A half-century-old aviation relic is making its first and last appearance in the skies above Santa Barbara County.
It’s not flying, though. A team will use a giant crane to move the Vietnam War-era Bell UH-1 helicopter, also known as a “Huey,” from a trailer to a flatbed truck.
Hueys were used for everything from troop transports to gunships and were seen as a symbol of U.S. combat forces. For decades, the Huey was the star of veteran-related events in Santa Barbara County, from memorial events to parades. Now, it’s getting a new home in Northern California.
This retired military helicopter’s story as a mobile museum began in 1988.
According to Judy Roberson, her late husband Jerry didn’t serve in the Vietnam War, but wanted to salute those who did.
"My husband formed a museum, called the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Museum," said Roberson. "For that museum, he obtained a bunch of different equipment from that era. Unfortunately, he was unable to get a physical location in Santa Barbara to establish the museum."
Roberson got the Huey on loan from the federal government. But when the museum project didn’t happen, he had another idea. He offered it to a Santa Barbara Vietnam veterans group for use as a mobile museum.
"He turned to our vets organization, asking if we'd like to have the chopper. We said 'Wonderful!'" said Peter Bie, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 218. "He built a special trailer for it so it could be towed around, and gifted it to us."
They eventually discovered the gift came with a big catch.
"There's a branch of the U.S. Army that handles retired equipment, such as aircraft and vehicles," explained Bie. "There are some rules and regulations that, unfortunately, we were not aware of at the time. It (the helicopter) has to be on a static display available to the public 24/7, like on a pole, or a pad at an entrance to an airport."
Two years ago, the veterans group launched a drive to find a spot in Santa Barbara County where the chopper could be permanently displayed. With members in their 70s and 80s, they needed to find an organization to assume the responsibility of maintaining it.
There were no local takers, so they widened their search. Eventually, they connected with the Chico Air Museum, a nonprofit museum in Chico, California.
"All of us wanted to find a home for the helicopter. We don't have a Huey," said Norm Rosene, the museum's Executive Director. "A Huey for a lot of us represents what happened in Vietnam, and that's the one helicopter we've been looking for for a long time."
The museum plans to refurbish it and put it on permanent display as part of its collection.
A group of Santa Barbara veterans and members of some veterans groups are on hand to give the community’s Huey helicopter a sendoff as it’s loaded onto a flatbed trailer for the trip to Chico.
"It's a sad day for us to see this getting hooked up and taken away after 30 years," said Ric Pearson, an intelligence officer who flew in Hueys during the Vietnam War.
"I think of the veterans who have passed away...the door gunners, the mechanics, people that really loved these machines, and served with them," said Army veteran Domingo Nunez. I'm out here today to honor them."
Bie, with the Santa Barbara Vietnam Veterans chapter, admitted he has mixed emotions watching part of the group’s history leave the community.
"Sad, and happy. Happy, because the bird is going to be in a great location at a museum. They'll put a lot of TLC into this bird. But sad, because it's been a part of Chapter 218 for all these years."
While some tears are shed as they see the Huey leaving Santa Barbara, the veterans say they're relieved to know it finally has a permanent home. They plan to make a group trip to Chico to see it after it's refurbished.
