U.S. market. After a lot of negotiations, we struck a deal and [c/n] 8206 was put back together,” says LaFollette. The Huey had been shipped from Germany in a container. Following reassembly, LaFollette revealed, “It was test fl own and that was it. We elected to have it painted in its current colors—gray camo, tiger stripe pattern. The light grey is used on current Marine Hueys.” The U.S. Marine Corps operates the UH-1Y Venom, a twin-engine version, also called Super Huey and Yankee. It is the Marine Corps’ standard utility helicopter and was still in full-rate production in 2018.
FERRY FLIGHT FROM CALIFORNIA TO OHIO LaFollette recounts the fi rst U.S. cross country fl ight of N8379R and its subsequent panel upgrade: “The cock- pit, minus the German military equipment, consisted of steam gauges and a single VHF comm with barely a transponder. We picked it up in California and fl ew it back to Columbus, Ohio, in June of 2018. What a trip that was. Four days and 25 hours later it’s on the ramp at its new home. I equate that experience to riding across the U.S. on a Harley, one that should be experi- enced by all. Navigating across the U.S. with basically an iPad, it quickly became obvious that to keep operat- ing in today’s modern airspace, we needed an avionics upgrade.”
Finding the right fi t for an avionics retrofi t was the next step. “I interviewed a tremendous number of avionics shops,” says LaFollette, “and Matt at Gardner avionics was the only one that generally seemed excited and brought his own ideas to the table. We dropped it off with them in January (28th) 2019, and rolled it out the door just in time for Sun-n-Fun on April 4th. The owner elected to equip the helicopter with the latest and greatest, and we decided to remove the old wiring and systems that were no longer being used.”
TRACING HUEY’S PAST What is known about this particular helicopter’s past service is limited, but 71+46 did have a role with the German Air Force, or Luftwaff e—literally translated as “air weapon.” In congruence with Huntoon’s remarks, other UH-1 D examples are still used today by the German Air Force serving a SAR role. These “Dornier” UH-1s all fl ew with a cross insignia—the Bundeswehr Kreuz—on their tail displaying their ship number. La- Follette noted, “The UH-1 Ds are slowly being retired and once they are parked for good they are auctioned off and sold to the highest bidder.” Records show 71+46 was registered in Germany and stationed at Nörvenich Air Base (ETNN) in November 1991. Nörvenich has historically been home to the German Tactical Air Force Wing 31, or
12
HelicopterMaintenanceMagazine.com February | March 2020
Bundeswehr Kreuz, a cross insignia of the unifi ed armed forces of Germany, with German registration number 71+46.
Taktisches Luftwaff engeschwader 31. Photos of the helicopter with the markings “KFOR” suggest it had a role with the Kosovo Force, a NATO-led international peacekeeping command founded in June 1999, in the autonomous region of Southeastern Europe. The Huey was later located in Schwechat, Austria, at Vienna International Airport (LOWW) in May 2008. Here it still bore the German fl ag, KFOR and 71+46 markings. The Huey arrived at Rice Aircraft Services in Olivehurst, California, in 2018.
Dornier UH-1 D with Kosovo Force markings (KFOR).
ABOUT THE UH-1 HUEY HELICOPTER Developed by Texas-based Bell Helicopter to meet a United States Army’s 1952 requirement for medical evacuation and utility use, the UH-1 was produced from 1956–1987. Though commonly known as the “Huey,” a nickname derived from its original, later- transposed designation HU-1, the helicopter was also identifi ed as the Iroquois—a name borrowed from the North American Indian tribe founded by the “Great Peacemaker.” The Huey’s entangled role as both utility/ military workhorse and peacemaker resonates appropri- ately, despite the obvious paradox. The Huey was the fi rst turbine helicopter produced for the U.S. military. It is powered by a single turboshaft engine with two-blade main and tail rotors. Recognizable for the sound it makes when fl ying, the
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
