My Old UH-1D

Retired W4 · #1 08-15-2022, 12:30 PM

The boys, Harmon and Coons, named her Major Malfunction but the CO (a major) had a fit and made them change it. The guy was a little over sensitive I think. Her new name then became Miss Carriage. I don't think he liked that either. Double meanings were every where.

FWIW, the main difference between the newer H model and the D is the Delta model sported the Lycoming L-11 engine while the Hotel had the L-13. It was sometimes fun getting out of a PZ loaded with troops with 200 less horse power than the other ships in the formation. The easiest way to spot the D at first glance is the D had a nose mounted pitot tube and the H had a roof mounted pitot tube.

Harmon, my gunner (left) and Coons, my crew chief (right) were the best.

The second photo is Harmon sitting in the wreckage of an Air America airplane (Helio Courier) that crashed in this SF compound near Tay Ninh. He always had the sun glasses on.

Wrangler Rich · #2 08-15-2022, 09:58 PM

Good of you to remember your crew. Thanks. I hope they are still doing well.

HP in a hot LZ can not be over rated.

WR

Rudi · #3 08-16-2022, 12:01 AM

Gotta love the Huey. For many, many years they were based near me. National Guard med evac unit. Just love that thump thump sound. Rarely see one these days, civilian when I do.

Retired W4 · #4 08-16-2022, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrangler Rich

Good of you to remember your crew. Thanks. I hope they are still doing well.

HP in a hot LZ can not be over rated.

WR

i could never say enough about those guys and the overwhelming respect that I have for them. They worked long, hard hours to keep that machine and machine guns running at peak performance. They were all volunteers, as were the pilots. Note the combat patch (right shoulder) on my gunner. He spent a year running convoy cover in a gun jeep on Hwy 13, Thunder Road, with the 93 Eng Bde. before extending for 6 months to be a door gunner. I never saw his guns jam once. My crew chief kept that D model so tight it could out pull many of the H models in the company.

Another shot of my crew, as we wait for the radio call for extraction of the infantry. Brothers in arms that would always put a smile on your face.

CH4 · #5 08-16-2022, 10:24 AM

Very cool!

Thanks for sharing

old tanker · #6 08-16-2022, 10:37 AM

I remember Tay Nihn. Here's a few pictures might be of familiar places. Holiday Inn, Main gate, Nui Ba Den among others.

Retired W4 · #7 08-16-2022, 10:47 AM

Coons and Harmon put those "shoot at me" racing stripes on their helmets. Yea, shoot at me at your own peril. The big ammo cans (mini-cans) were 1500 rounds of 7.62x51. It's surprising how quickly you can go through a couple of those. Co-pilot sitting in the cargo door. The guys in the back liked to cut up, but on final approach to a LZ/PZ they were all business. They were absolutely essential to our success in so many way.

I hope my grand daughter doesn't mind. The next generation (#4) of combat pilots.

Retired W4 · #8 08-16-2022, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old tanker

I remember Tay Nihn. Here's a few pictures might be of familiar places. Holiday Inn, Main gate, Nui Ba Den among others.

Thanks. I had to look at the Black Virgin Mountain every time I walked out to the flight line. Looks like a willy pete round to mark a strike.

Old tanker, were you with the 25th mech?

old tanker · #9 08-16-2022, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retired W4

Thanks. I had to look at the Black Virgin Mountain every time I walked out to the flight line. Looks like a willy pete round to mark a strike.

Old tanker, were you with the 25th mech?

2nd Bn, 34th Armor, 25th Infantry Division Cu Chi, Tay Ninh, Dau Tieng, Cambodia, HoBo Woods, War Zone C Bearcat among the here there and everywhere.

In most cases, canister was our primary round. We did shoot into caves on the mountain, sometimes to be rewarded by a nice secondary.

digi-shots · #10 08-16-2022, 12:11 PM

Retired W4, great post!

Could you possibly help identify which model UH-I this window is from? I think the second photo shows a manufacture date?

Found it at a local auction a few years ago.

Thanks

Retired W4 · #11 08-16-2022, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digi-shots

Retired W4, great post!

Could you possibly help identify which model UH-I this window is from? I think the second photo shows a manufacture date?

Found it at a local auction a few years ago.

Thanks

Definitely not UH-1 A/B/C/M. They had one each in the cargo doors that were somewhat rectangular. Yours is from a D/H/N, etc. Two per door and square. The first D model was delivered August 1963 while the H showed up Sep 1967. So, I think that was originally installed on a D.

digi-shots · #12 08-16-2022, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retired W4

Definitely not UH-1 A/B/C/M. They had one each in the cargo doors that were somewhat rectangular. Yours is from a D/H/N, etc. Two per door and square. The first D model was delivered August 1963 while the H showed up Sep 1967. So, I think that was originally installed on a D.

Thanks.. it has a few coats of paint on it… under the existing od green paint is a coat of white paint… under that looks like the original factory od green.

Secundius · #13 08-16-2022, 01:44 PM

Probably either a Skydrol or Desothane epoxy primer, to protect against hydraulic fluid damage…

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Retired W4 · #14 08-16-2022, 02:20 PM

Linda, the handle for emergency removal should be yellow with black stripes and have a very small hole for light copper safety wire.

digi-shots · #15 08-16-2022, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retired W4

Linda, the handle for emergency removal should be yellow with black stripes and have a very small hole for light copper safety wire.

Here’s a photo of the inside of the handle, complete with black stripes and wire. In one of the previous photos you can can see the wire. What is the purpose of the wire?

fordson · #16 08-16-2022, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retired W4

Definitely not UH-1 A/B/C/M. They had one each in the cargo doors that were somewhat rectangular. Yours is from a D/H/N, etc. Two per door and square. The first D model was delivered August 1963 while the H showed up Sep 1967. So, I think that was originally installed on a D.

I don’t think an “N”; the door and cabinet windows were longer, rectangular and were vertical.

digi-shots · #17 08-16-2022, 04:08 PM

Are there any visual differences between the UH-1D vs UH-1H.. same windows ?

Retired W4 · #18 08-16-2022, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digi-shots

Here’s a photo of the inside of the handle, complete with black stripes and wire. In one of the previous photos you can can see the wire. What is the purpose of the wire?

The wire is there to hold the handle in position. It is light enough to break in an emergency. The only visible difference is the location of the pitot tube. You can't tell the difference between an L-11 and anL-13 just by looking at it.

Fordson, I think the perspective on that photo gives a little bit of illusion. Here are a couple, more straight on shots of the N. As for the small door between the cockpit and cabin, they were pretty much the same. Most have plexiglas, some don't.

fordson · #19 08-16-2022, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retired W4

The wire is there to hold the handle in position. It is light enough to break in an emergency. The only visible difference is the location of the pitot tube. You can't tell the difference between an L-11 and anL-13 just by looking at it.

Fordson, I think the perspective on that photo gives a little bit of illusion. Here are a couple, more straight on shots of the N. As for the small door between the cockpit and cabin, they were pretty much the same. Most have plexiglas, some don't.

Yep, you’d think I would know better………..

Retired W4 · #20 08-16-2022, 04:54 PM

Here is the easiest way to tell a Delta from a Hotel, although most of the D models were later upgraded to the L-13 engines, but the pitot tube remained on the nose. This one is an early D model (1964).

Retired W4 · #21 08-16-2022, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordson

Yep, you’d think I would know better………..

I do like the 50 cals in the door.

digi-shots · #22 08-16-2022, 05:08 PM

Here’s a close up of the white paint under the od green.. with another smooth coat of green under the white.

fordson · #23 08-16-2022, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retired W4

I do like the 50 cals in the door.

Yeah, I was Navy flying with Marines. I wasn’t allowed to have loaded weapons………

jjrr · #24 08-16-2022, 06:07 PM

This talk of Hueys brings back memories. I was a Huey crew chief and first ship I was assigned was an old A model in the 283rd aviation company in the Dominican Republic at Camp Randall air field was a polo field. When we left there we became A company of the 82nd Aviation Bn at Ft Bragg. We got twenty something brand new D models with the L13 engines and if my memory is correct those engines wouldn’t last much past 2000 hours. Again if my memory is correct up around 2000 hours the EGT would start creeping up and somewhere between 2500 and 3000 hours they would fail. Anyway lots of pleasant experiences with the Hueys. With those new choppers they were all hitting their inspection hours about the same time and until the hours began to spread out we had to work seven days a week to keep them flying.

Retired W4 · #25 08-16-2022, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digi-shots

Here’s a close up of the white paint under the od green.. with another smooth coat of green under the white.

In the early 90s there was a big push to give a lot of UH-1s and OH-58s to whatever LE agency that would take them away. I saw that a lot at NAS Dallas, which was a Reserve Flight Facility. Once they took possession of them they fell under a restricted class with pretty loose maintenance requirements. It's possible the cargo door window you have came from that environment. That might explain the strange paint application. Paint is heavy so you don't want too much of it.

BTW, most of the lookers I talked with in Dallas were more interested in the 58s rather than the Hueys. UH-1s were too expensive for a small sheriffs department to operate.