@San Carlos Airport, CA
June 2009
Military surplus Hueys are a popular choice for aerial firefighting and Calif Dept of Forestry (now CAL FIRE) was a regular exhibitor at the Hiller Aviation Museum’s Vertical Challenge helicopter airshows. Performing here during the 2009 show is an ex-Army (originally delivered 1969) UH-1H “Copter 106” that was acquired by the CAL FIRE in 1981, one of eleven in the fleet spread among nine Helitack bases located statewide. The Bambi Bucket weighs 140 pounds empty, and the Huey performs best when set up for 80 percent capacity (259 gallons) weighing about 2,165 pounds. This one was actually a EH-1H modified as a communications jamming aircraft with the US Army. Nikon D300 w/80-200mm.
