Army Aviation Heritage Foundation Gateway Chapter Holds First Ride Event of the Season

By Carmelo Turdo

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation Gateway Chapter held their first ride event of the season at Creve Coeur Airport on Saturday, May 18. Throughout the day, the chapter's Vietnam War-era Huey troop transport and Cobra gunship helicopters could be seen, and their characteristic rotor slap heard, over the Missouri River just west of the airport as their passengers received the flight of a lifetime. The Huey and Cobra crews flew twelve flights each. The Aero Experience was there to capture several Huey and Cobra flights during our coverage of this event and the Armed Forces Day Civil Air Patrol Open House (featured in a separate story) happening simultaneously at the airport.

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (AAHF) is a flying museum that honors American soldiers and their families through living history programs using former U.S. Army helicopters, including the iconic Huey and Cobra. The AAHF is based in Hampton, GA with additional chapters in Mesa, AZ and St. Louis. Many of the AAHF members themselves are veterans, and they are being joined by a new generation of young men and women who will continue the mission into the future. Contact the AAHF to become a member and join the chapter near you.

We begin our coverage with a look at the Gateway Chapter members conducting their crew briefing, pre-flight inspections and aircraft positioning from the hangar to the landing zone. The sign-in and merchandise booth were set up near the aircraft loading area at the north end of the airport, and golf cart shuttles were constantly bringing more riders from the airport parking lot.

The Gateway Chapter's 1968 Bell UH-1H Huey served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971 with the 191st Assault Helicopter Company, named the "Boomerangs" because they always came back from their missions. It served at Fort Sam Houston, TX (1971-1975) and Fort Rucker, AL (1976-1995) before being retired and becoming part of the AAHF fleet in 1998. Today it is flown by veteran pilots and crewed by a new generation of aviation professionals, like Safety Crew Chief Alexis Noel, who make these public flights possible. 

The Gateway Chapter's 1967 Bell AH-1F Cobra served in Vietnam with the 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion from 1968 to 1971. It served at Hunter Army Airfield, GA (1971-1981), Korea (1981-1996) and with the TN Army National Guard in Smyrna, TN (1996-2001) before becoming part of the AAHF fleet in 2001. The Gateway Chapter provided a rare flight of a lifetime opportunity for these riders. Here we show several flights from Saturday, including the view from the front seat courtesy of Alexis Noel.

The Aero Experience thanks the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation Gateway Chapter for sharing their love of aviation through these flight experiences in iconic military helicopters last Saturday and throughout the year. Join them again June 15 for another opportunity to take the flight of a lifetime at Creve Coeur Airport!