Did you know you can fly in a Bell UH-1 Huey right here in the UK? James Peene was fortunate enough to experience this Vietnam combat veteran up close and personal
To the average man or woman on the street, all aircraft sound pretty much the same, but those with the right frame of mind, who never fail to look up when they hear the sound of an aircraft overhead can recognise a particular type of machine without even having to look up to confirm their thoughts. The snarling growl of a Rolls-Royce Merlin, for example, or the bellowing howl of the Avro Vulcan, when we were still lucky enough to have one gracing our skies, are unmistakable. As is the rhythmic chopping of the Bell Huey’s rotor blades.
To entire generations raised on a diet of Vietnam movies, the distinctive sound of a Huey has become as much a part of the soundtrack of the conflict as 1960s rock 'n' roll music.
