Bell UH-1 Huey

[SamMarlowPI]

i'm interested in re-creating a Vietnam-Era Huey with the open sides and mounted M60s, no live rounds of course...can private citizens do all that? sorry if this sounds stupid or childish, but we all have interests and i shoot for realism...thanks all

 

[carebear]

Probably, although you're asking the question wrong.

The proper question for an American is "Is there any law that says private citizens can't do that." We don't ask permission, we check for legality, freedom is assumed.

Rant over.

You can definitely build or buy the helo. Making it a faux gunship will depend on your state laws, ATF regs. (depending on whether the guns are replicas, semi-only or the real deal) and maybe some FAA guidelines. I seem to recall reading something (thanks internets) that bars private citizens from having working aircraft-mounted guns.

You might call your state DPS, ATF and the FAA and explain what you plan to do and what, if any, restrictions apply. It can't be the first time someone's asked. Get the answer in writing and check the quoted reg or statute for yourself (to make sure some nanny-type isn't just expressing their opinion).

I assume the purpose is to display at airshows and the like, not just swoop over the neighborhood blasting Wagner?

 

[carebear]

Sorry, just had a mental flash, it's a beautiful summer day somewhere in Oregon...

Suddenly a Huey gunship, "Ride of the Valkyries" blaring over a loudspeaker, appears over the Visitor Center.

(inside chopper)

"Sir! Lake Swanson is Charlie's State Recreational Area!"

"Screw that! Charlie don't paddle-boat!"

lol

 

[SamMarlowPI]

lol lol lol lol oh that's good, bear, i would definitely do that...darn i wanted to have mounted M60s that could fire blanks. i didn't think about airshows. it would've just been for a private collection...though i could probably get away with having mounted guns and blanks if i did have it in an airshow and displayed what its like to land and take off in hot LZs...pretty neat...and i see what you're saying about the "can't do" thing. this being a free country and all...

 

[carebear]

I'm not saying you couldn't have blank-firing pigs, just that you would probably be tightly regulated as to where and when you could have them mounted and firing.

I'm not sure if you've priced a UH-1 and the cost of 2 full-auto 60's (darn near as expensive as the bird nowadays) but if you had that kind of scratch you could probably afford a big enough acreage out in the sticks that, assuming ownership for you was legal, you could do whatever you wanted on your own land.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

found a '67 UH-1 that was about $350k...depending on what model of the 60 was mounted in the birds,double handle or shoulder-fired, they could get upwards of $50k...i can't figure out which one b/c i've seen both used in the Huey...

 

[Twitch]

Not a problem. All the WW 2 and Korean War planes flying use C02 powered machine guns not blanks so in fly-bys they sound like the real thing!

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Not a problem. All the WW 2 and Korean War planes flying use C02 powered machine guns not blanks so in fly-bys they sound like the real thing!

sounds like an idea...thanks

 

[staggerwing]

I suspect the CO2 guns are used because they're a heck of a lot cheaper to fire, and there are no shell casings to eject (hey, they still gotta go somewhere!). Neat project. Can't aford a Huey, and flunked on of chopper school anyway (not much hand-eye coordination, I guess) but I'm kicking around the restoration of an O2-A. Let me know how the project goes.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

sure will...found out they got M60 paintball mgs...its pretty cool...we'll see what happens

 

[KilroyCD]

Not a problem. All the WW 2 and Korean War planes flying use C02 powered machine guns not blanks so in fly-bys they sound like the real thing!

Actually, they're not CO2, but propane fired guns. The propane is ignited by a spark plug, so rapid fire simulation is quite possible.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Actually, they're not CO2, but propane fired guns. The propane is ignited by a spark plug, so rapid fire simulation is quite possible.

propane would give the gun a louder bang...

 

[Hugh Beaumont]

I served in the US Army's PSYOPS unit at Fort Bragg in the mid-1980's and we used to place loundspeakers in Hueys and Blackhawks and blast "Ride of the Valkyries" while in Central America.

Though it would be cool to have a Huey, I'd prefer one of these badboys:

 

[Ecuador Jim]

The Hind is a heck of a weapons platform, but not a Vietnam-era ship.

In the early Air-Cav days, they mounted the M-60's with bungees in the doors. Browning .50's had the first mounting systems; at least from my experiences.

 

[AeroDillo]

Ooooh....Viet Nam-era low-level air warfare.

Yet another of my favorite subjects and strange obsessions.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

The Hind is a heck of a weapons platform, but not a Vietnam-era ship.

In the early Air-Cav days, they mounted the M-60's with bungees in the doors. Browning .50's had the first mounting systems; at least from my experiences.

yah i finally just noticed lol...

 

[Diamondback]

While we're on the subject of whirlybirds, anyone know if Sikorsky ever made a civilian S-80? (_H-53-series) I'm finding myself craving to build a "Pave Faux" for some reason...

@carebear: lol
@Hugh: You are one sick puppy, man... I like that, it reminds me of me.

 

[fatwoul]

OK it's all your fault. I think I'm going to go read Chickenhawk. For the fifth time.

 

[AeroDillo]

If you can lay hands on a copy, read CW2. It's fiction and long out of print, but it's worth the time. I think the author was Layne Heath...or something along those lines.

It's one of those books they'll have to pry from my dead fingers before I give it up.

 

[Hugh Beaumont]

The Hind is a heck of a weapons platform, but not a Vietnam-era ship.

Well, it could be debated that the Hind-A came out in the early to mid-70's, but no one can confirm it because of the Soviet's tight secrecy on it.

The west didn't get any pics of it until the late 70's.