Here’s a few shots af a Pedro that I’m almost finished with. The last thing will be putting on the M-60 if I decide to add it.
Very nice build. The name confused me. I’ve always known this helicopter as the Huskie. I didn’t realize the name had been changed. When did that take place?
Nice job! I like the netting in the back and your exhaust paint job. Not sure if your “sync” is right for the blades though. I think the Pedro was the Air Force nickname. Maybe something to do with it’s fire fighting duties. Somebody out there surely knows.
I think it is like “Fighting Falcon” vesus “Viper”. Huskie is the official name, but many called it Pedro. When one rotor blade was straight forward/back, the other was 90 degrees to it or cross ways of the fuselage. They were parallel to each other at about a 45 degree angle to the centerline of the fuselage.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
I had heard somewhere that Pedro was the call sign of a flight where they lost the aircraft and crew. I’m not sure if it was the incident at U-Tapao Royal Thai Naval Airfield or a different flight.
I do not know much about helicopters, but that is a cool looking bird. The side by side rotor system is very unusual. Well done! [tup]
A friend of mine used to fly those things for Air Rescue Service. I will ask him for information on the name, etc.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
Very nice model Ikar. Is there a real-life subject for this particular bird.
Geez, I’d only ever get in one of those things if it was lowering a life ring to me, and even then I’d have to think about it, LOL
That is excellent! Hey, the wings rotate!
Especially realistic exhaust tube. The discolorization is convincing!
Here’s a couple links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV2YZxYjkUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSXcZ-YCdp4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf818L961ls
There is a pilot who was shot down and rescued by an H-43. He said getting shot down didn’t scare him but the ride back in the H-43 terrified him. [:)]
Ikar, great job I’ve seen very few of these built and even fewer done in SEA camo. Did you use the detail set from Cobra Company?
The call sign Pedro was credited to a unit in Texas and became wide spread for the HH-43’s involved in fire / rescue, much like Skyraiders became known as Sandys. These little helos hold the record for the most rescues and the fastest rescue (pilot ejected right after take off and the H-43 was already in the air) of any USAF helicopter.
I used the Cobra set but added things that it didn’t have but were on ours. I put in the bench seats and the netting and added some scribed storage compartment doors to the seats.
I’m still undecided about putting the M-60 in the side door. It was there for a short time only and the only photo that I know of with it was in my camera when it was stolen. I had it in my equipment bag on post and my local marine assistant grabbed it while I had my M-16 trained on somebody trying to go off base through my post.
We used the Pedros for perimeter checks as well as short range observation flights near the base.
It was a shakey ride with the rotor’s wash hitting the sides of the aircraft. When you got close to the ground the exhaust could get blown into the rear compartment and low enough even ground debris would get blown in too.
WIth the rotors turning the only safe way to get in was from the front because the blades came down so low, and the rear was blocked by the exhaust. If you were lfying and it started to rain, you had to land as quickly as possible incase a heavy storm hit unexpectedly. It pretty much didn’t matter where you were, you landed. The wooden blades could shatter in a heavy rain.
Your comment about the wooden blades reminded me of an interesting factoid I recently discovered.
Charles Kaman who started the Kaman aircraft company also started Kaman music. As wooden rotor blades went out of style on helicopters he used many of the same woodworkers to make guitars.
I spent 11.5 years flying in the USAF from 1967 to the end of 1978. At every base that I was stationed at that had HH-43 Huskie rescue choppers (not all of them did) the radio callsign for the chopper was always “Pedro.” I have seen several cases of aircraft “names” or units being confused with callsigns. During the Vietnam conflict it was very common to use callsigns of units to indicate missions or type aircraft, such as, “What are you flying?” “I’m flying Sandys (A-1s)” Or maybe “what squadron are you in?” “I’m in the Yellow Jackets (352TFS)”
–
Joe Vincent
IPMS*Memphis
Hey Sabre45, dare I ask what type of ship you flew?
Here’s the patches from the Pedro squadron at my first base in S.E.A.:
ikar01,
Nice set of patches you have there! I’ve got a set of “incountry” made patches from the 174th AHC during my tour with them. Thanks for sharing them. I have a least one kit of the Testors H-43 “Pedro”. Anybody have a clue how the name came about? Maybe because of all the “siesta” time on standby until “crap” hit the fan?
Thanks. I’m planning on working on the fire pack next.
Here’s what I found on the name change:
In 1966, the Huskie’s call sign was changed to “PEDRO” recognizing the radio call sign originally used at Laredo AFB, Texas**, prior to the war.**
I got it from here:http://users.acninc.net/padipaul/pedrohome.htm
If “Sabre 45” and my avatar don’t tip you off…
I flew the F-100C/D/F, T-38, and AT-38.
Always loved the Century series. The F-106 was my favorite.
I remember the thuds would make the concrete bunker I was in vibrate when they lit up, and they were a couple hundred yards away.
I managed to “finagle”(sp?) a ride in an F-100F back in 2002. It had the later mod AB. I was actually disappointed at the lack of hard light. It was still a thrill after 32 years…