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116th Assault Helicopter Company |
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"The Hornets" 1965-1971 |
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The 116th landed at Vung Tau, on the
coast near Saigon in October 1965, and then moved in November to Phu Loi in
III Corps. At Phu Loi they supported the 1st Infantry Division. In November 1966 they moved to Cu Chi
and supported the 25th Infantry Division. In July 1970 the Hornets
moved to Chu Lai in I Corps to support the AMERICAL Division. In October 1971 they moved a final time to Da
Nang. In December 1971 they were withdrawn from Vietnam.
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1st Flight Platoon "Yellow Jackets" |
2nd Flight Platoon "Wasps" |
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| click on helicopter illustrations to see larger images, then click "back arrow" to return to this page | ||||||||||||||||
| 1967-69 - 1st Platoon UH-1H 116th AHC aircraft were some of the most colorful ships in Vietnam in 1967-70. There was a large, stylized hornet in platoon colors on the nose. The "Yellow Jacket" distinctive color was yellow. The skid tips were painted yellow, and there was a single yellow stripe on the roof. The leading edge of the tail was painted yellow, and the outer edges of the rear tailplanes were also yellow. The 116th also identified their platoons with painted tail boom rear edges. 116th slicks carried the circle markings on the tail boom of the 269th Combat Aviation Battalion. Three-digit tail numbers were painted in yellow. | ||||||||||||||||
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| 1967-69 - 2nd platoon UH-1H "366" 2nd Platoon aircraft were marked like 1st Platoon ships, only using the color white instead of yellow. This color scheme even applied to the three-digit a/c number on the tail. | ||||||||||||||||
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| 1970-71 - 2nd platoon UH-1H "366" This 116th 2nd platoon ship was photographed with some variations from normal 116th markings. The skid tip colors are gone, as is the painted leading edge of the tail. The other markings remained, including the large Hornet nose art. The 116th left the 269th CAB in July 1970 with a move up to I Corps to support the AMERICAL Division. As a result, the 269th CAB tactical markings on the tail boom are gone. Veteran John Barrera, a crew chief with the 1st flight platoon in 1970-71, told me that ships appearing like this were usually new replacement aircraft, or had panels replaced that weren't painted yet. | ||||||||||||||||
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| 1970-71 1st platoon UH-1H "Lady Jane" A 1st platoon ship in 1970-71 showing complete unit markings and colors. This was a/c 69-15527, named "Lady Jane". The crew chief of this ship was John Barrera. The small front cargo door (without window) was attached to the ship. The nickname was painted on the nose in cursive style near the left side pilot's door. The roof stripe was not on this ship in 1970-71. | ||||||||||||||||
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