FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- A CH-47 Chinook display at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum almost looks ready to take to the skies again thanks to a group of B Company, 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment Soldiers.
The project was taken on by a group of 10 noncommissioned officers who wanted to give back to the community and learn more about the history of Army Aviation, said Staff Sgt. Theo Nalezynski, flight engineer and project coordinator.
"We tried to get it looking as close to the original as possible," he said. "There was a lot work that went into it, but it looks so much better now than when we started."
It took more than 300 hours, worked mostly on weekends, to replace dry-rotted wood on the interior, replace all of the interior wiring, clean the cockpit and use more than 2,000 zip ties to hold things in place.
"This gave us a chance to do things we wouldn't normally get to do in our unit," Nalezynski said. "Usually we're working with the Flight School XXI students, but we are flight engineers and instructors, so we don't get the chance to work on aircraft."
When the Chinook display arrived to the museum, it was painted and placed outside, but no other work was done to it, he added. When the unit members approached Richard Willis, U.S. Army Aviation Museum maintenance officer, about possible projects, this was the first one that came to his mind.
"This was an out-of-the-blue thing," Willis said. "They contacted me wanting a project and this was one I had on my list of projects for a long time. It was the perfect time for us to do it."
According to Willis, the unit provided everything needed to make the clean-up of the aircraft happen.
"The unit took it upon themselves to set the time and to get the labor out here," he said. "It came out perfect. I couldn't have asked for better."
Getting units involved with the museum is something Willis hopes to make a regular thing for the installation.
"I've got plenty of other projects that could be taken on by either this unit or others," he said.
Sgt. 1st Class Noel Cabias, unit platoon sergeant and project co-coordinator, said the amount of progress the group has made is one of the most rewarding aspects of the project.
"We feel good about all we've done here," he said. "If we can help preserve some of the history of (Army Aviation) and show the younger guys what it looks like, up close, then we've done a service for everyone."
The NCOs unveiled their efforts during a closed, unit party April 29. There was a cookout for the unit members and their Families as well as other invited guests.
For more information on this and other projects at the museum, call 255-2893.
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