"Huey" day

[muttguru]

There's a stately home (Hoghton Tower) just a few miles from my house (Muttguru Mansion) and today, the Lord of the Manor arranged with Phil Connolly (the owner of an airworthy HUEY) to bring the bird along to the tower in aid of the North-West Air Ambulance charity.

There were three M151A2s there, plus numerous WWII jeeps and trucks, along with a 1987 HMMWV.
I took my camera (everyone else seemed to have forgotten theirs) and here are a few snaps I took as the Huey arrived, stayed for a couple of hours, then took off back to its base at Kirkham.

Hope you like them..............

[SEABEE62]

Real nice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, is your mansion OD too ????? Seabee

[mrdibbles]

Very very well done. Love the respect to the fallen. To personally own a chopper like that would be completely surreal. It's really unthinkable how cool it would be. Cool beyond... well... just incredible.

[toptiger]

Its a great thing they are doing. Thanks for posting the photos

[raymond]

a 1977 HMMWV.

I thought the HMMWV aka Hummer didn't enter production until 1985

[muttguru]

I thought the HMMWV aka Hummer didn't enter production until 1985

Hello Raymond,
well spotted! It should read 1987. It was the USMC M151A2 in the picture that was a 1977

[csmith]

Very cool Ken, thanks for sharing. Like Mr. D said, to own a chopper or old war bird, man thats something. That's a whole different league. Just think about walking over and starting one of those babies up on a Sat. morning!

[Horst]

I know my pictures are getting a little too much of topic recently with no 151s, but still...

Friend of mine recently acquired a real Vietnam warbird. One of the 346 O2-A build for the Air Force as FACs. One third did not make it back. Only very few flying, even less in this original condition. This one has documented Vietnam history, has even some patched bullet holes and is super complete with all hard points and all the associated stuff in the cockpit. Has all the original radios, just in the center an upgrade to a good set of modern radio stack. These things were actually flown by (civilian) pilots to Vietnam...

[Mr. Recovery]

Thanks Horst! Good photos, we don't worry too much about going off topic here on the "8" as long as it is not in the Technical Discussion area, we do "try" to stay on the subject there.

[42GPW]

Very nice guys.

Matt R

[moose53]

I've been toying with the idea of buying an O-2A for a while now, I know a guy who has about a dozen of them stored, and another place with 8 or 10 of them. Gotta hit the lottery or something though...

Jim

[Horst]

Jim,

A few years back I checked out quite a few O2s at the Davis Monthan Air Force Base. The Air Force sold them. Despite being mothballed however, they were not in the best condition and someone already went thru the interior and yanked things out. Another problem is, if you buy a stored one now, that it will be not too easy to get a standard airworthiness certificate. The one I pictured above, has one. (PM me if you want to buy it )



Ken,
sorry to hijack your thread...

[moose53]

last time i checked, they were down to 19 of them at Davis-Monthan... supposedly they were keeping them to supply parts for birds they gave away to other countries. if and when I buy one, it will be one of the big window models, like the vis and having an extra hatch to exit through in an emergency.

Jim

[toptiger]

Just remember if you get one, Jim, to always start the take off roll with full throttle to the rear engine first. If you don't know why, think about it and it will come to you! I read a few accident reports back in the day about this.

[moose53]

Just remember if you get one, Jim, to always start the take off roll with full throttle to the rear engine first. If you don't know why, think about it and it will come to you! I read a few accident reports back in the day about this.

Oh I know why lol thats the same reason you always start the rear engine first...lol.

Jim