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War Stories

UH1H Centaur Aircraft Tail Numbers - UH-1H

by Michael Peake
select aircraft....AH-1G.....OH-23.....OH-6A.....UH-1C.....UH-1D.....UH-1H.....Researching

UH-1H Slicks - Troop Carriers - see photos
AC Model Tail Number Buy Date Begin Unit Begin Hours Finish In Unit Finish Hours Total Hours Remarks (note: MASN = Military Aircraft Serial Numbers-1908 to Present)
UH-1H 66-01003 1266 7009 2064 7102 2457 393 D Troop/F Troop.

UH-1H

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 66-16286            

F Troop. SP4 James Brian "Stretch" Harrison, F Troop 1972-73 door gunner, provides photograph of his aircraft UH-1D/H 66-16286 at Firebase T-Bone shortly before unit stand down and Stretch is certain aircraft was turned over to the South Vietnamese Air Force. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database shows UH-1H 68-16286, in service with C Troop, 16th Air Cavalry, Can Tho, South Vietnam, when a non-injury accident resulted in a Loss to Inventory April 11, 1972.

MASN for 1966 provides no listing for Bell UH-1H Iroquois 66-16286 but does show that 140 UH-1D aircraft with tail numbers ranging from 66-16000 to 66-16306 were converted to UH-1H. Conversion of UH-1D to UH-1H model was accomplished at unit level by the installation of the more powerful Lycoming T53-L-13 engine of 1,400 shp and repositioning the the pitot tube from the nose to the roof. MASN 1968 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 68-16286 was written off April 11, 1972.
UH-1H 67-17201 168 7003 2150 7008 2562 412 D Troop.
UH-1H 67-17850 1068 6811 0 7002 1371 1371 D Troop. Bill Knebusch, veteran of the 129th AHC (Bulldogs), reports that UH-1H 67-17850 is on display at the Pampa War Museum in Pampa, Texas.MASN for 1967 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 67-17850 redesignated as N8159Z with US Department of State, registered April 10, 1983, cancelled June 19, 1992, according to FAA as "destroyed."
UH-1H 67-17852 1068 6811 0 6904 351 351 D Troop. MASN for 1967 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 67-17852 converted to GUH-1H.
UH-1H 67-18572 1068 6811 0 6811 17 17 D Troop.
UH-1H 67-19490 1168 6812 0 6908 883 883

D Troop.

 

UH-1H

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 67-19494 1168 6812 0 7010 2048 2048 UH-1H/V 67-19494 My Page entry shows that Sergeant Calvin Williams was crew chief for UH-1H Huey “Slick” #67-19494. SP/5 Jack M. Nemeyer's Photo Album, Image #56, shows: "494 over clouds on the way to Katum." Donald W. Price, who died February 18, 2014, has Fred Reese's "Nighthawk and the Twin 60s" listed in Don's In Memoriam Page where Fred speaks of flying with Price on 494, armed with twin-M60s right side. Military Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to Present for 1967 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 67-19494 converted to UH-1V [served with California Army National Guard]. Currently undergoing restoration at Gillespie Field, El Cajon, California, in preparation for static display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Thomas Dooling states: This aircraft was one of the V models flown by the 126th Med Co (AA) out of Mather AFB in Sacramento. I was in that unit from 1976 to 1984 and almost certainly flew this aircraft. I did not do a lot of Huey flying in D Troop, but is possible that I also flew it in RVN when I was helping out due to the Huey pilot shortage. Rick Schwab from F Troop was also a member of the 126th for a short time-so there is another connection. Through the efforts of Thomas Dooling, UH-1H/V 67-19494 has been verified by other former members as an aircraft of the 126th Med Co (AA) until the unit converted to other aircraft and later served with CAL FIRE, The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. see 494 War Story
UH-1H 68-15390 269 6905 115 7010 1990 1875 D Troop. "Beloved." My Page shows CW2 Jim Tonelli, Centaur 23, was pilot of UH-1H Huey "Slick" #68-15390 "Beloved." MASN for 1968 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 68-15390 transferred to civil registry as N375AV, registered as ZK-HSX with Lakeland Helicopters Ltd (1989), Rotorua, New Zealand, registered as ZK-HSP and crashed on February 28, 2011.
UH-1H 68-15448             D Troop/F Troop. My Page for Joseph Hoover shows Joe Hoover was crew chief of UH-1H Huey "Slick" #68-16224 "Pinball Wizard" and later UH-1H Huey #65-15448. F Troop 4th U. S. (Air) Cav 1971 Lai Khe Vietnam Yearbook shows image of UH-1H Huey #65-15448. MASN for 1968 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 68-15448 written off June 30, 1974.
UH-1H 68-15477     7203      

F Troop. UH-1H 68-15477 is not listed on the VHPA chart of identified Centaur aircraft. Dale Dow’s Centaur Aircraft 66-73 Excel Database #2 shows listing of UH-1H 68-15477.

UH-1H 68-15486 369 6904 0 6908 543 543 D Troop.
UH-1H 68-15504 369 6904 0 6908 543 543 F Troop. Carl Betsill provides photograph of UH-1H 68-15504 with main rotor and engine cowlings removed. UH-1H 68-15504 is not listed on the VHPA chart of identified Centaur aircraft. MASN for 1968 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 68-15504 written off June 8, 1972.
UH-1H 68-15629 569 6906 0 6909 516 516 D Troop. MASN for 1968 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 68-15629 Served with 501st Aviation Battalion, 71st Assault Helicopter Company, 151st Transportation Detachment, 99th Signal Detachment ("Rattler/Firebird") written off May 17, 1970.

UH-1H

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 68-16217 969 6910 0 7006 707 707 D Troop. SP5 Stanley E. Allen, D Troop 1969-70, served as Nighthawk crew chief of UH-1H 68-16217. SP5 Jack M. Nemeyer, crew chief UH-1H 68-16224 “Pinball Wizard” D Troop 1969-70, and provides photograph of UH-1H 68-16217 on the ground at Dau Tieng with three other Hueys.
UH-1H 68-16224 969 6910 1 7102 1292 1291 D Troop/F Troop. "Pinball Wizard."

UH-1H
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 68-16237 969 6910 0 7102 1358 1358 D Troop/F Troop. SP5 Jack M. Nemeyer, crew chief of “Pinball Wizard” D Troop 69-70, provides photograph of UH-1H 68-16237 in flight near Nui Ba Den, Mountain Of The Black Virgin. Centaur 17 CW2 Robert R. "Bob" Forringer, LOH Scout Pilot D Troop 1969-70, provides image of UH-1H 68-16237 in a flight formation of three "Slicks."

UH-1H
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 ??-??358             F Troop. "35 Pig."
UH-1H 68-16436 1169 7011 741 7102 1016 275 D Troop/F Troop. MASN for 1968 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 68-16436 transferred to Federal Bureau of Investigation as N7246U on March 11, 1997 and cancelled on February 28, 2017.
UH-1H 69-15108 270 7011 698 7102 931 233 D Troop/F Troop. “Creeping Jesus.” SGT Lawrence J. "John" Schilinski, F Troop 1971-72, served as door gunner on UH-1H69-15108 "Creeping Jesus" with Crew Chief SP4 Steven M. Powell. Dale Dow’s Centaur Aircraft 66-73 Excel Database #2 shows UH-1H 69-15108 named “Creeping Jesus.” Frank Dillon states UH-1H 69-15108 was the “Creeping Jesus” slick. CW2 Jerry Shelton was the Pilot when, in his words, it sustained “battle damage” 2 May 72. “Loss to inventory”, however it was recovered and slung back to Marble Mountain (I have pics of it there.) Author John Brennan, Vietnam Aircraft Nose Art, provides listing showing UH-1H 69-15108 named "Creeping Jesus." MASN for 1969 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 69-15108 written off May 2, 1972.
UH-1H 69-15190 370 7007 286 7102 876 590 D Troop/F Troop. MASN for 1969 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 69-15190 noted during March 2003 in storage at the AMCOM/Dynacorp facility at Temple/Draughton-Miller RAP, Texas. Still there March 2005.
UH-1H 69-15272 470 7011 425 7102 620 195 D Troop/F Troop. In Memoriam Page shows Sergeant Leonard Montes, crew chief of UH-1H Huey #69-15272, was killed in action May 16, 1971. MASN for 1969 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 69-15272 written off May 16, 1971.
UH-1H 69-15448 1070 7011 0 7102 294 294 F Troop. “Killer Slick.” Dale Dow’s Centaur Aircraft 66-73 Excel Database #2 shows UH-1H 69-15448 named “Killer Slick.”

UH-1H

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 69-15753 1070 7011 0 7102 294 294 D Troop & F Troop. F TROOP 4TH U. S. (AIR) CAV 1971 LAI KHE VIETNAM YEARBOOK shows image of UH-1H Huey “Slick” 69-15753 behind group photograph at end of Slicks section. SP5 Joe Hoover, former crew chief of 68-15448 and 68-16224 "Pinball Wizard," identifies the individuals on his My Page. MASN for 1969 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 69-15753 transferred to Republic of Vietnam Army. On display at War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
UH-1H 69-15861             MASN for 1969 shows: Bell UH-1H Iroquois 69-15861 converted to UH-1V with boom from 68-16390, noted during March 2003 in storage at the AMCOM/Dynacorp facility at Temple/Draughton-Miller RAP, Texas. Still there March 2005.
UH-1H 70-15863             MASN for 1970 shows: UH-1H 70-15863 written off May 2, 1972.
UH-1H 69-15861             F Troop.
UH-1H 70-15863       7205     F Troop. In Memoriam Page shows CW2 William Clifton Jesse, age 22, was pilot in command of UH-1H "Slick" #70-15863 when killed in action May 2, 1972, near Quang Tri, Quang Tri Province in I Corps, north of Camp Evans. In Memoriam Page shows SP/4 Charles Vernon Morgan, 28, died as crew chief aboard a UH-1H Huey #70-15863 while assisting the recovery of two downed Air Force Pilots when the aircraft was hit with an SA-7 surface to air missile and crashed in an area heavy with North Vietnamese Army forces. Three other men killed in the cash were WO1 John Joseph Petrilla, Jr., age 22, gunner SP4 Dale Kyette Porterfield, age 20 and an ARVN advisor, Captain Joseph Mike Berkson.
UH-1H 71-20096 472 7206 3 7207 83 80 F Troop. Frank Dillon provides: “There was a UH-1H xx-xx881 [likely 861]. Don’t see it on the list. Engine failure with MAJ John Spencer as pilot. Slung back to Tân Mŷ minus part of the tail boom. Have pic. This bird was replaced by 71-20096. 096 took 82? rounds one day which ended its air time. Per John Spencer it was the mission of 30 June 72 with CW3 William “Pappy” Jones as the pilot when it was shot up.”

NOTE: All data acquired from images found in the Centaur List of Photo Albums, Slide Shows, Yearbooks, My Page entries and Rosters War Stories Essays/Discussions, are cross referenced with chart provided by VHPA found in War Stories Discussions-Centaur Aircraft Tail Numbers augmented by a database of unknown origin provided by Tom Dooling.

Also check out Aircraft Names without tail numbers and the Aircraft History Section - see just photos