One of the most recognisable helicopters of the past 60 years has been developed for X-Plane 11 by Nimbus Simulation Studios – the iconic UH-1 Huey.
Military-bred
The UH-1B Huey development started in 1952 to meet the US Army need for a medical evacuation and general purpose utility helicopter. It was originally designated the HU-1 and this is where it gets its nickname - the Huey. It became an iconic symbol of the Vietnam war of the 1960s where more than 7,000 were used to transport troops as well as evacuate the injured.
This single turbine-engined helo went on to be produced with a vast range of variants including larger airframes, more powerful engines and improved rotor systems, which kept it in military action until as recently as December 2016 when the US Army finally retired them from the fleet. The civilian versions that evolved are still used widely today in areas such as passenger and utility transport and even aerial firefighting. If you take a look at the lines of many Bell helicopter models such as the 204/205, 214 and 412, the lineage is very apparent. Indeed, why mess too much with a winning design?
