I recently took some photos of a UH-34G in pretty beat up condition and was wondering if anyone would like me to post them. Let me know if anyone is interested and I’ll get them up as soon as possible.
Love to see them. Is it at Tyson McGee?
No, they’re actually from the Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville Tennessee. If you live in the area I highly recommend it. They rotate the aircraft in the hanger quite regularly. Anyway, here’s the decent photos I got, some came out kind of blurry so I apologize for the quality.
I believe the bird will be going under major overhaul in the future.
MAN! I lived in maryville for 10 years and never knew about an aviation museum. Maybe it’s new. Hey, was this the helo that was in Riptide? btw, nice pics.
Have you seen the one that Pop a Smoke boys fly, that thing is so cool. I will look to see if I have any pics of it.
Wow! A real live Kingbee! If it could only talk…
The Riptide helo “Screamin Mi-Mi” was an S-58T (Twin Turbine). This here would be, in civilian terms, an S-58. Like what the old St. Louis Helicopters used to fly. Here’s a St. Louis S-58 I took back in 89’ while in the Dallas area. The Riptide helo was repainted and is doing lift work out in California somewheres.
Nice helo tho. A true workhorse from it’s time. Another fine product from Sikorsky!
The story that bird could tell would be very interesting indeed. If the markings are authenic it’s an RVN Bird… How it came to be Stateside in a museum is the question I would ask it’s caretakers.
I was lucky a few years ago when passing through the Gatlinburg area my wife picked up a brochure on the Tennessee Aviation Museum and we checked it out. I have a few pictures of the CH-34 as well as the P-47’s and F-86 they had on display. Had several more, a Mig-21 I think, but my memory sucks! I bought a neat Hat Pin of the Museum and Flying Tiger T-shirt.
I saw the “Pop-A-Smoke” CH-34 in Bell Chase, La. at the Naval Air Station Air Show a few years back but didn’t get to see it fly. Took some interior pictures of it. I need to drag out the 1/48 Revell of Germany CH-34 and start work on it one of these days.
Most likely it came back to the states after it was replced with a Huey, looks like it may have spent some time in the boneyard(from some of the markings) before it was acquared by the musuem
Thanks for the input Airmed. Kinda suprised that those old helo’s are still operational. Maintenance must be a killer. There is a static display of one or the other at NAS Fort Worth. I will get a picture next time I am there if I remember.
If you zoom in on the photo with the text placard, it gives that particular bird’s history. Seems it was a USN bird first, then VNAF and then USAF, post Vietnam!
Cobrahistorian: I didn’t know the USAF used the UH-34. Neat! I knew the Marines and Navy did. If I’m not mistaken, I think the Army did too. (?)
It sure looks impressive in all its glory among the 46’s in the background. Like someone above mentioned. If it could only talk.
Didn’t Erickson buy out the rights to the 58’s, 58T’s, old 53’s, 64’s, and 61’s? (civilian and military models) If I’m not mistaken, they’re not just an air crane service, they also do refurbish, conversions and maintenance work on the old Sikorsky and Hueys. They did the new Air-5 refurbishment and conversion for the LACSD. (???)
Also, I think it was Soloy or California Helicopters that handles the 58 and 58T’s also?
Trying to think but nothing happens!
Cheers,
John
The Army did use them, mainly in Europe with the designation of CH-34