FORT RUCKER, Ala. (June 19, 2105) -- In the Army, remembering the past is just as important as looking toward the future, and the U.S. Army Aviation Museum is preserving history by restoring one of its most storied aircraft to its former glory.
The museum possesses the last remaining XH-40 prototype helicopter, a precursor to the UH-1 Huey. In an effort to preserve it for future generations, the staff has begun the process to renovate the aircraft to be showcased in the museum, according to Robert Mitchell, U.S. Army Aviation Museum curator.
"This aircraft tells a very important story, really of early Army Aviation and also rotor Aviation for the world," he said. "This is probably the most significant helicopter -- I call it the helicopter that changed the world -- because once they mated a jet engine to a helicopter, everything changed."
From the start to the end of the Korean War, the number of helicopters jumped from 60 to 600, said the curator. Once the Army realized how versatile an aircraft the helicopter could be, especially with transporting wounded Soldiers off the battlefield, it ushered in a new era of rotor-wing flight.
"When word got back to Congress that this humble little thing called the 'whirly bird' was so instrumental in saving lives, they appropriated money for research and development for a new medical evacuation helicopter," said Mitchell. "That would be the Huey."
Since its induction into the Army in 1955, the Huey has seen service through the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and recent conflicts, and thousands of UH-1 helicopters are still used in the civilian world today, he said.
"This helicopter basically changed the way the Army fights. Once the Army took receipt of this aircraft, it realized that this aircraft can do an awful lot more than just medical evacuations," said Mitchell. "All of the sudden, the aircraft became the jack of all trades. If you needed a medical evacuation helicopter, the Huey can do it. You need a troop transport? The Huey can do it. You need a gun ship to attack the enemy? The Huey can do it. The Huey did everything on the battlefield."
And it was all made possible with the construction of the XH-40 prototype, which Mitchell calls the "granddaddy of all UH-1 helicopters."
"This is the very first prototype -- it's marked on the tail with a No. 1," he said. "At this point in history, it feels good to know that the people who preceded me had the foresight and knowledge and wisdom to save this example and put it in storage so that one day we could restore it for people to see. This is a big deal."
During the refurbishing of the aircraft, the aircraft will be assessed for condition issues, then be disassembled and stripped of all the paint and coatings. The aircraft will then have any structural or superficial defects repaired before the process of reassembling the aircraft begins.
The Army and Fort Rucker undertakes endeavors to preserve these aircraft in an effort to teach future generations where we come from and see how far we've come, said Mitchell.
"Work like this occurs regularly to preserve these aircraft, but it's all based off of donations received through our foundation," he said. "Through those donations, we're able to tell the story of Army history in the museum.
The restoration of the aircraft will take about a year, and upon completion will see its way back into the U.S. Army Aviation Museum to be put on display.
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