15,000 hours and counting for helicopter

  • Published
  • By Carl Grusnick
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base --  Forty years after it came into the Air Force inventory, the 58th Special Operations Wing celebrated a rare mark of longevity when UH-1H 69-6650 passed 15,000 hours in the air May 25.
"As only the second UH-1 to surpass that number of flying hours, we wanted to mark the occasion," said Lieutenant Colonel Curtis Wichers, 512th Rescue Squadron assistant director of operations. "With only 62 left in active service, we wanted to capture the moment," he said.
The 58th Special Operations Wing's most senior UH-1 pilot, Mr. Ken Witte, employed by M1 Support Services as a maintenance test pilot for the wing, was chosen to fly the milestone mission.
"I was honored to be chosen. This mission was a capstone to my flying career, as well," said Mr. Witte.
A retired Air Force pilot, Mr. Witte spent his entire career flying the UH-1 and has logged more than 4,200 hours at the controls of four different versions of the venerable airframe.
"I've heard it said that they didn't expect to log more than 1,500 flight hours each," Witte says about the aircraft, "certainly under wartime conditions like in Vietnam."
With more than 7,000 Hueys used in that conflagration and 10,000 produced since its inception in 1960, this rotary-wing aircraft has proven its versatility and lived up to its "utility" designation, added Mr. Witte.
While Mr. Witte missed the Vietnam War, he spent plenty of time flying missile field security, search and rescue, and instructing new pilots on the special nature of the "Huey."
"It's a real blue-collar aircraft, especially in comparison with the more modern helicopters in the inventory, like the UH-60 Blackhawk," said Witte. The Huey was designed and is flown without the benefit of more contemporary fly-by-wire technology now in use, he said. While 15,000 hours is many lifetimes to the average UH-1, Mr. Witte said that he was impressed with how smooth it felt during the milestone flight.
Colonel Wichers said the longevity of tail number 69-6650 is "a real tribute to the wing's maintainers who have spent countless hours ensuring it was ready to perform its mission. We on the high side couldn't do it without those on the ramp and in the hangars. Of course, the great New Mexico climate probably didn't hurt, either," he said.
For a generation of men and women who fought in Vietnam, this adaptable workhorse forever remains a symbol of America's commitment and the service each of them provided. The sight of a "Huey" always draws them close to relive their shared sacrifice and solidarity. Wherever they go, 58 SOW "Huey" crewmembers are often approached by those to whom the helicopter meant so much.
"Folks are attracted to it and want to share their remembrances," said Lt. Col. Wichers.
Manufactured by the Bell Helicopter Company in Fort Worth, Texas, tail number 69-6650 first saw duty with Military Airlift Command's 1550th Aircrew Training and Test Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, which later relocated its mission to Kirtland AFB. While unit designations and training curriculum evolved, this venerable model remained steadfast in delivering to the countless crews the wherewithal to fly, fight and win.
While officially designated the "Iroquois" by the U.S. Army, the UH-1N, as in "utility helicopter one," was originally designated the HU-1 and quickly became known as the "Huey" to its adherents. Because of its reliability and adaptability, the Huey would go on to be used by all branches of the U.S. military and 60 foreign nations.
When UH-1N tail number 69-6650 was delivered to the Air Force on March 19, 1971, cigarette ads on television and radio were a recent memory and the landmark TV series "All in the Family," which made us laugh nervously at our cultural prejudices, had just debuted. Charles Manson was convicted the infamous "helter-skelter" murders in California. In the third year of his presidency, Richard Nixon struggled to bring America's involvement in the Vietnam conflict to an end, but the war would continue for another four years.
In the 1960s, because of its widespread use in Southeast Asia, the "Huey" rapidly became identified with America's involvement in Vietnam. Affectionately regarded by the tens of thousands of American servicemen in that war, the "Huey" symbolized the American war strategy of bringing speed and mobility to the battlefield.
Today, its iconic silhouette regularly adorns emblems and memorials to America's defense of freedom in Southeast Asia and is proudly worn as a badge of service by its veterans and supporters. For them the Huey was more than just a helicopter--it represented a vital link to supplies, reinforcement and a ticket home.
While forty years young, tail number 69-6650 and others like it continue to fly and train for service they may be called upon to render. This dependable airframe has earned its place in aviation history.