A Huey helicopter from the Vietnam era has completed its tour of Ames, Boone and Carroll areas.
Tom Aretz is one of the crew members on the helicopter that was restored by a group called Friends of Army Aviation. “We’re a group of Vietnam, Iraqi and Afghan vets. We all got together and rebuilt a couple of Huey helicopters to be able to continue to show folks Army aviation, showing them a little bit of what we did in Vietnam,” Arentz says.
Arentz and his fellow crew members gave flights out of the Ames, Boone and Carroll airports over the past week. Arentz and his teammates share the history of the aircraft. For instance, the first Huey flew in 1956. “Proven to be an incredible aircraft…It was the workhorse in Vietnam,” Arentz says. “It carried guys into battle, but it also got them back out again. Carried the wounded, carried supplies, so anyone that does any research will see this icon. They sent about 10,000 of them to Vietnam. Unfortunately, only 5000 came back.”
The Friends of Army Aviation, which is based in Alabama, has restored two Hueys. The Patriot Peak Foundation sponsored the helicopter’s flights in Iowa from September 3rd through the 10th. Aretz says they fly with the doors open, not to scare the passengers who spend 85 dollars on tickets for the ride, but to give them insight into the way the Hueys were used in war.
(By Nathan Konz, KCIM, Carroll)