'Huey' on display at Air Force Museum of New Zealand

摘要

The first of the RNZAF's recently retired Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopters has been put on display at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand at Wigram, Christchurch. Iroquois NZ3801 made its final journey to Wigram by road, leaving the RNZAF base at Ohakea on August 24 on the back of an army low-loader truck. After crossing Cook Strait by ferry, it arrived at the museum the following afternoon and was reassembled by a team from 3 Squadron. Huey '01' was identified by the Air Force Museum for addition to its collection on account of its background - as the number suggests, it was the first Iroquois to be received by the RNZAF. After arriving in military hands on June 15,1966, it was also the first to fly in New Zealand, one week later. The machine has served in Fiji, Singapore, Antarctica and Timor-Leste and was based for a time at Wigram with 3 Squadron, carrying out army support and search and rescue duties. It was also involved in many disaster relief operations, including those undertaken in the wake of the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-2011.