chopper2004

This day 60 years ago, the Bell XH-40 flew for the first time and the rest is history....

cheers



(photo courtesy of Bell Helicopter)

krypton_john

Just incredible.

Which makes me wonder - what do people think is the greatest helicopter of all time? Not the fastest or meanest or highest or oldest or heaviest - just the one that has the greatest overall impression.

For me it's the Huey with daylight second.

roscoe1

There is no doubt (to my mind) that the Huey (really the H model)takes the prize. Here is what I penned this morning to send to some folks (The olive drab green text is quite intentional):
Today, October 20th 1956, the U.S. Army XH-40 prototype helicopter flew for the first time. This aircraft was the first turbine powered helicopter in the Army fleet and was powered by a 700 shaft horsepower Lycoming XT-53-L-1. The Army was not slow to accept the aircraft and it became the UH-1 Huey. The variant we now fly is a bit bigger than the XH-40 and has more than twice the available horsepower. This is the 60th anniversary of that flight. The UH-1 was also largely responsible for the initiation of the Warrant Officer flight training program which allowed high school graduates to become Army aviators without being commissioned officers. Hats off to all the aircraft still flying or those that are on sticks in parks and museums as well as to the people who maintain and fly them.



It took a twin engined machine to replace it. The Huey is up there with the DC3/C-47 and considering that at its best it isn't the smoothest flying ship in the world, it is outstanding that it just keeps going and going if you care for it.

fijdor

8720 hrs on the Huey alone and the day I will stop flying it will be the day I retire.
I have nothing but good memories with this aircraft, even the scary ones are good ones.

Happy birthday to the Huey and tanks for all the good times you gave me.

JD

havick

And still going strong to this day on forest fires Timeless aircraft.

Gordy

Indeedy:

With a long line on the Lowell Fire in2015


Working with CalFire using Belly Hook

Photo credit: Skip Robinson

And our Bell 205A1++ sitting at base :

Photo credit: Josh Emmons

Nigerian Expat Outlaw

Only flew the 212, 412 Classic/SP/HP/EP but the 212 was an absolute joy. The most forgiving aircraft ever.

A lot of the guys on the operations I was on had flown the Huey in various theatres and configurations and they worshipped it, to a man.

Automation is the way of the world nowadays

Great photos Gordy !

NEO

SASless

The Huey flew better than the 212.

Just like the DC-3, the C-130, the B-17...some aircraft are just "right".

My last ever flight was in a Huey...from Blackpool to Redhill with Flying Lawyer on an absolutely stunning Day. What a way to end a flying career!

vaqueroaero

Huey on a stick. This is located just outside Mineral Wells, Texas at the National Vietnam War Museum. Mineral Wells was the home of Fort Wolters, the US Army primary helicopter center. I've a bunch more pictures if anyone would like to see them.

Jack Carson

I have heard it said that " when the last H-60 is retired to the bone yard, the crew will climb in a Huey to fly home"

Rigga

In just over 20 years of working with helicopters had just 5 years working with one Huey and it was the most impressive helicopter I'd ever worked on.

Many Happy Rotations to the Huey.

fijdor

That's right SASless, UH 1D/H, B205 compared to the 212 was easier to fly, easier to hover, better lifter (at lower altitude) but not as fast and not as smooth, all in all a better platform for general work, longline etc Even the B204 is not as stable, as easy to fly as a B205 with original blades.

JD

Luther Sebastian

You know, Sas, if someone asked me to guess where a Vietnam Veteran's last Huey ride took place, I'd say several thousand places before I got to...Blackpool...

RVDT

Gordy,

Your N205BT in a previous life. C-GFHG LFKB Bastia Corsica ~ July 1990. Still in Omani paint job. I did about 300 hours in it and it only had about 4000 total then. Sweetest 205 I ever flew and compared to others it was like "new". Fijdor flew the other aircraft which I think was SE-HMS.

It would be interesting to find the highest time 205. I flew C-GFHA in 1991 in Spain and it had ~ 27,000 hours on it then! I see it is possibly still around as N386HQ with Heliqwest so who knows. Another ship that is apparently with them is N205HQ which had ~ 22,000 on it when I last flew it in 1989.

Granted they are not really "Hueys" but they are close enough and owe a lot for their heritage. Too bad Bell never made more of them. Would love to fly a 212 Single.

fijdor

That's right RVDT, that was me behind you there (not the 212) with the Danish lease SE-HMS I believe the 212 was there to replace me due to the lost of the Tail-Pipe in flight resulting in the burning of the upper deck and tail-boom.

JD

Also just remembered that it ended up not a good day for both of us, you ended up parked right beside me with engine problems.

Good Vibs

Lot of memories for lots of people.
UH-1D's...Outlaw 23 & Tiger 822 13CAB Ops, 7 Mtns Mekong Delta July 1968
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whoknows idont

Hey JD, slightly off-topic but: Where do you recon does the 214b fit into your comparison?

fijdor

Here it is from the easiest to fly, that doesn't mean the last one on the list is hard to fly, it simply mean not as easy to fly compared to the first one. Of course that's my opinion based on the kind of work I have been doing with those aircrafts, somebody else could have a different experience.

JD

1 B205 with regular blades stab bar
2 B205 with 212 blades stab bar
3 B212 stab bar
4 B204 stab bar
5 B214ST SCAS
6 B214B SCAS