Madison, WI today...Oshkosh tomorrow

We have made the trip from Arizona to Madison, WI with no problems from the Seawolf 324 gunship.  We carried the rocket pods and guns inside to reduce drag and improve gas mileage.  Today we installed the guns and rockets and got the aircraft ready for the final 60 miles to Oshkosh tomorrow morning.

It was very hot and humid this afternoon.  Here are a couple of photos . . . more to come!  

Departure Day to Oshkosh AirVenture 2011

Leaving today for the 1100 nautical mile flight to Oshkosh.  Route of flight will take us to Taos and Raton, NM, Lamar, CO, McCook, Hastings and Freemont, NE then to Madison, WI where we will re-install the rocket pods and mini-gun.  The external weapons are being carried inside the cabin to reduce the drag.

Hope you will stop by and see the helicopter at AirVenture 2011.

Ready to leave for Oshkosh

Maintenance test flights are completed and the aircraft is running great and smooth.  Installing the armament items inside and exterior.  In the photo here you can see the empty rocket pods installed.  We have dummy rockets plus the door gun mounts, the dummy M60 and .50 cal guns, and a mini gun for the left side.

Hope to see you at EAA Air Venture 2011 (July 25 to 31).

Seawolf 324 will fly again....and go to Oshkosh AirVenture 2011

UPDATE

Seawolf 324 has been in storage since last July here in Show Low, AZ inside the Overseas Aircraft Support hangar.  The transmission was removed and overhauled.  Yes, they found several things wrong inside that caused us to abort our trip to Oshkosh last year.

This year we are putting it back together and doing routine maintenance and inspections.  We plan to fly it around the local area for about 10 hours to make sure everything is good to go.  Then we will put the Huey on a trailer and haul it to Wisconsin.  Jet A fuel is almost $6.00 a gallon average, with some airports as high as $8.80 a gallon.  Also flying the helicopter cross country puts hours on the components, especially the rotor blades which are becomming very hard to find.

We need a set of rocket pods and a mini gun, plus some other armament items.  If you know where we can buy any helicopter gunship items, please let us know.

At Oshkosh EAA AirVenture 2011 the show will devote one full day to the Centennial of Naval Aviation with many Navy warbirds, including Seawolf 324, flying and on public display.  This year the show is July 25 to July 31.

Below are some photos taken today showing the current status of Seawolf 324.



Seawolf 324 is back home.

The recovery crew returned to Lakeside last night, about midnight, with Seawolf 324 on the trailer. Disassembly and loading at Angle Fire, NM went smooth using a local boom truck. Guns and rockets were removed to keep the overall width within highway limits.

The crew reported many waves, horns and people taking photos during the drive back to Arizona along Interstate 25 and 40 through Albuquerque.

Here are some photos taken this morning at Overseas Aircraft Support during the unloading.

Dave Renner operating the boom truck to lift Seawolf 324 while the trailer is driven forward.

Now Seawolf 324 is tucked in with the bigger UH-1H Super Hueys along the edge of the OAS ramp. All the guns and rockets have been removed and stored. Next step, remove the transmission and find the source of the vibrations that ended our trip to Oshkosh.

July 25, more photos

First photo was taken at Show Low Airport in Arizona just prior to departure. Seawolf with all guns and rockets, ready to depart for Oshkosh.



This photo was taken at the landing site near Black Lake, just south of Angle Fire, NM. Diana sitting in the cockpit, Scott sitting in the crew seat taking a break. At this point we are trying to troubleshoot our high freq. vibration problem. Transmission oil lines and hydraulic pump lines have the highest vibration levels.

During the long cross-country flights, the dual M60 and .50 cal door guns were removed and stowed inside so we could fly with doors closed.

Here is the bucket slowly filling as we drain the transmission oil. If you look closely you can see a few of the "cow pies" that were all around and under the helicopter.

The rancher's pasture we landed in was by chance located near the home of Larry Holst, who is a Vietnam Vet, has been around helicopters all his life, loves the Huey, and came to help us within minutes of landing. He loaned us one of his vehicles to use and helped in so many ways over the next several days. Where we landed there is no cell phone coverage, so we went over to Larry's house to use his phone. He even came out during the night to check on the helicopter.

Angel Fire airport is at an elevation of 8,380 ft. The site we landed at was slightly higher, around 8,700 ft. Heavy rain every afternoon with low clouds and cool temperatures.

The helicopter will be loaded on a trailer and returned to Arizona this week.

July 24 The End for this trip.

Here is a photo of the helicopter sitting in a rancher's pasture where we landed near Black Lake, NM. Black Lake is about 8 miles south of Angel Fire, NM airport where we were heading after hearing some strange noises from the transmission area. The noise got worse, so we parked the bird here.

After several ground runs to try and locate the problem, and talking to home base back in Arizona, they sent us a hydraulic pump. This morning it arrived by plane and we installed it right away. The next ground run resulted in the same vibrations and noise, plus we got a XSM CHIP LIGHT on the Master Caution Panel.

So the trip to Oshkosh and AirVenture 2010 ends here today. The UH-1B will ride home on a trailer and the crew has also returned, some by ground, some by air.

To all the Seawolves who we wanted to meet along the way, and who were going to fly with us in this restored gunship, I am very sorry that we had to end the journey today. But better safe, on the ground, to be repaired to fly another day.

Larry Clark