Lexington Park in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Bell TH-1L Iroquois
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 30, 2019
The "Huey" After winning the U.S. Army's 1952 competition for a light utility helicopter, the H-1 "Huey" became the West's most popular, most versatile, and longest-lived military helicopter. In 1962, the U.S. Marine Corps selected the turbine-powered H-1 to replaced their piston-engine H-34s. Shortly thereafter, the Navy also began acquiring H-1s, including the TH-1L version for intermediate helicopter training. Over the following decades, several utility and attack versions of the Huey were operated by the Marines and Navy. Although Navy H-1s, including TH-1Ls, were retired in 1983, the H-1 remains in the Marine Corps in the form of the UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper.
Our Display Aircraft PRNAM's H-1, Bureau Number 157842, was accepted by the Navy in April 1970 and served with the Navy's Air Training Command until August 1983. At that time, it was retired and transferred to the Naval Air Test Center's Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate. As a ground test article, our H-1 was fitted with instrumentation to measure the unique vibration "signatures" of various intentionally induced gearbox faults. Findings from this research helped develop a means for detecting gearbox problems before failure. The aircraft was later transferred to PRNAM.
• Primary Mission: Training; Utility
• Crew: One Instructor, One Student Pilot
• U.S. Service Timeline (H-1 Series): 1964 - present
• Dimensions: 52.9 fuselage length, 44.0 rotor diameter
• Max. Gross Weight: 9,500 lb
• Propulsion: One Lycoming T53-L turboshaft engine
• Max. Operating Speed: 161 MPH (sea level)
• Payload/Armament: None (up to 5 passengers in utility role)
Erected by Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1970.
Location. 38° 16.566′ N, 76° 27.685′ W. Marker has been reported damaged. Marker is in Lexington Park, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. Marker can be reached from Three Notch Road (Maryland Route 235) just north of Buse Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22156 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park MD 20653, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Boeing Vertol CH-46E Sea Knight (a few steps from this marker); Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite (a few steps from this marker); Lockheed S-3B Viking (within
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 30, 2019
More about this marker. The marker has significant weather damage but remains readable
Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 175 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.