NUH-1B 62-12554 returning home!

[Cobrahistorian]

Hey all,

 

Got some great news on a project that fellow member Rotorwash and I have been working on for a while now. Ray and I have been researching the Combat Aerial TOW Teams deployment to Vietnam in 1972 for about 3 years now. One of the UH-1Bs at the Fort Rucker Museum had an XM26 TOW system mounted on it when I first got there in late 2005. I was told that the system was just mounted on the helicopter, but the airframe was not the one that carried it in combat. The odd thing was, all of the original documentation that I'd seen referred to the two team helicopters as 553 and 554.

 

Fort Rucker had two UH-1Bs on display, tail numbers 60-3553 and 60-3554. 60-3553 had the XM26 system mounted on it. No brainer, right? That's the TOW bird, right? WRONG. After looking at dozens of photos, good natured yelling back and forth and a constant prodding by Ray to find that one more piece of evidence, we realized that while the last three digits of each tail number were correct, these were not the TOW birds.

 

The correct tail numbers were 62-12553 and 12554, which was confirmed after I had started working on a 48th scale conversion of the Monogram Huey Hog model kit. 554's original crew chief, Ron Taylor contacted me and confirmed the tail numbers. A quick google search turned up the locations of both airplanes. 553 crashed in Chile in the mid-90s and apparently was waiting to be rebuilt by Bell. 554, surprisingly enough was a few miles away from here, as a gate guard at Andrews AFB, dressed precariously as a USAF UH-1F!

 

During this time, a fellow modeler over on the Aircraft Resource Center forum posted pics of 60-3553 as she appeared in the mid-80s with the XM26 system on her, before she was "restored". The markings on the TOW pods confirmed that the XM26 system mounted on 60-3553 was actually the system that 554 carried in Vietnam! Unfortunately, those markings were removed and she was repainted sometime in the 90s.

 

I was able to get over to see her and take a bunch of photos of her, including one through the slightly-ajar window that confirmed the radio call number on the control panel was 12554. So, I proceeded to make several phone calls over to Andrews to see who exactly was in charge of that helicopter. I got bounced from office to office, but informed them I was doing this with the blessing of the Army Aviation Museum (I was). After nearly a year of silence, Steve Maxham, USAAVNM's director called me today to let me know that the USAFM is deaccessioning 554 and she will be returned to the USAAVNM for restoration to her original Vietnam appearance with the original XM26 system that she carried in combat.

 

This is 554 in May 1972 at Camp Holloway, Pleiku, RVN:

 

 

And this is as she stands today:

 

[Bob Hudson]

Good work: this looks like a bit more work than, say, restoring an M1 helmet that's been repainted.

[bond007a1]

FANTASTIC!!! That is an AWESOME camo scheme.....It will be neat to see her finished...

 

Steven

[Philip]

THE helicopter. i love hueys...

[Rotorwash]

Finding the "real" 554 has been an epic journey. One of the first clues that the bird at Rucker wasn't the 554 with the TOW system in Vietnam was the fact that the tail number is 60-3554. That means she was built in 61. Through documentation, Jon had figured out that two Hueys were taken directly of the assembly line and slated for the XM-26 project. The project began in 1963. Sooo, it made sense that the Hueys taken off the line were probably built in 63. As you can see 62-12554 was built in 63. That was pretty good evidence but we added layer upon layer until Jon finally got confirmation from 554's crew chief. This project has taught me never to take things at face value and always check your "facts" twice. Luckily Jon has a passion for getting it right. Great job Jon!

Ray

[Cobrahistorian]

Luckily Jon has a passion for getting it right. Great job Jon!

Ray

 

Hey man, we never would have gotten there had it not been for you pushing me! We make a pretty damn good team!

[Mr-X]

Awesome works guys

Well done to you both!

[James Hammonds]

I came across this post a couple of weeks ago and noticed that the last post was in 2009. Sorry, I'm late. I flew both of the helicopters in Vietnam after the original 60-day TDW crew left. 1st Avn Bde wanted to keep the aircraft in Vietnam and asked for volunteers to fly the birds. That's how I got into the unit. I was in the 57th AHC when they were looking for volunteers. Until this time all I have found about the birds was history, books and some photos.

 

I was with this unit until the Cease Fire. The Hughes Tech Reps then took the system off of the helicopters and sent the equipment to Culver City. The birds were sent to Corpus Christy. I understand they were refitted with the SS-11 missile system.