Huey - Static Aircraft Displays on Waymarking.com

Although the service of this particular helocopter is to me unclear, I think the following is indicitive of the service of many of these model aircraft in Vietnam. All information was taken from the following site, which is well worth a visit: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Rotor Diameter: 48 ft.
Length: 42 ft.
Height: 14 ft. 5 in.
Weight, empty: 5055 lbs.

What the jeep was to Americans during World War II, so was the Huey to those who fought in Vietnam. All branches of the U. S. military operated them and they ranged to every corner of South Vietnam and into Cambodia and Laos. The term 'Huey' originated in the U. S. Army as a derivative of the original designation HU-1A - Helicopter, Utility, Model 1A. For a time, the Huey was one of the most recognizable aircraft in history. People knew it not just on sight but by sound, too. They usually heard the unmistakable whop-whop-whop of the main rotor blade long before they saw a Huey.

The first Hueys to operate in Vietnam were medevac HU-1As that arrived in April 1962, before the United States became officially involved in the conflict. These Hueys supported the South Vietnamese Army, but American crews flew them. In October, the first armed Hueys, equipped with 2.75-inch rockets and .30 caliber machine guns, began flying in Vietnam. The main role of these Huey 'gunships' was to escort Army and Marine transport helicopters. By the end of 1964, the Army was flying more than 300 'A and 'B model Hueys.

The Huey became a symbol of U.S. combat forces in Vietnam and millions of people worldwide watched it fly in TV news reports. At its peak in March 1970, the U.S. military operated more than 3,900 helicopters in the war in Vietnam and two thirds of them were Hueys. Their impact was profound, not only in the new tactics and strategies of airmobile operations, but on the survival rate of battlefield casualties. U.S. Army patients made up 390,000 of the total number of people transported by medevac helicopters in Southeast Asia. Almost a third of this total (120,000) were combat casualties. The Huey airlifted ninety percent of these casualties directly to medical facilities.

Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Bell HU-1H Tail Number: (S/N): No legible tailnumber. Construction:: original aircraft Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): American Legion Post 639 inside / outside: outside Other Information:: Located near another static helicopter, this too is on the property of the American Legion Post 676. Access restrictions: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)

Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   06/13/2012 frog1962 visited it 06/09/2010 Fattuhr visited it 09/16/2006 Spookiy visited it 09/16/2006 DaKender visited it 09/03/2006 C4A visited it

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