Spotlight on American Huey 369 Organization

Based in Indiana, American Huey 369 Organization is committed to preserving and educating the public to the history of the iconic UH-1 “Huey” helicopter and its Veterans, especially the Vietnam War era Veterans.

Co-Founders and brothers John and Alan Walker—along with John’s wife Kae—operate the non-profit organization with the help of more than 200 core member volunteers. The organization started after John, a former Marine Corps captain and helicopter pilot, saw a listing in 2004 on eBay for a Huey helicopter. After extensive research he approached Alan to invest in the purchase of this important piece of history. Trusting his brother’s knowledge and keen eye, it was an easy yes.

The brothers—along with countless volunteers—spent two years bringing Huey 369 back to airworthy condition with its first post-restoration flight occurring in July 2007. They also obtained a second UH-1H, Tail #803, in 2005 and began its restoration in November of 2007. After the restored aircraft became airworthy, American Huey volunteer aircrew began flying them to airshows and other events.

The organization now operates four airworthy Hueys—including a UH-1B gunship—and houses another unrestored Huey plus parts and memorabilia in its temporary museum at Grissom Aeroplex in Peru, Indiana. All five Hueys in the organization’s collection served in the Vietnam War. Complete histories on three of the restored aircraft can be found at americanhuey369.com.

In 2021 the organization broke ground on its future National American Huey History Museum, located on 34 acres of beautiful land outside Peru, Indiana. When completed, the 34,000 square-foot museum will help to preserve and ensure the memory of over 50 different models spanning a period of 66 years.

As a tribute to the more than 58,300 Vietnam Veterans who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, a Memorial Brick Walkway will be created in their honor. Anyone can choose a Veteran from the list on the website at www.polarengraving.com/americanhuey369 and purchase a Memory Brick which will be engraved with the name of that chosen Veteran. You can also purchase a brick for yourself, another Veteran, business, organization or club (you don’t have to be a Veteran). The 10-foot-wide walkway will begin at the flag poles in the front of the museum, wind its way to and through the museum, and will end at the helicopter pads behind the museum.

From their humble beginnings 18 years ago restoring two Hueys in an unheated and uninsulated pole barn, American Huey 369 Organization now has more than 22,800 members worldwide and has attended 237 scheduled events. More than $2.5 million has already been raised toward the museum and restoration efforts, but the organization needs additional funding to reach its $4 million goal and to avoid construction delays of the museum.

American Huey 369 proudly flies the UH-1 Van Horn Aviation tail rotor blades, which are “stronger and provide a much-needed increase in tail rotor effectiveness,” John Walker says. “Our organization truly appreciates the professional support of a Veteran-owned company, coupled with their extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff. Thank you, Jim Van Horn!”

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Eurosafety Flight Review of VHA AS350 Tail Rotor

By Kim VHA • March 6, 2025

Kevin Nelson, instructor pilot at Eurosafety, visited Van Horn Aviation's flight test facility in late February 2025 and flew the AS350 tail rotor with VHA Flight Operations Manager Terry Tyner. They put the tail rotor blades through their paces, performing sideward flight at about 40 to 45 knots and full autorotations. This short provides a quick synopsis of Kevin's impressions of the VHA tail rotor, which include more control and easier transitions. The "show" that Terry refers to in his remarks is the Vertical Aviation International's VERTICON trade show.

VHA's AS350 Tail Rotor Earns STC/PMA

By Kim VHA • February 23, 2025

VHA received FAA Supplemental Type Certification (STC) and Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) for its new AS350 tail rotor in mid-February 2025. Developed entirely in-house at Van Horn Aviation, the new AS350 tail rotor replaces the current spar-and-paddle design with two composite tail rotor blades attached to a steel hub using self-lubricating spherical bearings. This design eliminates the problematic elastomeric half-bearings in the current tail rotor — along with associated inspections, replacements and several Airworthiness Directives — while reducing control loads and increasing performance. “When we first tackled the AS350 tail rotor design, our main goal was to solve the maintenance problem posed by the elastomeric bearings,” said VHA CEO Dean Rosenlof. “Through four years of research and redesign, we’ve not only solved that issue but also produced a system that noticeably enhances tail rotor performance on the venerable AS350.” The VHA AS350 tail rotor includes the following components: • Two individually-replaceable swept-tip composite tail rotor blades • Removable pitch horns to allow interchangeability with various pitch links • Steel hub with industry-standard teeter axis for reduced pitch link loads • Spherical bearings to eliminate elastomeric bearing inspection and replacement issues • Drive shaft extension and teeter stop • New tail rotor bolt and installation hardware “Our AS350 tail rotor introduces several major improvements over the OEM system, from allowing operators to replace a single damaged blade to eliminating the time and expense of frequently replacing elastomeric bearings,” said VHA Flight Operations Manager Terry Tyner. “In addition, they are great blades to fly. They’re very responsive.” The service life of Van Horn Aviation’s AS350 tail rotor is 4,800 hours, which is 800 hours more than the OEM tail rotor. List price for the VHA AS350 tail rotor is comparable to the Airbus product. Deliveries to customers will begin in March. For more information, see our AS350 Product page.