The Final Flight of America's Huey
03/20/2004
Well, it couldn't have been a more beautiful day to end America's Huey - 091's Final Journey Home. Under a beautiful evening sun we headed out of the city... here are some of the sights from the day... Photos

Arrival on the Mall!
03/19/2004
This was the main goal of the entire journey. The safe arrival on the Mall of 091 in DC. To put it succinctly: Mission Accomplished! After landing there was a ceremony inside to sign the Deed of Gift, and then we came back outside to move 091 over onto the Smithsonian property. Photos

Captain Walter Francis Duke Regional Airport at St. Mary's County
03/13/2004
Okay, so this location wins as the longest official title of a LZ for our trip to Washington, and it didn't disappoint. We had a great turn out for our program. The weather was beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality! Photos

Oohrah! Quantico Virginia
03/11/2004
The Marines were our hosts for three program stops which addressed students from four different schools. Other residents of the post, and other servicemen and women also came out to see our helicopter and to hear our program... Photos

United States Naval Academy
03/09/2004
Annapolis, Maryland was our next stop, and brought to a close the visits to our nation's service academies. The Midshipmen were great hosts and we enjoyed our time with them. From there, we pulled pitch and headed for Quantico. Photos

USMAPS
03/08/2004
We were able to reposition the aircraft over the weekend, but snow showers and low visibility kept 091 grounded again. We would have loved to have brought the Cadet Candidates of the United States Military Academy Prep School the Sound of Freedom, but they were a great audience for our program. Photos

New York Military Academy
03/05/2004
Friday brought overcast skies with no visibility, so we had to go to NYMA without 091, we still recevied a great welcome! Photos

West Point, New York
03/04/2004
West Point was our next stop, and we had three programs on the day... Photos

091 Day in Pennsylvania
03/01/2004
Pennsylvania, and Harrisburg in particular, really rolled out the red carpet for us today. With a huge turnout, we were welcomed to the Capitol grounds by bands, choirs, and throngs of people. Later that evening, we attended a reception at the National Civil War Museum. You can view images and more information on our Photos page.

Unload then on to the Gap
02/29/2004
Okay, Indiantown Gap, that is. After arriving fairly late, we got a relaxed start to the day, then headed to the C5 to unload the aircraft and our support vehicles, and then we flew over the Capitol for some recon for tomorrow, then it was onward to EAATS at the Gap. You can view images and more information on our Photos page.

Pueblo, C-Springs, then C5
02/28/2004
Today had us down at the Pueblo Convention center, then back to the Sheraton for a short luncheon and static display; and then we were off to the Air Force Base to catch a ride to Pennsylvania! As always, view images and more info on our Photos page.

Back to Colorado Springs
02/27/2004
Three more schools were on the agenda today. With the Rockies visible, Pike's Peak in particular, we had some amazing backdrops for our programs today. There are photos and some details posted on our Photos page.

More Greeley Gatherings
02/26/2004
Our programs today were again around Greeley. We visited a high school where students from three schools welcomed us, then it was over to a veterans memorial. There are photos and some details posted on our Photos page.

091 Day and on to Greeley
02/25/2004
25 February 2004 is now officially "Huey-091 Day". From the state capital, we headed over to Greeley. There are photos and some details posted on our Photos page.

Fort Logan and Wings Over the Rockies
02/24/2004
The second day of programs brought sunnier skies, and two great events. We started off heading to Fort Logan National Cemetary, then it was off for some fuel, and then to Wings Over the Rockies. There are photos and some details posted on our Photos page.

A Great Start in Colorado!
02/23/2004
Our first day of programs in Colorado was a huge sucess. The skies were overcast, but we were able to make visits to Air Academy High School, the United States Air Force Academy, and Frontier Elementary. There are photos and some details posted on our Photos page.

Schedule Posted
02/22/2004
You can learn about our upcoming dates by clicking "Our Mission" above. As always, these dates are subject to change and will be held weather permitting. Check back to see updates to the schedule, and specific information about public events.

091 Programs In California
02/19/2004
A special thanks for VHPA-Northern California Chapter President Jim Barger and his wife Teri, for coordinating our program at Mather Airforce Base; another thank you to Reid Rose for his organization of our program at Vanden High School. More...

Weather Delays 091
02/14/2004
NEW! Photos are now posted of our weather issues, you can see the frozen details HERE.

Freezing percipitation in the Austin/Lakeway area of Texas Friday forced us to delay our trip to Amarillo, so the LZ that was scheduled for today will happen Sunday at 2:30 PM instead. You can read an article in the Amaraillo Globe News HERE.

Killeen, Lakeway and Austin
02/13/2004
The skies remained threatening, and we had to make one visit without our aircraft due to low ceilings, but we finally saw some sunshine (if ever so briefly). You can see some images from our stops to four schools in two days in our Photos section. Stories, captions, and more photos will be posted as we get time on the road.

The Journey Begins!
02/10/2004
With overcast skies, the begining of the Final Journey Home for America's Huey. After a wonderful dinner with amazing speakers, the morning brought a final chance for the Bell Helicopter - Textron staff to bid a farewell to 091. She is sporting a new "nose job" and was in a place of honor the night before, so the first task was to get her out on the apron. You can see photos of the dinner, the launch, our visit to GES, and our trip to Killeen in our Photos section. Stories, captions, and more photos will be posted as we get time on the road.

091 Brightens a Rainy Day in Tyler
01/24/2004
The rain did show on Saturday, but that didn't dampen the mood of the crowd at HAMM in Tyler, Texas. You can read about the day from the Tyler Morning Telegraph, and you can view some photos from the weekend in our Photos section.

091's Destination: The Smithsonian!
01/22/2004
We are proud to announce the destination of 091's Final Journey Home: The Smithsonian National Musuem of American History in Washington, DC. She will be the single largest artifact in a new exhibit entitled "The Price of Freedom"; an exhibit that documents every military conflict the US has been involved in since its inception. You can read the Smithsonian's official press release about the exhibit here. If you are curious about the process that resulted in the donation of 091, you can read about it here.

Tyler Information for 091's visit to the HAMM
01/20/2004
More information for you on our visit to the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) in Tyler, Texas this upcoming Saturday, 24 January. HAMM information and hotel accomodations (Thanks go to Ramada Tyler Conference Center GM, Penny Smitherman!) We now have our program posted too! More...

Briefing Updates! New York, Virginia, Colorado, California
01/16/2004
Our East Coast briefings are now at an end. Thanks again to all who helped us in Virginia and New York, we eagerly look forward to our return! - Details to follow!

1/13: Our Colorado briefings are complete - a special thanks to Vietnam Veteran Gary Upton for hosting us in the Colorado Springs area! We look forward to working with you as well as our mission moves forward!

1/7: We are pleased to announce that the California Chapter-North of the VHPA as well as the Brotherhood of Vietnam Veterans will be assisting in the completion of 091's "final journey home" Much appreciation goes to Vietnam Veteran Bob Hughes for hosting our meetings in Sacramento. Once again, thank you, we are looking forward to working with you on the mission support!

Video Now On-line!
01/06/2004
Well, we made the news when "Santa" picked up some Toys for Tots, and we shot some video as we flew the Fort Wolters VHPA folks around the pattern at Meacham. They are a little large, but well worth the wait, we think. Enjoy!

Tyler, TX to Host 091
01/04/2004
We will be taking 091 to Tyler, TX to make an appearance at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum on January 24, 2004. In anticipation of that event, the Tyler Morning Telegraph featured an article to help spread the word. You can read that article (with some tenative highlights of the program) here.

Mission Briefing: The Final Journey Home
12/31/2003
The details of 091's final journey are starting to firm up, you can read about some of the background of our mission in the Our Mission section here.

091 Featured in Flagship News
12/20/2003
091's journeys on Veterans Day were written up in the december issue of the American Airlines employee newsletter. More...

091 As Santa's Sleigh!
12/17/2003
Well, today we assisted the Marines in their Toys for Tots campaign. Santa's sleigh was powered by a turbine engine, not 8 reindeer, as he pulled pitch and visited a school to collect toys for the needy. Besides, we HAD to fly today, it is the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' inaugural flight! Pictures to come soon!

VHPA Experiences America's Huey
12/06/2003
The Fort Wolters chapter of the VHPA hosted its quarterly meeting in Fort Worth, TX; we were honored to be invited to brief them on our mission. In turn, we invited them to come up to Meacham field to visit with, and ride on our huey. You can see some pictures of the day here.

Board Member Recognized
12/02/2003
Board Member B.G. "Jug" Burkett, author of Stolen Valor, was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service award, the highest honor a civilian can receive from the Army. Read the details on the Star Telegram website here.

091 Flys to Honor Veterans
11/11/2003
On this Veterans Day, the anniversary of the armistice signing that ended World War I, we took to the skies to visit local schools to help them better understand the sacrifices made by our armed forces. We visited Grapevine Elementary School, Bedford Junior High School, and Garner Elementary School. We also stopped by the American Airlines Centerport complex to visit their staff and to say thank you for their support of our mission. You can view photos of these stops in our photos area.