Tomorrow (Saturday) is the final day the Friends of Army Aviation will offer Iowans rides on an authentic Vietnam-era UH-1 “Huey” helicopter. The Friends of Army Aviation, in partnership with the Patriot Peak Foundation in Carroll, hosted the Huey in 2021 and invited the group back for a second tour. Tom Aretz, a Vietnam War veteran and crew member on the restored helicopter, explains the purpose behind the Friends of Army Aviation organization.
More than 16,000 Hueys were manufactured during the aircraft’s 20+ year production life, but only a few hundred remain operational today, many of them with foreign militaries. Aretz says the UH-1 has a vaunted U.S. service history, primarily during Vietnam.
Reading a textbook or watching archived footage paints a partial picture of history. Aretz says stepping into the cabin and taking the machine through its paces is another story.
The Friends of Army Aviation spent the last 10 days at the Ames and Boone airports offering these rides, and the crew is only in Carroll at the Arthur N. Neu Municipal Airport on Sunday, Sept. 10. Tickets can be purchased today (Saturday) for $85 each at www.friendsofarmyaviation.org or at the airport on Sunday.
