Bell UH-ID Iroquois “Huey”

Bell UH-ID Iroquois “Huey”. . In the mid-1950s, the basic requirements for a new utility helicopter as set by the Army called for the ability to carry an 800 Ib. payload with a mission radius of 100 nautical miles at a constant speed of 100 knots. Bell Helicopter's design fulfilled these requirements and was selected in January 1955. The prototype ship, the XH-40, was powered by a Lycoming XT-53-L-1 turbine engine rated at 700 shaft horsepower. The Army deemed turbine engine use crucial, as turbines are lighter, more powerful, have simpler drive systems, and do not occupy valuable cabin or fuselage space. This helicopter also possessed a low profile fuselage design, a large amount of window space, access panels, aluminum skids, and a transmission in an open bay, which the GIs called the "hell hole." The Army, maintaining a policy of naming its helicopters after Indian tribes, officially named the aircraft the Iroquois; however, when soldiers saw the helicopter's initial designation, HU-1, they quickly dubbed it the "Huey.", The Army accepted the first production UH-ID troop transport in May 1963. This model possessed increased fuel capacity, to 242 gallons, for its Lycoming T-53-L-11 turbine engine. Large sliding doors with double windows had been added to each side of the cabin. The helicopter could transport 24 troops, or a medical attendant and six stretchers, or 4,000 lbs. of cargo. Bell Helicopters produced 2,008 UH-IDs between 1962 and 1966., Manufactured in 1965 by the Bell Helicopter Company, Fort Worth, Texas, this helicopter first saw service in Vietnam from February 1966 until May 1967 flying medivac for the 498th Medical Company. It then served as a gunship with the 114th Assault Helicopter Company until August 1968. The helicopter was then assigned to Lockheed Corporation, served in Germany, and in May 1973 transferred to NASA at the Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. While with NASA, the helicopter was modified to UH-1H configuration. This Huey was then assigned to various duty stations, ending up at Fort Rucker, Alabama, from 1978 to 1990, when it was surplused., The tablet in front of the helicopter commemorates those personnel of the 114th Assault Helicopter Company lost in action in Vietnam. This unit. nicknamed the "Knights of the Air," served in Vietnam for ten years., Specifications: , Gross Weight: 9,500 lbs. , Speed: 138 mph maximum , Range: 293 miles with combat load , Armament: Two (2) XM-23 M60D machine guns, (captions) , On 18 July 1970, a South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) UH-1D Huey helicopter hovered above Vietnamese Air Force personnel of the 211th Helicopter Squadron on a combat assault in the Mekong Delta area of Vietnam. (U.S. Air Force), Northeast of Cu-Chi, Vietnam, in 1966, UH-1D helicopters airlifted members of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment from the Filhol Rubber Plantation area to a new staging area, during Operation Wahiawa, a search and destroy mission by the 25th Infantry Division. (U.S. Army), In Vietnam, a U.S. Army Iroquois made a landing atop an armored troop carrier, or ATC, which, when equipped with a flight deck, was often referred to as the US Navy's smallest aircraft carriers. (U.S. Army)., Bell Helicopters sold Hueys to many of our NATO allies. Here a Luftwaffe (German Air Force) Bell/Dornier UH-1D Huey from the Lufttransportgeschwader 62 (LTG 62, 62nd Transport Wing) flies over the Alamogordo bombing range in New Mexico. (U.S. Army), Cockpit of a UH-1D Huey