in Macon, GA, provided a rundown of the Huey’s newly installed equipment: • Garmin G3X Touch System with Dual GDU 460 10.6” Displays (replacing the mechanical 6-pack cluster: Airspeed Indicator, Attitude Indicator Gyro, Altimeter, Radar Altitude Indicator, Heading Indicator, VSI)
• Dual Garmin G5 Flight Instruments, providing backup EFIS Attitude Indication and DG/HSI Display
• Garmin GTN 650 GPS/NAV/COM/MFD Touchscreen with WAAS in the pedestal
• Garmin GMA 350H Digital Helicopter Audio Panel in the pedestal
• Garmin GTX 45R Remote-mounted Mode S ES dual-link ADS-B “In” and “Out” Transponder
• Garmin GTR 20 Remote-mounted Comm • Garmin GRA 55 Radar Altimeter with corresponding GI 205 Radar Altimeter Indicator on the pilot (right) side of the panel
• Mid-Continent MD93 Digital Clock with Dual USB Charging Ports on the main panel
• Bose LEMO Headset Jacks, 10 places throughout the cabin
• Stratus Power USB Charger Dual Ports, 4 places • iPad Air/iPad Pro 9.7” AirGizmos Panel Dock in the pedestal
• Engine Vibration Detector/Analyzer (an original “ALARM” instrument, standard on the German UH-1) on the pilot (right) side of the panel
• Instrument panel and center pedestal were fabricated in full carbon fi ber.
A former Huey pilot, Jeff Huntoon, having seen
the new panel commented, “Except for the curve of the dashboard, there’s little in common with that panel versus the old Army UH-1H that I fl ew.” Huntoon has logged roughly 3,000 hours in rotary wing aircraft. However, his most recent time is in the cockpit of a 747 for a major cargo airline, an aircraft that more closely resembles the windscreen view of this modernized Huey. Based in Germany, Huntoon off ers some insight on the country’s history with the UH-1, “The Americans used the UH-1 Huey as a general-purpose Utility Helicopter—UH, as its name implies—for which medical support was one mission. The Germans did the same, however, here the Huey had a much more involved role as a nation with EMS support. They are recognizable to the German citizenry as fi re, police or ambulance service,” in army green with orange doors and an “SAR” (search and rescue) inscription. Replacements were painted red and white with “NOTARZT” (emergency doctor) lettering on the tail.
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HelicopterMaintenanceMagazine.com February | March 2020
Huntoon continues, “More recently, civil EMS commercial operators fi ll that role, typically in yellow painted Eurocopters known as the Gelber Engel (yellow angel).” At sea, the German Navy is just now taking delivery of the fi rst Airbus NH90 Sea Lion naval multi-role helicopter. But the Huey’s long operational history worldwide is a testament to the American- designed UH-1’s strength and stability.
HUEY, THE GERMAN EXPAT The German manufactured, U.S. transplanted Huey is now N-registered and owned by G Force Air LLC, an organization based at KCMH in Columbus, OH. G Force also operates a Super King Air 300, Piper PA- 31-350 Navajo Chieftain, Mooney M20K, American Champion Scout 8GCBC, and a ViperJet. The UH-1 is in good company following a long and distinguished military run. Its “experimental” distinction, though, is shared by only the lattermost mentioned of its current stablemates. While the U.S. registration for N8379R shows it as a 1970-year model, LaFollette believes 71+46 was built in 1968. The German company Dornier, under license from Bell Helicopter, built a total of 352 UH-1s. They were identifi ed as UH-1 D, but they were not the same as the U.S. built UH-1D models. The “D” in the German manufactured units stood for Deutsche/ Dornier. In fact, the German built UH-1 D helicopters more closely resemble the U.S. manufactured UH-1H models. “I like to say that the Germans took all of the
faults of the UH-1H and fi xed them,” says LaFollette. He continues, “These include solid CNC machined aluminum fl oor panels in place of fi berglass composite fl oors that have a tendency to not hold up to helicopter vibrations. The tail spar is also diff erent, so the AD/SB [Airworthiness Directive 99-25-12 / Service Bulletin SW-18-29R1] that has come out on many of the U.S. Hueys is not applicable to the German birds. Also, all of the German birds have composite main rotors. The benefi t includes a 10,000-hour service life versus 2,400 hours for the metal blade Hueys.” The UH-1H was essentially the Bell Model 205 with a 1,400 shp Lycoming T53-L-13 engine. Its pitot tube was relocated from the nose to the roof of the cockpit to prevent damage. All the rotable parts (blades, heads, gearboxes, etc.) of the German UH-1 D are OEM Bell parts. “We purchased this helicopter from a company in
California [Rice Aircraft Services] who was importing them to be updated and sold to foreign militaries, and to be put right back to work. They had bought a number of them and decided to try selling a few in the
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