The Yankees are here!!

September 29, 2011 marked another milestone for Marine Corps aviation. The first three UH-1Y (Yankee, Venom, & a few other nicknames for the newest huey) landed at MCAS New River.

Ben just returned from California a few weeks ago from his training on the new "bird." Just a few short years ago, he had voiced the aspiration of flying this new aircraft before his career was over. Little did we know that he would be getting orders to do just that A LOT sooner than we expected!

Ben has a few more months of completing the syallbus on these bad boys then he will be transitioning the UH-1N pilots to the new aircraft.

Sometimes I let the blog get to be much more about the kids and I, then I neglect to let you know what is going on in Ben's life. Since this is a HUGE part of it, I thought I would blog on it for posterity sake!

Here are a few of the local articles on the fly-in! 

ONSLOW COUNTY -- Three advanced choppers touched down at New River Air Station Thursday, giving the Marine base the first UH-1Y helicopters on the East Coast.

The new helicopters, nicknamed "Yankees," arrived at the base in formation and touched down before a crowd of thrilled Marines.
"You can definitely feel the power when you're piloting the aircraft," Major Christopher Chown said. "The Yankees are a huge improvement over their predecessors."
The UH-1Y is the latest Huey class helicopter, capable of carrying more than 18,000 pounds. The older UH-1N helicopters, known as "Novembers," cannot lift as much weight, and often had to carry supplies and troops separately.
"Now we can do both tasks simultaneously," Captain Patrick Sise said. "We can carry rockets and guns as well as troops. Missions are now easier, more efficient, and the Yankee is more fun to fly."
The Yankees will eventually replace the Novembers, choppers that were built shortly after the Vietnam War. Pilots said they can feel the difference in the new chopper's capabilities as soon as they take flight.
"It's a smoother aircraft to fly," Sise said. "It has better power, and that allows us to better support the Marines on the ground."
The Yankee can travel 230 miles per hour and carry up to 13 Marines in addition to the crew. Yankees are used to guide troops on the ground, fly reconnaissance missions and target terrorists.
"We'll go out armed with guns and rockets and prosecute targets the ground commander wants us to shoot," Chowan said.
The Yankees are now part of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167. No date has been set for the new choppers to be deployed overseas. Each Yankee costs $21 million.

ONSLOW COUNTY -- Three advanced choppers touched down at New River Air Station Thursday, giving the Marine base the first UH-1Y helicopters on the East Coast.

The new helicopters, nicknamed "Yankees," arrived at the base in formation and touched down before a crowd of thrilled Marines.
"You can definitely feel the power when you're piloting the aircraft," Major Christopher Chown said. "The Yankees are a huge improvement over their predecessors."
The UH-1Y is the latest Huey class helicopter, capable of carrying more than 18,000 pounds. The older UH-1N helicopters, known as "Novembers," cannot lift as much weight, and often had to carry supplies and troops separately.
"Now we can do both tasks simultaneously," Captain Patrick Sise said. "We can carry rockets and guns as well as troops. Missions are now easier, more efficient, and the Yankee is more fun to fly."
The Yankees will eventually replace the Novembers, choppers that were built shortly after the Vietnam War. Pilots said they can feel the difference in the new chopper's capabilities as soon as they take flight.
"It's a smoother aircraft to fly," Sise said. "It has better power, and that allows us to better support the Marines on the ground."
The Yankee can travel 230 miles per hour and carry up to 13 Marines in addition to the crew. Yankees are used to guide troops on the ground, fly reconnaissance missions and target terrorists.
"We'll go out armed with guns and rockets and prosecute targets the ground commander wants us to shoot," Chowan said.
The Yankees are now part of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167. No date has been set for the new choppers to be deployed overseas. Each Yankee costs $21 million.