Huey Helicopters

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, widely known as a Huey by the Grunts in Vietnam, were primarily used when traveling to and from the jungle.  We traveled in them so much that we all earned Air Medals.

The Army had other uses for Huey's as well.  They used them as medivac helicopters,  They would swoop in and extract wounded soldiers from the jungle then deliver them to a hospital.   They installed all kinds of weaponry on them, such as mini-guns and rocket pods, then used them as attack helicopters.  They were used to supply us with food and water every three days while we were in the jungle.

It didn't surprise me when I read that the Army used over 7,000 of them in Vietnam.  What first impressed me about them was a Huey was powered by a turbojet engine.  Until I saw my first Huey, I thought jet engines were all used to push an aircraft like a rocket.

As a troop carrier, it was amazing how many guys they could transport.  The crew consisted of a pilot, co-pilot and two door gunners.  The door-gunners sat on each side toward the rear.  If you look closely at the picture above, you can make out the M60 machine gun they used.  There was an M60 on each side.  Behind the pilots was space for about eight soldiers, each with their own pack and weapons.  When you consider that a pack alone weighed about eighty pounds, it is hard to believe that a Huey could actually fly with all of that weight.

To help save weight and simplify getting in and out of a Huey, the doors were removed.  Everywhere we flew, we flew with no doors.  A prized place to sit was on the floor where the door would normally be with your feet dangling out over the struts.  We held on for dear life, believe me, but it was a rush.  You probably think that it was a scary experience flying like that.  When we would first take off, I would feel a flutter in my stomach as we passed low over the jungle.  But once we were up over a thousand feet, the flutter disappeared and I enjoyed looking down at all the greenery that passed below.