. "A Company, 229th Aviation Battalion (AH), 1st Cavalry Division (AM)". The AH behind Battalion is a abbreviation for Assault Helicopter and the AM behind Division is a abbreviation for Air Mobile.
Posted by Tom Shields on August 9,2011 | 06:24 PM
The Huey was not just the "work horse" of the Vietnam War...it was the B-17, in that it could take a tremendous amount of battle damage and bring you home. I have about 1300 hours of combat flight time in Vietnam in Hueys, participating in more thatn 900 comnbat assualts. I was a "Slick" Aircraft Commander (AC), Geryhound 19, flying UH-1H's; and then for most of my flight time I was a Gun Ship AC, Mad Dog 19, flying UH-1C's, both in the 240th Assault Helicopter Company (AHC). I loved to fly any model Huey, but I epecialy loved my "Charlie Model" Gunship. It did things that it wasn't supposed to do, keeping me and my crew alive more times than we should have been allowed. Helicopters might be more sophisticated now, faster, more payload, etc.; but nothing is/was, or probably ever will be, as rugged, durable, simple but tough, survivable, and multifunctional as the Huey. I am so proud to have been able to fly her in my younger days, and have those memories. Every time I hear that "whop-whop-whop...",. tears come to my eyes...my heart starts beating faster..and memories start flooding in....
Posted by Rob Glasier on August 10,2011 | 01:26 PM
Too bad the Smithsonian's aircraft is missing parts. Cockpit gauges and radios should still be very easy to get from National Guard OH-58A/C RAID units. I wonder if a USAF warbird would be displayed missing parts in the cockpit?
Posted by Alan Ruzicka on August 10,2011 | 05:58 PM
Too bad the Smithsonian's aircraft is missing parts. Cockpit gauges and radios should still be very easy to get from National Guard OH-58A/C RAID units. I wonder if a USAF warbird would be displayed missing parts in the cockpit?
Posted by Alan Ruzicka on August 10,2011 | 05:58 PM
A welcome site to many a grunt
Posted by dennis flesch on August 11,2011 | 08:50 PM
I flew as a Army door gunner in South Vietnam--I corps 1967-1968 with 198th LIB HHC Aviation Section. The huey got us in and out of some bad spots-I too tear up when I hear the whop--whop of a Huey--
Posted by Mike Shehorn on August 24,2011 | 03:09 PM
White paste on the front windshield was a plexiglass cleaner/polish that was used occasionally to remove bug carcasses and small scratches. Windshield wipers were not used UNLESS the pilot agreed to assist the crew chief with the polishing.
Posted by Alan Rhoades on August 24,2011 | 11:38 PM
White paste on the front windshield was a plexiglass cleaner/polish that was used occasionally to remove bug carcasses and small scratches. Windshield wipers were not used UNLESS the pilot agreeded to assist the crewchief with the polishing.
Posted by Alan Rhoades on August 24,2011 | 11:38 PM
Re: Thomas Anderson's comment, "On the Huey you didn't have those needles because the engine was always running at a constant speed; you didn't have to keep the needles joined."
This is inaccurate: All Hueys, including the Cobra (I've flown the UH-1A,B,D,H,M and the AH-1G Cobra), have a dual tachometer: The longer needle of the two "stacked" needles pointed to the engine RPM scale on the tachometer, while the shorter one pointed to the rotor RPM scale. The fuel control would automatically adjust engine speed to maintain proper RPM, once set.
If the engine quit, the clutch between the engine and the transmission drive train would disengage ("splitting the needles"), allowing the rotor head to continue to rotate without drag from a decelerating engine. However, the pilot had to immediately reduce the pitch in the rotor blades, allowing the airflow to keep the rotor within a narrow range of RPM ("in the green", the green arc painted on the tachometer) and maintain control of the aircraft in a maneuver called an autorotation, and land without engine power.
A proper and safe autorotation was the only option if the engine quit: crews did not wear parachutes.
Posted by Ross Rainwater on August 24,2011 | 12:32 AM
I agree with Ross Rainwater. I've flown all the models he has plus the Cobra's up through Modernized Cobra and they all have dual tachometers just as Ross says.
Posted by John Loftice on October 1,2011 | 08:42 AM
It is a D model. I was the last Soldier in the US Army to carry the 15M MOS ( which was the converted 67N MOS) as my Primary MOS. I changed my primary in Sept. 2010.
I spent 30 years working on the Huey. The only change we made in modifying a D to an H was simply swapping the engine from a Dash 11 to Dash 13; and stamping the Data Plate with an "H" over the factory "D". The Pitot Tube was not relocated. That would have required some pretty involved modifications.
I have photographs of the flight line from the mid 80s at Hamilton AAF, Novato California. The only way to tell my bird, 104, from the rest is because she retained her nose mounted Pitot Tube.
Lastly I concur about the split tach. That was one of the duties of the Crew Chief; watching the split tach.
Posted by Joe Kendall on October 9,2011 | 12:50 PM
Is there any chance a framable copy of this photo could be purchased somewhere. I am interested in any Huey D or H model photos or art prints. Needed for a retirement gift. EDITORS' REPLY: There are 10 photographs in the series; which are you interested in? (The rights to the photographs are owned by the photographers, not Air & Space magazine, so you will need to contact the photographer to see about getting a print. If you can identify the picture, we'll tell you who the photographer or source was so you can contact them directly.)
Posted by NANCY HOLLAND on November 16,2011 | 05:34 PM