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Our AH-1G Cobra flying restoration


917601
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I have been assisting in rebuilding this AH1S Cobra back into an AH1G Cobra with the AAHF. We aquired this one after it had been modified from a G model to an S model, back in the seventies. We are removing the depot modified square canopy, TSU, and turret and " re-installing" the bubble canopy putting it back into it's original configuration. I am an FAA A and P, years of heavy structures work, and are working under an FAA Experimental Licence .Very slow going, many challenges with few qualified individuals, all volunteers with the AAHF in Hampton , Ga. In my estimation, a few years away from fly day, but doable. post-180924-0-40291900-1563230801.png

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Lineage',

TRP A 1ST OF THE 9TH CAV 1ST CAV (RVN) Feb 1968

355TH AVIATION CO (FT SILL) MARCH 1968

229TH ABAH 1ST CAV (RVN) AUGUST 1968

A TRP 7TH Squadron 17Cav (RVN) Sept 1969

361st Attack Helicopter Co (RVN) Jan 1971

235th Assault Helicopter Co (Ft Knox) Oct 1973

C trp 7th of the 1st Cav (Ft Knox) Oct 1975

D Trp 4th 12th Cav (Ft Polk) Oct 1977

Air Troop 2nd ACR (Germany) Jun 1982

E Trp 2nd 17th Cav (Ft Campbell) June 1991

Co R 4th of 278th ACR (Smyrna) Oct 1994

Ft Drum DOL (New York) Sept 2001

AAHF (Georgia) July 2005served 1968-1994.post-180924-0-84774400-1563231046.png

post-180924-0-40265300-1563231025.png

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Always looking for volunteers, stop by the AAHF in Hampton, Ga ( next to the speedway) if interested or if you just want to fly on a fly day, Huey rides about 80 bucks....doors off, 1200 ft. +, 120 knots, Cobra ride a bit more.

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Wish I was closer to volunteer. Last year I took a Huey ride in 104 up here in Ohio and plan on doing it again in a couple weeks when my father comes to visit. He actually flew Hueys in Nam 69-70 so it will be a great time to get to fly in one with him finally. Id love to bring a couple of my SPH-4s with us but I was told you cant wear them by one person, and another told me you can wear them but cant plug into the ICS.

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917601: Very cool thing to be involved with. A&P volunteers like you, with lots of actual experience, are difficult to come by in museum operations that run on volunteers. Is the restoration funded purely by small donations or are there some deep pocketed benefactors? Should be interesting to see what requirements the FAA sets for pilot currency and flying paying passengers.

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Their website : https://armyav.org/about/

 

I am not sure who currently donates cash, but many companies here in Atlanta donate paint, parts, for example Delta Airlines paints their aircraft ( and also the CAF Warbirds). Problem I see is the aging volunteer workforce. Many pilots are Vietnam vet era, crew chiefs (like me) and mechanics same. We do have a very limited number of FAA licensed pilots and mechanics. The FAA does come around for inspections and us crew chiefs do have to take an 8 hour recurrent training class annually. Interesting to note on this G model Cobra project, the director ( retired Cobra pilot), our avionics guy, and me ( the structures guy) served in the late seventies with the 1/17th Cav, 82nd, Ft Bragg....just what are the chances of us " getting together" by accident, 40 years later? ...hopefully the three of us will get this Cobra back flying before to long....very, very slow moving.

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Cobrahistorian

Thanks to you guys, we've now got a G model nose for 67-15654 (former A/4-77th ARA) and will be backdating her here at Fort Sill for exhibit in the Aerial Rocket Artillery exhibit of the Field Artillery Museum!

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Ref Pilot currency. All the pilots are high time folks and maintain their currency as required. Most have several thousand hours in type minimum. Also , the aircraft are well maintained

and undergo all necessary inspections required by the FAA.

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Thanks to you guys, we've now got a G model nose for 67-15654 (former A/4-77th ARA) and will be backdating her here at Fort Sill for exhibit in the Aerial Rocket Artillery exhibit of the Field Artillery Museum!

 

A/4-77th was 101st at Phu Bai correct?

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Ref Pilot currency. All the pilots are high time folks and maintain their currency as required. Most have several thousand hours in type minimum. Also , the aircraft are well maintained

and undergo all necessary inspections required by the FAA.

True, an understatement. For example, their maintenance crews have been working on Huey's and Cobras for decades, I have seen maintenance discrepancies accurately diagnosed and fixed in less time than Jiffy lube can change your oil. In this field, there is absolutely no substitute for experience.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I was with the 278th acr in tn, I think we had around 31 cobra,s at one time. I was not on cobra, but was on hueys and then blackhawks for 15 years. I was a wg11 when I retired. A few years back I sent some first aid kits for a huey to Ga. they were doing a resto .

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Hey! I live north of Atlanta and would love to see the Cobra and Huey some time. The Cobras has always been my favorite helicopter. I live near Dobbins, and remember seeing the gray on gray newer Cobras overfly us from time to time.

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