"E-bay Meat"

Above is the former 118th Thunderbird UH-1H 69-15022 sitting gutted and stripped in the bone-yard of AeroSource (www.rotorparts.com) in Navarre, FL. President and owner Rob Hall said, "I have never put a helicopter "hull" on E-bay before, but decided to try it once." Although she has been treated fairly roughly, she still proudly wears her pitot cover.....although in tattered shreds!
(Photo courtesy Rob Hall)
 
 

 

 

 

(All Photos above courtesy Rob Hall)
 
UH-1H, 69-15022 didn't just spend a short time in the 118th Thunderbirds. It came to the unit practically brand-new with 22 hours in March of 1970. Then, over the next 11 months she averaged over 100 hours per month until being transferred out of the unit to the 7/1 Cav with 1287 hours total time on the aircraft....almost 1/2 her total flight time!
 
The probable reason the aircraft was transferred out of the 118th to the 7/1 Cav was she had over so many hours of flight time. All the aircraft in the 118th transferred to the VNAF in March of 1971 were to have 500 hours on them or less.
 
The US Army Goldbook shows the history of 69-15022 through her Stateside service up to 1975 with the 187th Infantry Bde somewhere in the Northeastern United States. What happened to her after that date is unknown. However, most likely she served somewhere with distinction until ending up near the white sand beaches outside Pensacola, FL. May she rest in pieces!