I work for a company with several subsidiaries distributed over a variety of locations, but we’re unified by a message board where people post things they’re selling, giving away, etc. A couple of weeks ago, there was the following post:
“Mid 70’s BELL Huey helicopter (not sure of exact model number). Currently dissasembled in the storage lot on my father’s farm…He claims it ran fine prior to disassembly and that all parts are still accounted for, but I make no guarantees. FREE to first emailer who can pick it up in the next month or so. You will probably need at least a 20’ - 24’ truck for transport, and some knowledge of helicopter mechanics would likely be beneficial.”
It was gone in less than 2 minutes (and I don’t work in an industry like aerospace or the military or something you can even call indirectly related).
Now, I don’t know anything about helicopters, so what exactly is this thing? How big or old is it? How easy would it be to reassemble? Is it something particularly practical to own or expensive to maintain? What kind of laws apply to helicopter flight (licensing, airspace, storage, etc.) and private ownership? I live in California, if that matters.
DAMMIT!!! Missed out on a free helicopter. Hell, I would have rented something to carry it on!
A UH-1 “Huey” is the helicopter you usually see in the Vietnam footage. It’s really called the “Iroquois” (the army names its helicopters after aboriginal American tribes), but it was nicknamed the “Huey”. When it was originally introduced, its designation was HU-1 (“Helicopter, Utility”). HU = Huey.
It’s not something you’d want to put together yourself. It would have to go to a shop (and I know of one at Van Nuys Airport). That will be expensive. It would also have to be registered. Many ex-military Hueys may only be operated under the “Restricted” category. Some can be registered under the “Experimental” category. I suppose it might be possible to register it under the “Normal” category, but that would probably be expensive because it would be assumed you would carry paying passengers in it and the FAA will want you to have all of the properly-approved equipment.
Helicopters get a little more leeway in the airspace department than fixed-wings do. We can fly lower and in worse weather. Storage is the same as an airplane. Pay for the space and park it. Private ownership isn’t a problem. The thing to worry about is how it is categorized, being an ex-military ship.
I don’t know how expensive they are to own, but a Bell 204 (civilian version of the UH-1B) rents for about $500/hour or so. Since it is a “mid-70s” ship, it’s probably not a 204/-1B and will probably be more expensive to operate.
I’ve seen flyably UH-1Ds licensed in the Restricted category in Trade-a-Plane for about $100,000. If it’s in pieces it would probably cost you that much to have a shop put it back together.
Like Johnny L.A. said. It’s basically the standard single-rotor coptor you see in every Nam movie. Usually they were armed with M60s in the doors and sometimes rockets and modified M60s controlled by the pilot on the gunship versions. I’m sure they were stripped off your free one.
It’s a little smaller than the Sikorsky Blackhawks that replaced it. (If you want a good look at a Blackhawk, Sikorsky usually has a couple parked outside the factory where they make them. You can usually get a good view from the Merrit Turnpike, just outside Milford, CT).
Basically Hueys were like the Chevys Trucks of the helicoptor world. Ugly, but very versitle and reliable.
Wow! Thanks for all the info & detail mrsmith537 and especially Johnny L.A. That certainly clarifies things (though it also piques my curiosity about what this guy has planned…)