Bell UH-1 Huey

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Bell Model: UH-1. Nickname: Huey
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Helicopter
> FAA Category and Class: Rotorcraft/Helicopter
> Engine Description: single or twin turbine

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/7/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 4.8
> Number of Times Flown: 4
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: HH-1H, UH-1

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 36
> Date First Flown: 9/21/1987
> Location First Flown: Edwards AFB, CA (KEDW)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USAFTPS, Tom Pickering

Recollections: My first Huey flight was during our class field trip to Edwards AFB and I flew with Tom Pickering (later a USAF Col) as one of the several Qual Eval flights I was able to do.  I had a fair amount of helo time by then (thanks to Jack Lawrence and my TPS classmates) so I thought I really knew my stuff.  All I remember about this flight was that I tried a maneuver where I was flying forward at maybe 40 knots, and decided to turn around and reverse direction by using the pedals.  Not sure if Tom talked me into it or if it was my idea.  Regardless, I soon found out that I was out of pedal (I couldn’t stop the yawing) and (for reasons I’m not sure) I ended up significantly nose down, staring at the runway, and realizing I had no idea what I was doing or how to fix it.  Tom was totally cool, while I felt a rising tide of panic.  I said “you got it” and he took the controls, smoothly recovering.  It was then I learned that (1) I probably didn’t know much about helos and (2) I needed to understand the aerodynamics and the potential effects of cross-coupling of controls if I was ever going to become a REAL helo pilot (instead of a wannabe).  

I learned a ton more in the next couple of decades, enough to be proficient when I next flew the Huey (at the National Test Pilot School, where I learned, in-depth, the science behind the machine).  To this day, I still think thru what I’m going to do when I’m flying a helo (it’s just not natural, like it is for me in a fixed wing) and I remember what I learned on that flight with Tom.

Filed Under: Helicopter, 26-50