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Longbow and Cobra got to do some exploring today...WOW did we have a d


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Fort Rucker has many aircraft in storage and as Jon has stated the museum is trying to to get another building to be built right behind the existing building. I was takeing a lot of pictures yesterday in the dark so all the pictures did not turn out as well as others. The aircraft are stowed away in old buildings with the Comanche in a fairly new building so the lighting was better in that building. Maybe one day these aircraft will be show to the public once again. Oh yeah and one building had an OV-1 Mowhawk that is white. My pics did not turn out good of this bird because of the lighting.

Brock

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That's some nice pictures you two made, and some unforgetable memories as well! :thumbsup:

Back when the museum was in those storage buildings, we would spend HOURS in those ovens and still not be all the way through looking when it was time to go. There use to be hundreds of models, some heat warped, displayed amongst the aircraft and memoribilia.... are there any trace of them?

Thanks for the pictures and for sharing your fantastic adventure!

Take care,

Frank

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Hey Frank,

I have no idea about the old things that were in those buildings, but I can tell you that they tore down those old buildings about a month ago. The aircraft are tucked away in various other buildings around post.

Brock

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My apologies, I meant to say it before, Jon, Congradulations!! :yahoo: You're "one of them" now! :cheers: "Above the Best", as it's said :cheers: and as it is!

(now you need to see about mounting a helmet cam and take us along for the ride too??) :banana: :D

Take care,

Frank

Edited by oldHooker
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Cool, thanks :thumbsup: Do you have a pic of the "here, I'm here, look at me!" front 'pit?

:cheers:

Martin, I've got a pair of front shots from the mid-80's, a 3/4 nose and a closeup of the gunner's seat/mg controls. Would love to do a vacuform fuselage of the 207 for the 1/35 or 1/48 kits available. Hey Jon/Brock--seeing how you're in the area, what's the status of the Cessna YH-41 Seneca s/n 56-4244? I had great photo access to it in particular in the mid-80's (no holds barred-"just please put it back together before the public shows up at 1 o'clock") and I'm just curious as to whether they ever did any cleanup/restoration on it. Thanks, Dean

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Dean,

You are going to have to school me on the YH-41, I have more that likely seen it but did not know what the letter number combo was.

Brock

Brock, Looks like a Cessna 172 Skyhawk/T-41, with the engine out front at waist level. The whole engine cowl came off in one piece and you worked on the engine waist-high. Fwd angled skids sort of like a Hughes OH-6, 2 bladed rotors. The canopy was plex 360 all around and the main rotor shaft came up between the pil/cop seats. At that time still had the number 4 painted on the cowl with TATSA and an indian silhouette all in white. Can't miss it, oddest engine setup at the time, was beating the Bell 47 in performance, but Cessna bowed out right before turbines were generally available (pre-Jetranger) Only @ 60 were built and this is the only known example. Also known as the Cessna CH-1 Skyhook. I offered to restore it for the museum but they didn't want to ship it to Fla. Can't blame 'em. Just hoping the museum didn't consider it "not important" and scrap it. I'm WAY overdue for another trip to Mother Rucker. Maybe this summer.Thanks, Dean

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Dean,

Its in the storage building we were in, tucked right between a Cobra and a Huey. It is an odd bird! I wouldn't worry about them just scrapping something like that. I'm well aware of the XCH-62 issues, and believe me, they did the right thing, as painful as it was for them to do so.

The museum foundation needs to get its butt in gear and raise funds for the new building so all of the incredible bits of technology can be displayed for all to see!

Jon

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Dean,

Its in the storage building we were in, tucked right between a Cobra and a Huey. It is an odd bird! I wouldn't worry about them just scrapping something like that. I'm well aware of the XCH-62 issues, and believe me, they did the right thing, as painful as it was for them to do so.

The museum foundation needs to get its butt in gear and raise funds for the new building so all of the incredible bits of technology can be displayed for all to see!

Jon

Thanks Jon, That's great news on it's still-existence. I did a ton of research on it and was even building a 1/20 scratchbuilt model. (not finished) Charlie Seibel (designer on Bell 30/47 team, then Cessna, then Bell 209 Cobra chief designer) sent me a photo of the helo at altitude with 1 person in the right rear seat holding up 4 fingers. Helo had been straight and level for 4 minutes as such. This was late 50's pre SAS when you didn't let go of a cyclic. Charlie did a great VHS video on the YH-41/CH-1 that one of these days I gotta get transfered to DVD. Also have lots of pictures from the '84 trip, and copies of the Cessna CH-1C Skyhook parts catalog (essentially same as 56-4244) and the overhaul and IPC manual for the Continental FSO-526-A engine if Rucker ever decides to restore it. Thanks for your pictures. That 207 is getting my interest stirred up for 1/35 scale! Cheers, Dean

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>>I'm well aware of the XCH-62 issues, and believe me, they did the right thing, as painful as it was for them to do so. <<

You know... that all happened around the time they were moving those aircraft from the fenced lot to their new display location, and I always figured when they attempted to tow it by it's nose gear, she broke in half, from rot. The thing was probably at the point of falling apart anyhow, and saving it would mean rebuilding it, which would then make it a replica of a mock-up... so it was "disassembled for safety reasons". :thumbsup:

Better to have it go like that, than to collapse while in the new display area... where people would be walking under it..... :blink:

Knowing Steve, if there had been any way to save it, he would have.

Very interesting thread!

Take care,

Frank

Edited by oldHooker
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Man am I late to the dance. Congrats on getting your wings, Jon. Proud of ya my friend! :crying:

As for the pics all I can say is :nanner: I may have to dig out my partially started Comanche from the Started kit Abyss stash! Thanks to you and Brock for posting them.

Cheers,

Alby

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There was actually a model done of the YH-41 by the company Life-Like about 1/48th scale. The YH-41 was a good helo and it did set an altitude record by landing on top of Pike's Peak if I remember right.

But the Army was testing another helo at the time which killed the YH-41 and that helo was the Huey. Cessna got out of the helo business after that and bought back all of the 41's it could and as far as I know the one at Rucker is the only surviving example left

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Guest LITTLE BIRD 117

Sorry about being late on saying job well done with getting your wings!!! I am glad you got them, maybe I'll hear ya fly over some day.

Jake

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Yeah that is a wierd looking bird, but you know there was a ton of wierd looking helos in those buildings. Great picture of a bird that set the paveing ground for many helo manufactures. Thanks for posting.

Brock

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Yeah that is a wierd looking bird, but you know there was a ton of wierd looking helos in those buildings. Great picture of a bird that set the paveing ground for many helo manufactures. Thanks for posting.

Brock

Thanks for the pic grandadjohn. For the definitive site for the Cessna YH-41/CH-1 go to Steve Remington's site at collectair.com. Be prepared to spend lot's of time on his site and don't forget to tell him Hi!!! :thumbsup: Dean

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