Photo provided The Huey helicopter is shown at the Madison Indiana airport air show flight demonstration 2021.
Volunteers who work to keep the Columbus Indiana HUEY helicopter flying hope its financial future is ascending higher than ever.
A non-profit often called CIH with more than 70 volunteers who are veterans and civilians, including four pilots, works to support and maintain the Columbus HUEY helicopter, a UH-1 Iroquois aircraft purchased two years ago this month.
The privately-owned helicopter is frequently requested for fly-overs at burial sites in honor of local veterans during their funerals, as well as for airshows and various other civic events.
Now considered a flying museum, the Vietnam-era aircraft has been supported mostly through donations for the past two years, organization director and helicopter owner Jim Ogilvie said.
But in late April, two years of waiting ended when CIH finally received their Living History Flight Experience exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration.
In exchange for providng strict training and adhering to safety regulations, the FFA exemption allows the group to begin charging passengers for rides in the helicopter manufactured in 1970. More than 7,000 UH-1 Iroquois helicopters were manufactured that can fly nearly 200 miles per hours with seating for 15 people.
More positive financial news came when an April 29 fish fry at the Columbus American Legion raised in excess of $6,000 for the organization, Ogilvie said. Legion officials said it was the second highest-attended event they can recall hosting.
It costs about $1,500 an hour to fly the HUEY when all expenses (gasoline, maintenance, new parts, land rental for the hangar, utilities, etc.) are considered, Ogilvie said.
“A HUEY can only fly about two hours before refueling and, at the current price of jet fuel, it costs between $750 and $800 every time the HUEY refuels,” organization member George Dinn said.
So while being able to charge for rides will be significantly helpful, the Columbus Indiana Huey (HUEY) organization – a 501(c)3 charitable organization – will still need donations, Ogilvie said.
In addition, CIH can only afford to carry liability insurance because full coverage would be in the ballpark of $50,000 a year, Ogilvie said.
But keeping the helicopter flying and providing flights helps other to recognize the important contribution HUEY helicopters made over a half-century ago in southeast Asia.
“Sometimes, the Vietnam veterans will see that HUEY and get very emotional because they relate to it in a lot of different ways,”Ogilvie said. “I’d hate to think of how many lives it saved. The HUEY evacuated the wounded, as well as inserted and extracted troops. It just did it all.”
Ogilvie purchased a more modern Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter in 2004, which he has used for search and rescue efforts by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department. But if needed, the older HUEY can also be used to get into confined areas, fly supplies and move personnel during large scale emergencies, he said.
By the 1990s, the U.S Army discontinued use of the UH-1H Iroquois, but law enforcement agencies and foreign countries still use the restored helicopters. The OH-58 was used by the military until 2017.
Now that the group has permission to start charging for rides, they have to keep up their end of the deal. About 25 of the organization’s most dedicated members meet every other Tuesday to engage in all aspects of training, CIH Director of Ground Operations Gary Galbraith said. Other members will be asked to specialize in certain areas of operation.
“Everything from retail sales to actually booking flights,” Galbraith said. “It even includes instructions on how to escort people on. We have systems and procedures for all of that in either our General Operations Manual or Standard Operating Procedures.”
But what is most important from a safety standpoint is that CIH members “do it the right way every time, and everyone understands what the right way is,” Galbraith said.
With the federal exemption now in hand, CIH has already a number of events lined up for this summer. The historic helicopter will be at the Salute Concert on May 27. The next day, members will fly the historic chopper to a large veterans’ event in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
But for those who want a closer look at the helicopters, the organization will host a public open house on Saturday, June 4, from noon until 5 p.m. at their hangar at 2045 Taxiway Drive in the Columbus Municipal Airport. CIH is headquartered in the hangar furthest to the east in the airport, located directly south of the Cummins, Inc. aircraft hangar.
