Seawolf 324 by Jim Busha

GOOD VIBRATIONS THE RESURRECTION OF UH-1B HUEY SEAWOLF 324 BY JIM BUSHA 20 Sport Aviation June 2012 SEAWOLF—A solitary fish with strong, prominent teeth and projecting tusks that give it a savage look. STANDING UNDER A BRIGHT BLUE, late July sky during The next arrival was the easiest. Actually, the well- EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011, I was watching war- known “whop, whop, whop” sound vibrated off my bird arrivals. I closed my eyes to determine if I could chest like some native drum beat. As the sound grew pick out the next incoming aircraft based solely on louder, I opened my eyes expecting to see a familiar the sound of its engine. The Rolls-Royce Merlin- Army green Bell UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” helicopter powered P-51 Mustangs were easy, with that un- slowly making its way onto Wittman Regional Airport. mistakable purr of the in-line engine. The radial I was correct about the slow part, but as the Huey flew engines were a little tougher; when I opened my eyes closer there was something different about this one. thinking a B-25 was nearby, it was in fact a lumbering From a distance it looked like a “flying porcupine” with TBM Avenger. a wild array of guns and rocket tubes bristling from its www.eaa.org 21 sides. As the helicopter slowed, the only Cavalry), it was again damaged in 1973 it was lent to NASA Langley green I saw was the freshly mowed grass February 1968. The Army said goodbye to Research Center until August 1975. This being blown around in a mini tornado as this battle-weary Huey in November 1968 Huey, along with hundreds of others like the dark blue beast began to settle into a when it “lent” it to the U.S. Navy, where it it, was placed into long-term storage at hover. “I didn’t know the Navy flew began flying with the Seawolves. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB) in Hueys,” said an onlooker from the small Tucson, Arizona, with a total of 4,390 crowd that had begun to gather. BY APRIL 1965 IT WAS IN flight hours. It would languish in the hot I didn’t either, but I was about to learn VIETNAM EXPERIENCING desert sun for the next 16 years before a great history lesson about the lineage of being rescued once again. this ultra-historic helicopter. ITS “BAPTISM OF FIRE” WHEN IT TOOK THREE RESCUE AND RESTORATION OF 324 HISTORY OF SEAWOLF 324 HITS TO ONE OF ITS SKIDS. John Boucher, president and CEO of Bell UH-1B Huey, Bureau number Overseas Aircraft Support, an FAA repair 63-12923, was built in 1963 and delivered This particular Huey was a “flak mag- station that specializes in rebuilding, to the U.S. Army in October 1964. By April net.” It was heavily damaged again in upgrading, and recertifying Bell medium 1965 it was in Vietnam experiencing its October 1969. On May 28, 1971, it was hit helicopter airframes and avionics, will be “baptism of fire” when it took three hits again, this time by a 75 mm recoilless the first to admit he did not purchase to one of its skids. Two weeks later it was rifle. The damage was determined to be Huey Seawolf 324 with the intent of brought down by small arms fire and “minor,” and the crew performed an restoring it. On the contrary, he wanted incurred major damage. It was sent back emergency medevac and flew an injured to blow it up. to the United States for repair and sailor to a nearby surgical hospital. “I bought 14 Huey airframes in returned to Vietnam in March 1967. The last military flight of 324 occurred 1994 with the intent of building them Serving with the 1st Cavalry Division on February 29, 1972, when the Seawolves as mock-ups to blow them up in the A/1/9 (A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Air returned it back to the Army. In October movies,” John said. “By 2002 I A .50-caliber machine gun is mounted on the right side, paired with twin M60s on the left side to give the Huey lethal ﬁ repower. Seawolf 324 receiving maintenance in Vietnam. 22 Sport Aviation June 2012 GOOD VIBRATIONS A mere shell of its former self, Seawolf 324 begins its restoration transformation. was shifting gears and refocusing my “Of course I asked him why, and he John found that this particular Huey attention to old warbirds. I purchased replied that it was a Seawolf Huey. Before had three major combat repairs per- two P-40 Warhawk projects with the I could ask Seawolf what, Pat gave me the formed on it when he began the intent of restoring them. I thought I was history of the unit. After hearing they restoration. The nose itself had two sig- retiring from the helicopter side of life to were the most highly decorated squadron nificant ones, along with a half-dozen rebuild warbirds; then everything went in U.S. Navy history, I knew I had to save minor repairs found along the door posts sideways with the historic discovery from this helicopter,” John said. and fuselage. Some repair patches were a single piece of paper.” Fate is a strange animal. Although easy for John to recognize. When John purchased his 14 Huey Seawolf 324 was no more than a shell of airframes, each costing around $700, its former shape when John acquired it— JOHN FOUND THAT THIS all of them came with original logs and no engine, no transmission, no blades—he PARTICULAR HUEY HAD associated paperwork. “I had no idea had been acquiring UH-1B model parts THREE MAJOR COMBAT about this helicopter’s historic signifi- for many years. He, along with his crew of cance,” John said. “One of my good skilled mechanics, began the tedious task REPAIRS PERFORMED ON friends, Pat Rodgers of Wings and Rotors of inventorying what they had and what IT WHEN HE BEGAN THE Air Museum located in California, was they needed—naturally the list for what RESTORATION. over to my shop one day scrounging they needed was 10 times longer. for parts when he asked if he could look “My main request for this project was “They used beer cans as patches,” John through all the logbooks. He spent two that we would restore it back to original. I said and chuckled. “Schlitz, Pabst, and days poring over them and then burst wanted to keep all the repair patches intact, other beer can patches were found on the into my office one day, tossed a logbook repair only what was structurally necessary, Huey. Legend has it that one Seawolf Huey on my desk, and said, ‘You have to rebuild and zero in on returning it back to what it had hundreds of beer can patches attached this aircraft!’ would have looked like in 1968,” John said. to it. More of a flying billboard I guess. www.eaa.org 23 Seawolf 324 ﬂ ies over familiar terrain. “The nose of this Huey took the most Because the B model Hueys were received information that the Seawolves beating, though. That’s because the Viet phased out of the Army services since really didn’t have a “standard” color. Cong aimed at the pilots. Some of the the early 1980s, some parts were harder “The Seawolves had to scrounge for helicopter guys said they used to wear than others to locate, especially the everything they needed,” John said. white helmets when they flew. But they innards of the aircraft. “We had to do “It didn’t matter if it was tail booms, stopped doing that when they found out a lot of scrounging for the correct period engines, instruments, blades, or paint. that was the aiming point for the gunners parts,” John said. “I am completely They ended up using some ‘borrowed’ on the ground,” John said. satisfied that if some old-timer sticks Army olive drab green and mixing it As the Huey was slowly transformed his head inside of the ‘hell hole,’ looking with some Royal Australian Navy blue again into Navy livery, some former at all the wiring and plumbing, they paint they had acquired in a trade. The Seawolves began to get wind of the project would recognize the aircraft as being end result was a dark blue color with a and became like nervous mothers as they period correct.” hint of green. The true test was when sent John photos and periodically called to some retired Seawolves showed up and see how their old friend was doing. “THE SEAWOLVES HAD gave it a close inspection. We passed with “I really got to know this small com- TO SCROUNGE FOR flying colors!” munity of men through this project,” With the Huey ready to fly, there were John said. “There were less than 3,000 EVERYTHING THEY just a few more items to add to make it men who served as Seawolves in Vietnam. NEEDED,” JOHN SAID. combat ready. They lost 44 of their comrades in combat, “The Seawolves were the most heavily and I was hoping this helicopter would be With the majority of the helicopter armed helicopters in Vietnam,” John a foundation where they could come assembled, it was time to put it back in Navy said. “To replicate what they used in together as an organization.” colors. The problem for John was he had combat, we had to make an alteration 24 Sport Aviation June 2012 GOOD VIBRATIONS and strapped on a modern inert Dillon hardware hanging off his Army Hueys.

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