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Sky Soldiers Revolutionizing ride hoppers by Christy Lesko With the AH-1 Cobra already gone from U.S. Army inventory, and the end of the iconic UH-1 Huey on the horizon, the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation & Flying Museum works hard to keep their memory alive and its warbird helicopters in the air. Founded in 1997, the AAHF was organized by a group of concerned citizens and veterans to improve the public s awareness of Army aviation and its veterans. Our mission is to connect the American soldier to the public as an active, accepted, and admired member of the American family by presenting the story of Army aviation. We understand the dire need to keep our military history alive, and not just to preserve these warbirds but to fly them so future generations remember our veterans legacy, service, and sacrifice. Instead of waiting for the public to come to a museum, we bring the flying museum to them. The crowd is already at the air show, so our aerial demonstrations and ride program not only provide something unique in the way of helicopters, but also bring the legacy of our military, veterans, and their aircraft out to the American public. This gives them an unprecedented opportunity to meet veterans, hear their stories, ride in the aircraft, and see the Army aviation legacy in flight and in action. It also gives the air show some variety in its lineup of performers and provides a family-friendly, affordable ride opportunity as an additional attraction to the show. The AAHF is based in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta South Regional Airport (4A7). It is a national, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer organization composed of veterans, their families, and civilian supporters. It has grown over the years to include many volunteer members throughout the United States and Europe. We are currently developing new chapters and acquiring more helicopters. Military service is not required, and we welcome anyone with an interest in aviation to our membership and volunteer program. While we maintain and fly historic aircraft from all eras of Army aviation, the true strength of our foundation is our membership and our volunteers. Our membership spans many generations, and we are currently gaining more members and veterans from the recent conflicts, Kosovo, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). Membership in the AAHF offers a unique outlet to bring together many generations of veterans for fellowship; the opportunity to fly, maintain, and stay connected to their beloved Army aircraft; and to bring their history and story to the public through our aircraft demonstrations, ride program, and living history displays. Our ride program is truly amazing. We are the only helicopterspecific nonprofit with Huey and Cobra ride exemptions. So you can not only see these historic Army warbird helicopters flying at air shows, but also ride in them, either at the air shows, ride events, or at our home hangar. The Huey can take up to 10 passengers at a time, so the whole family can go for a ride and experience an exhil- www.warbirds-eaa.org 21
Riders getting tickets at the Sky Soldiers trailer. Veteran Huey pilot John Doc Holladay greeting a young Huey fan. arating helicopter flight and see what their veteran family members did while in service. Many veterans bring their wives, children, grandchildren, and friends to ride in the Hueys and experience a little of what their service was like. Quite often there are lots of misty eyes when they hear that distinctive sound of the Huey and remember their service and sacrifice. Like many of our volunteers, I served in the military, both in the U.S. Air Force and in the U.S. Army. After being a B-2 stealth crew chief and A-10 Thunderbolt crew chief, I figured those aircraft would be around a while, and I would see them flying or at air shows. However, after I was an Army helicopter crew chief, and my military service was over, I never thought I would ever see a Cobra again, let alone fly in one. I saw the Sky Soldiers perform and sell rides at the Tico Warbird PHOTOS COURTESY SKY SOLDIER Airshow in Florida a couple years ago, and I was hooked! Before I could even see it, I could hear it and knew there was a Huey coming in. There is no mistaking that iconic Huey sound. I started volunteering and became a member. It is very gratifying and, quite frankly, humbling to work alongside this group of veterans true professionals who also have a passion for these helicopters and truly believe in our mission. Pilots, mechanics, support staff, civilians it takes a large group of volunteers and a massive amount of work to keep our birds in the air and the show on the road. I particularly enjoy interacting with the public at air shows and ride events. We hear other veterans and their families stories about the units they were in, the missions they went on, the friends they lost. Many bring a photo or memento Riders at Tico Warbird air show 2015. of a fallen soldier or family member. Oftentimes, we hear they also thought they would never get in a helicopter again, or they wanted to go for one last ride in a Huey, or they wanted their grandchildren to go for their first helicopter ride. Lots of bucket-list rides and birthday rides. Ranging from children as young as 5 to WWII veterans who are 95, everyone enjoys their ride in a historic helicopter. For the veterans, it is a healing process of sorts it s not all bad memories either. Many veterans just feel the need to talk about their experiences with someone who understands, someone who s been there. Recently, my father caught up with me at an air show and went for a Huey ride. When he came back, he was grinning from ear to ear, gave me a big hug, and said, Wow! That was like being right back in the 1970s! Then he 22 SEPTEMBER 2015
Presentation in front of an audience at AirVenture Oshkosh 2015. Demonstration for the crowds. PHOTOS COURTESY SKY SOLDIER Ride birds at Fond du Lac,AirVentre 2014. told me all about being a field radio operator and riding in Hueys to haul all their gear around. I knew he was drafted, but until then, he never told my sister and me about his Army service. Nowhere else can you ride in an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter! Just you in the front seat, with the pilot in the back seat taking you through an exciting tactical demonstration of the Cobra s capabilities. It is quite a different ride experience for both pilots and nonpilots. We have even had Army and Marine Corps (ground troop) veterans ride in the Cobra and say that it has changed their perspective about the helicopter s role in combat. Even seasoned air show and military pilots that go for a Cobra ride are surprised and amazed at its capability. In addition to rides and air show demos, AAHF is also the only helicopter Formation and Safety Team (FAST card) signatory. We can provide formation training for (current) helicopter pilots and/or airplane pilots who want to fly formation with helicopters (heritage/ legacy flights). We attended the HAI Heli-Days event at the Rotors n Ribs Fly-In in Goshen, Indiana, and hosted a FAST clinic. We are looking forward to attending and hosting more FAST events in 2016. The AAHF is listed in the Georgia Film & Television Sourcebook, available for movies, TV, and commercials. Some of our film and TV credits include The Crazies, Furious 7, The Walking Dead, The 5th Wave, Discovery Channel s Wings, Speedvision, ESPN, PBS, and the Flying On Demand web series. Soon we ll be coming to American Spirit. In 2014, the AAHF flew more than 10,000 passengers 9,850 in the Hueys and 750 in the Cobras. That s more than some regional airlines! We are extremely proud of the AAHF s safety record a safe operation is our No. 1 priority. For this 2015 season, we are on par to complete our average 65-70 events. (We define an event as anything we fly an aircraft for a static display, a flyby, a ride event, or an air show). Doing some quick math, that s more events than there are weekends in a year. We are a full-time operation and do many educational events, school career days, and hangar tours during the week. We re fortunate to have such a large fleet and hardworking volunteers, many times we send two teams out to two different air shows on the same day. 2014 also marked a triumphant return to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Connie Bowlin of EAA Warbirds was instrumental in helping us get to Warbirds www.warbirds-eaa.org 23
DAVID K. WITTY
COURTESY SKY SOLDIER in Review. We were honored and humbled to have been invited. In both 2014 and 2015 we provided a Huey as the backdrop for a Vietnam review with Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, a Vietnam veteran and Huey Dustoff pilot. Brady is one of the most-decorated living Medal of Honor recipients and was a pioneer in developing helicopter combat medevac maneuvers that are still used and taught today. The AAHF s current flyable fleet includes four UH-1H Hueys, four AH-1F Cobras, one OH-58A (recently acquired and currently undergoing inspection and registration), and one O1-D Bird Dog (scout plane). Our aircraft are not just painted replicas; they are the actual serial numbers, in their original livery, alive and well. We are proud to fly them nearly every weekend, with veteran aviators and crew members. We also have numerous helicopters in various states of preservation and restoration. Why Hueys and Cobras? They are the first warbird helicopters! The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (unofficially Huey) was originally developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the U.S. Army s requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and it first flew 26 SEPTEMBER 2015 on October 20, 1955. Ordered into production in March 1960, the UH-1 was the first turbine-powered helicopter to enter production for the U.S. military, and more than 16,000 were produced worldwide. The UH-1 was the Army s first turbine helicopter and named for the Native American Iroquois tribe. The first combat operation of the UH-1 was in the service of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Approximately 7,000 UH-1 aircraft saw service in Vietnam. The original designation was HU-1 and when written looked like HUI, which led to the helicopter s nickname of Huey. In September 1962, the designation was changed to UH-1, but Huey remained in common use. So much so, that Bell Helicopter began casting Huey on the anti-torque pedals, and the official Army designation was almost never used. The Huey evolved through several models, the most common being the UH-1H. It really was, and still is, the Swiss army knife of helicopters, having excelled at so many diverse roles medevac, troop carrier, cargo hauler, forward air controller, search and rescue, electronic warfare, gunship, and even ground attack. They could fly with or without the doors on and had light canvas seats that could be quickly reconfigured, or they could carry several stretchers for medevac. The most common Huey configuration was two pilots and one door gunner on each side with mounted M60D machine guns. According to the veterans, the pilots liked the visibility from the large cockpit and huge windows, and per the crew, they usually didn t even have seats in them the troops just sat on the floor! Almost any Vietnam veteran will also agree that out of the many roles of the mighty Huey, they admired its ability to immediately become an impromptu medevac whenever the need arose. During the war more than 7,000 UH-1 Hueys served in Vietnam, and of these, more than 3,300 were destroyed. In total, more than 1,000 Huey pilots were killed, along with more than 1,100 other crew members. 2015 marks the beginning of the 50th commemorative anniversary of the Vietnam War, and also marks the 60th birthday of the Huey helicopter. The Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter was originally developed as a slimmed down, lighter, more heavily armed version of a Huey,
Fly in the Join us for an unforgettable experience aboard one of the few remaining B-17s in the world. Visit B17.org or call 800-359-6217 for more information and to reserve your flight. Keep em Flying Revenues from the B-17 tour help cover maintenance and operations costs for Aluminum Overcast. 2013 Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc.
DAVID K. WITTY using the same engine, transmission, and initially the same rotor system of Bell s UH-1 Iroquois. The AH-1 was also referred to as the Huey-Cobra, eventually just Cobra, while the pilots and ground crews preferred to call it Snake. Of course, Cobra was a fitting name for a fast, sleek aircraft that struck targets like a snake as it slithered through the jungles of Vietnam. Leading up to the Vietnam War, the Cobra also saw evolution through several different models. It originally started out as the Bell Model 209 prototype, when Bell won the Army contract; it became the AH-1 Huey Cobra, later just Cobra. By June 1967, the first AH-1G Huey-Cobras had been delivered. Originally designated as UH-1H, the A for attack designation was soon adopted. The AH-1 was initially considered a variant of the H-1 line, resulting in the G series letter; later it was modernized again, mainly for avionics and weapons upgrades, and became the AH-1F. AH-1 Cobras were in use by the Army during the Tet Offensive in 1968 and through the end of the Vietnam War. Much like their Huey counterparts, Cobras had many roles. They provided fire support for ground forces, escorted transport helicopters, and were well-known for providing aerial rocket artillery. They also formed DAVID K. WITTY hunter-killer teams by pairing with OH-6A scout helicopters. A hunter-killer team usually consisted of two Cobras, or sometimes featured one OH-6 flying slow and low to find enemy forces. If the OH-6 drew fire, the Cobra would then strike at the revealed enemy. In its original version, the AH-1G was armed with up to 76 2.75-inch rockets and had a chin-mounted 7.62 mm, six-barrel mini-gun that could rain down 4,000 rounds per minute on the enemy, and some had an optional 40 mm grenade launcher that could fire 400 rounds per minute. The later AH-1F was armed with a combination of up to 76 2.75-inch rockets and eight TOW anti-tank missiles and a three-barreled 20 mm Gatling gun capable of firing up to 750 rounds per minute. Later modernized into an AH-1F model, the AH-1 was the backbone of the U.S. Army s attack helicopter fleet, but after service in Desert Storm, it was replaced by the AH-64 Apache. 2016 will mark both the 50th birthday of the Cobra and the 25th anniversary of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. (If you are a Cobra fan, we have some exciting secret plans in the works for AirVenture 2016!) The Huey and the Cobra were the pioneer rotorcraft that helped develop modern helicopter weapons, warfare tactics, and medevac 28 SEPTEMBER 2015