Huey Cobra at Middle Wallop

Glad you like my contribution to the theme, Neil. Hopefully we’ll see you fly the pair’s bird soon.
BTW, thanks in advance on reply regarding those ZB627’s photos 🙂

Huey and Cobra

Well what can i say to the post by zishelix except that is EXACTLY what we are looking to do ….. WOW, comes to mind for sure! …… Now its my time to Drool here ……

Yes we hope to have them ‘just like that’ …. except in the UK and on the UK register!

Its only in the early paperchase stages at present but the ‘dream’ is realistic and attainable.

I want to emphasise that FULL credit goes to Phil and Jo Connolly for their vision/endurance/forsight/cash for without those two going for it, it wouldnt/wont happen!

The Huey, ‘Miss Jo’ is tucked up in Helicentre hangar here at Blackpool Apt for winter but we will be bringing her out for a fly about soon …every 2 weeks she gets a run and we fly as and when we get the chance..

Changing tack completely, refering to Dave T and his Harrier question … the T4 nose is currently at Spark Bridge and is my girlfriends Xmas presi !! …YES you heard correctly …im a luck guy to have a girl who WANTs her own Harrier cockpit to play and tinker with!…besides, that means she will leave my Lightnings alone ….those of you out there who know Heather can understand where im commimg from here …. future xmas presi’s are going to be easy …new harness/instruments/panels/ etc ….

Fly Safe, Neil

Something like this: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=163306598&size=o ?

Pass the tissues…

Something like this: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=163306598&size=o ?

Hello Huey fans,

Just following on from this September 2006 COBRA thread…. take a look at www.huey.co.uk and look at the latest news section and scroll down to Cobra project! …. isnt she VERY pretty!

Phil Connolly is very seriously looking at buying a FLYING Cobra and bringing it over to the UK to fly with his UH-1H as a ‘pairs event’ at air shows etc….

There is one available and he is going through the CAA etc to get approvals to operate her on a ‘UK permit to fly’ .

Just thought id bring this to your attention.

Fly safe all,

XM172

I just drooled all over my keyboard, desk, lap ….

what a fantastic sight it would be to see that pair flying together…

anyone got a mop ?

Roy.

He’s just in the “everything my parents do is stupid, and I hate it” phase… lasts from ~8-10 to ~20 for a lot of kids.

Maybe he has a secret stash of aviation magazines behind a board in the garage?

Its a case of get what you can …..and go with it. Hope you like what we are trying to do here…. log onto www.huey.co.uk and tell us what you think!

Love the sound track! Even No 1 son, who is 16 with no interest in aviation whatsoever (where did I go wrong?), declared it “really cool”. Maybe there’s hope for him yet.

William

As for the Cobra, the only ones for sale to the Civilian world are the ‘Twin stickers’ training versions and there were only EVER 13 built! …or so i believe!

Fly Safe, Neil

Currently, surplus Cobras are being used as fire fighters. The states get them free from Army surplus channels. The states then have them overhauled and modified…so much for “free.”
(Example: Currently the local Sheriff’s deptartment is complaining about spending $400,000 to get a surplus OH-58/Bell Jet Ranger ready for work.)

I understand they get clear title so once the state is done with them, they could be sold to private users….at least that has happened with other warbirds.

To see a civil Cobra, here’s a link to a Washington State page on their firefighting helicopters.

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/rp/aviation/helitak/history/history.html

Any comment to make on the Harrier nose yet Neil ?

:confused:

Huey Cobra project

Hello all,

Glad you like our cunning plan to import a flying Cobra into the UK and yes, of course we are looking at a rare ‘double act’ on the airshow scene!

Where else outside the US would you see a Vietnam pair like this taking to the sky…?? Especially with our friends out there with their Texan’s/Tweety Bird’s/ Sky Raiders and Bronco’s …. watch this space!

Yes of course we will be going as original as we realistically can. G-UHIH was in service from 1972 up until 2000 where she went into the desert…we havnt retrograted her 2000 spec safety features/MOD’s for authenticity as that would be silly …bit like cutting modified seatbelts out of an old car that didnt have them! But she is as original as we can make her and her colour scheme is pretty accurate to the 129th Asslt Heli unit (yes we know the nose badge is the UNIT’s crest, not that of a slick)

As for the Cobra, the only ones for sale to the Civilian world are the ‘Twin stickers’ training versions and there were only EVER 13 built! …or so i believe!

Its a case of get what you can …..and go with it. Hope you like what we are trying to do here…. log onto www.huey.co.uk and tell us what you think!

ALL top tips and info on Hueys/Vietnam/etc WELCOME.

Fly Safe, Neil

So, fully modernized version, eh?

Any chance of retrofitting the curved-plexiglass canopy and shorter rounded nose (& two-position turret) so it looks kind of like a Vietnam-era AH-1G?

Of course, the mini-gun & grenade launcher would be mock-ups… it is in the UK, after all.

Hello Huey fans,

Just following on from this September 2006 COBRA thread…. take a look at www.huey.co.uk and look at the latest news section and scroll down to Cobra project! …. isnt she VERY pretty!

Phil Connolly is very seriously looking at buying a FLYING Cobra and bringing it over to the UK to fly with his UH-1H as a ‘pairs event’ at air shows etc….

There is one available and he is going through the CAA etc to get approvals to operate her on a ‘UK permit to fly’ .

Just thought id bring this to your attention.

Fly safe all,

XM172

That I would love to see. Maybe a ‘Dust Off’ scenario with the Cobra providing support?

Flying Huey Cobra to the UK…..well, thats the plan

Hello Huey fans,

Just following on from this September 2006 COBRA thread…. take a look at www.huey.co.uk and look at the latest news section and scroll down to Cobra project! …. isnt she VERY pretty!

Phil Connolly is very seriously looking at buying a FLYING Cobra and bringing it over to the UK to fly with his UH-1H as a ‘pairs event’ at air shows etc….

There is one available and he is going through the CAA etc to get approvals to operate her on a ‘UK permit to fly’ .

Just thought id bring this to your attention.

Fly safe all,

XM172

Sadsack – The Helicopter Museum doesn’t have a Huey Cobra – the U.S has greatly tightened up on which museums it will allow to have Cobra’s and this has worked against them sadly! There is an example at Shrivenham which might enter preservation
when it becomes surplus down there.

if I was a small child i wouldnt give a damn if it was British or not I would want to know why I couldnt get in and play with the controls. And so would a lot of punters.

Have the International helicopter museum got one?

SMALL? get down to Wallop and take a look at it shoe horned in.
The someone commented to me was that its rotor blades were as big as the wings of the Kirby Kite hanging above it. – Not quite, but not far off.

Why on earth does the Museum Of (British) Army Flying have/need to have a Huey Cobra on display?
I can’t ever recall seeing one flying in Hampshire skies wearing RAF livery.
:confused:

The point made my Aeronut: why turn down a free exhibit? It’s small and doesn’t hurt anyone to be there.

More to the point, as the world’s first purpose made attack helicopter, doesn’t it rate a place in what is meant to be a world class collection of Army aviation hardware?

It’s the same reason why many (even non U.S.) museums have replicas of the Wright flyer on display…or why the any worthwhile musem has other nation’s aircraft on display. It gives people a broader outlook and knowledge.
Not everything has to be UK-centric.

Wallop had two UH1 Hueys, the one your son would have been standing on is now at Shawbury. It also spent some time on top of a building in London pianted in US army markings.

The Huey(UH-1H) is a Falklands trophy, the Cobra(AH-1) is not, 2 different airframes

Thanks, I will need to brush up on my helicopter recognition. I have a photo of my son standing on top of the Huey taken about 10 years ago.

Ok then, let’s get rid of aircraft in museums which according to the museums title don’t belong in there – bye bye airliners at IWM Duxford then!