Well, yes I did fly H model Huey's at one time. But that was long after the bullits stopped plinking thru the skin and half a world away. I started in CH-53D's. Then later flew Mattel Messerschmits, UH-1's, OH-58's AH-1S and ended up test flying AH-64A's.

Huey's are lumbering pig and rice haulers. They had the longest career of any US Helicopter and have so many fans that they are synonomous with the entire V-N era. To many who served during that period even the sound of those two blades whomping the air into submission will bring it all back.

From the Navigation light and radio antenna and wire cutter configuration this is probably one of the training birds from Ft. Rucker that was sent to Ft. Lewis for use as door gunnery basic training (you can see the door gun mounts outside the side doors which date from this period.) These were then decommissioned and turned in at the Boeing plant in Seattle for civilian sale. If I remember correctly there were 285 airframes involved in this sale which made it the largest single aircraft garage sale in US history.

A lot of towns and small museums got a chance to buy an empty airframe for static display for as little as $1000.00 (some assembly required)