Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society Helo on a Stick - Update By CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) LTM-#46 / R-16213 President
I
n my last NHA Historical Society (NHAHS) article for Rotor Review, I said that our next project was to help coordinate a Base Community Service Project with the Chief Selects to wash the aircraft at Flag Circle on NAS North Island (NASNI). This work is linked to the Lassen SH-60F display “aircraft on a stick” and is part of an ongoing agreement with the base. The USS Midway Museum and NHA (specifically NHAHS) will assist with the upkeep and maintenance of the existing aircraft on base “in kind consideration” for the SH-60F’s special placement at the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Gate. While USS Midway and NHA are both NonFederal Entities (NFE), this support was viewed as an opportunity for both organizations to give back to the base for providing NHA with office space, and in Midway’s case, Hangar 805, which functions as the museum’s rework and restoration facility. The first cooperative community service wash job was a success, completed on Saturday, November 13 by 130 Chiefs and Chief Petty Officer Selects. It was a beautiful day with warm weather, so those who got wet dried off quickly. The group started off in the morning with coffee and doughnut holes at 0800 and finished up just after lunch time. The USS Midway Hangar Restoration Team provided a wash cart complete with two power washers, as well as soap, wash pads, buckets, and manpower. Volunteers came from the Helicopter and VRM Wings along with a few other commands on the base that offered to help out. The NHA Historical Society and Scholarship Fund (NHASF), along with some NHA National Staff, sponsored the lunch and served hotdogs, chips, and sodas. All-in-all, it was a successful event and everyone involved had a good time. We continue to work the details involved with getting the Lassen SH-60F Medal of Honor aircraft to NASNI to start the restoration process in the USS Midway Hangar 805 Facility. An IPT has been formed by NASNI’s XO, CAPT Newt “Bomb” McKissick, who is chairing the group to work through the process and get to “yes” so the aircraft can be brought to the base from Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ, where the aircraft is currently being stored. We expect the fundraising campaign to start in earnest once the initial planning and questions have been answered. In the meantime, however, many of you have already made a donation, as we just surpassed $10K collected to date. The total of the funding needs to come from the helicopter community. We can use your support, as the expected cost of the aircraft restoration and mounting is expected to exceed $150K. Donations can be made by following the instructions on the adjacent page. We are accepting donations via credit card, but we would prefer that you mail or drop off a check at the NHA Office. Keep your turns up! Regards, CAPT P (Ret.)
Rotor Review #155 Winter '22
16
