Iriquois A2-1022 "Huey"
The Story of A2-1022
On Friday 16th March, 2012, an Iroquois aircraft with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) serial number A2-1022, was ceremoniously dedicated at the Caloundra RSL Sub Branch Memorial Gardens.
The aircraft was a former 9 Squadron RAAF Iroquois aircraft which was delivered to RAAF Base Fairbairn on 12 December 1964. It was subsequently deployed to South Vietnam with 9 Squadron as part of the of the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF).
After decommissioning, the aircraft was presented to the Bogan Shire Council in 1990, in recognition of the evacuation of Nyngan NSW due to flooding, by Naval Sea King Helicopters.
A2-1022 was a just an Iroquois helicopter, an airframe with an engine, rotor, seats etc, much the same as all the other sixteen thousand or so that were built by the Bell helicopter company all those years ago – it was nothing out of the ordinary.
So why did so many people give up their Friday to come and stand around in the hot sun for an hour or more just to see this one?? The reason they did was because there is quite a story associated with this particular aircraft and as is usually the case, the story is more about the people who flew it, flew in it and who fixed it – not about the aircraft itself.
Dedication of A2-1022 at Caloundra RSL Sub Branch Memorial Gardens Friday 16 March 2012
Early Service Life
A2-1022 was one of the early B model Iroquois aircraft, (nicknamed "Huey" by the Bell Company as the aircraft were to become known as UH-1 Iroquois, shortened to Huey, a name that stuck) purchased and flown by the RAAF and in itself, was not all that special.
The RAAF bought the B Models in three batches. First was the 300 series, delivered in 1962, then the 700 series in 1963 and finally the 1000 series, which were delivered in 1964. A2-1022 was of the third series
B Model UH-1 Aircraft in General Support to ADF Activities and Exercises
Vietnam Service
A2-1022 belonged to 9 Squadron RAAF, which deployed to Vietnam, in a roundabout route, in June 1966 with eight of these aircraft and was given the task of providing tactical air transport support for the 1ATF units located at Nui Dat South Vietnam.
When they arrived in June 1966, 9 Squadron was not fully equipped to wage war in support of 1 ATF combat units. The Defence Department had insisted the Squadron would be given several years' notice before being sent into a conflict but it was given only 12 weeks before being deployed and that’s a big ask on the men who flew and worked the aircraft and it was a big ask on the aircraft itself.
When 9 Squadron arrived in Nui Dat, only two of the eight Iroquois were fitted with armoured seats, none had door gun mounts, nor did the aircrew have chest protectors. Simply, they were not ready for war operations.
Unfortunately, this early ‘non-readiness’ was to cause some friction between the RAAF and the Army, as it was reasoned ‘they’re here, so they should be able to provide assistance as and when required”. In the ensuing months, 9 Squadron equipped its aircraft correctly and procured the necessary equipment to enable combat missions and once up to speed, they conducted themselves honourably and courageously.
By the time the Battle of Long Tan came about in August 1966 the Squadron had been fitted out with all the equipment required to fly and support combat missions and that is where this aircraft took on the significance that it now holds.
9 Squadron Flight Line in South Vietnam
Battle of Long Tan
On 17 August 1966, the Australian base at Nui Dat suffered a heavy mortar attack and Army elements, including Delta Company, Commanded by Major Harry Smith, of the 6th Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) were tasked with sweeping the surrounding area to locate the enemy force that conducted the attack. Near the small derelict village of Long Tan, just 4,000 metres from the base, a small group of Viet Cong troops were pursued into the rubber plantation adjacent to the village. Soon after entering the plantation, 11 Platoon of Delta Company met with heavy machine gun fire forcing it to take up a defensive position. Soon more than 2,000 enemy troops had enveloped the 108 soldiers of D Company and a fierce battle followed. The soldiers were running low on ammunition and without a new supply they would have been overrun in a very short period of time. Visibility was poor, a monsoon was pouring down rain and a low cloud brought on an early darkness.
Late in the afternoon, as the battle raged, the Australian Task Force Commander, Brigadier David Jackson, became very concerned about the survival on Delta Company. He urged the senior RAAF Officer, Group Captain Peter Raw, to get his helicopters into the air to resupply Delta Company, however, because of the weather, Raw hesitated. The then 34 year old pilot, FLT LT Frank Riley, suggested strongly that the supply flight go ahead and Raw eventually and reluctantly authorised the mission and the aircraft were loaded with the precious ammunition. They were all aware that they could lose at least one aircraft and it was agreed that two helicopters be loaded, just in case. One of those helicopters was A2-1022, the other was A2-1020.
Just before 6pm the two Iroquois were airborne.
A2-1020 crew consisted of:
- Pilot - FLT LT Frank Riley
- Co-pilot - FLT LT Bob Grandin
- Door Gunners - AC’s Dave ‘Bluey’ Collins and John Stirling
- OC Admin Coy 6RAR - MAJ Owen O'Brien
- RSM 6RAR - WO1 George Chinn
A2-1022 crew consisted of:
- Pilot - FLT LT Cliff Dohle
- Co-pilot - FLT LT Bruce Lane
- Door Gunners - CPL Bill Harrington and LAC Brian Hill
- 6RAR Munitions Personnel- CPL Bill McCuthchen and CFN Ray Service
The two choppers, both overweight, had planned to fly in company but were separated because of the conditions. In the rapidly fading light, A2-1022, laden with nearly half a tonne of ammunition, was the first to drop its precious cargo to Delta Company – which was just five minutes' flying time from Nui Dat. Bruce Lane was later to say “We flew very low, as low as we could and after about five minutes we came to a hover. The blokes in the back just pushed the ammunition out then we got out of there as fast as we could."
The ammunition arrived in the nick of time, saving Delta Company from almost certain annihilation. Frank Riley was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in the supply flight but so many of Harry Smith's troops on the ground, went unrecognised by officialdom, until nearly 60 years later, when the Government finally recognised the actions of the members of Delta Company and awarded a number of individual awards for bravery.
9 Squadron and Delta Coy 6RAR operations in Long Tan
Crash and Repair in Vung Tau
On 11 May 1967, A2-1022 suffered engine failure shortly after take-off from Vung Tau, resulting in a crash-landing.
The cause of the engine failure was attributed to ingesting grass, one of several such incidents around that time due to inadequate filter systems. The aircraft was repaired on-site at Vung Tau, including a replacement of the tailboom, by 9 Squadron engineers. Following its repairs, A2-1022 continued operational duties in Vietnam with 9 Squadron until 1968.
Crash of A2-1022 at Vung Tau in May 1967
Post Vietnam Service
In 1968, the B models in 9 Squadron were replaced with a delivery of 16 new and larger and more powerful H Models. The B models returned to Australia for normal support operations within the RAAF. On return to Australia A2-1022 was assigned to 5 Squadron for general duties service.
A2-1022 reportedly experienced another major engine failure and crash-landed on a football oval in Hornsby, NSW, around 1977, and crashed again in Western Australia on 29 May 1984.
Towards the end of A2-1022s service life it was used as a training aid at RAAF Base Laverton, Victoria, before being decommissioned.
General UH-1 "Huey" Operations in Support of ADF Activities
Post Service Life (Bogan Shire)
A2-1022 was eventually gifted to the town of Nyngan, NSW, by the Federal Government to commemorate the evacuation of residents during the tragic 1990 Flood. Helicopters were used to airlift stricken residents out of the town and few would dispute the Iroquois' appropriateness as a symbol of courage. Of note, the majority of the airlift provided during the 1990 Nyngan floods was provided by the Royal Australian Navy and its Sea King helicopters, however the recognition of a rotory wing aircraft was the meaning behind to gifting of A2-1022, which had had successful life in service of the RAAF.
It stood on a pad in the town of Nyngan, with no visible indication of its historical military value and due to vandalism and the weather, it gradually deteriorated.
A2-1022 at Nyngan and Replica Replacement Provide after Swap.
Retrieval of A2-1022
As with all good stories this one also happened by chance.
Some years ago, A2-1022 was spotted by a former member of 9 squadron as they were passing through Nyngan. They saw the airframe sitting on a pad, with no additional information as to what this aircraft meant to the RAAF and the members of Delta Company 6 RAR. This was an aircraft of significance, and in true Australian fashion, over a few beers a plan was hatched to recover the aircraft, fix it up and place it on a pedestal in the Caloundra RSL Sub branch Memorial Gardens for all to see, and for all to learn the significance of A2-1022 and that fateful day on 18 August 1966.
Bob McInnes, a member of Caloundra RSL Sub Branch, who spent time with 5 Squadron at RAAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia after the Vietnam War, was instrumental in persuading the Bogan Shire Council to swap their aircraft for a similar aircraft to be displayed in Vanges Park, Pangee Street Nyngan.
In May 2011 A2-1022 was transported by volunteers to Caloundra where the helicopter was fully restored and placed on display at the Caloundra RSL Sub Branch Memorial Gardens for all to view and learn the significance and history of this remarkable aircraft - the rest, as they say, is history.
Recovery Crew and A2-1022 undergoing Repair and Repainting before being placed in the Gardens