Soldiers visit Fly-In Breakfast

on 'Huey' helicopter

'Copter is popular

with visitors

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Visitors to the 30th Annual New Ulm Lions Club Fly-In Breakfast Sunday morning at the New Ulm Airport got a glimpse of history when four U.S. Army aviators from the Twin Cities landed in a Bell UH-1 Huey Cobra helicopter.

The versatile Hueys were used by the Army, Marines and Navy in a variety of combat roles during the Vietnam War and still used today for transport, battlefield command and control, troop insertion and extraction, fire support coordination, medical evacuation, search and rescue, armed escort and visual reconnaissance or utility roles.

Today, 5,000 Huey IIs are used for Homeland Defense including Border Patrol, drug interdiction, emergency response and security missions.

Army Lieutenant Delany Beyer, who helped fly the Huey, said he enjoyed visiting New Ulm and other southern Minnesota airports because it reminded him more of his hometown, Mandan, N.D. than the Metro area.

"People here are nice and friendly like my hometown," Beyer said. "This is a good event. The amount of air traffic here even surprised me a little."

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Roger A. Merrill of Hudson, Wis. said military aviation training is very challenging. About 20 percent of aviation students don't complete the training due to medical and academic problems and other reasons.

A visitor asked Merrill why it is so difficult for helicopter pilots to hover their craft over one spot.

"It's like standing in a creek with water rapidly running past you," Merrill said. "It can be hard to stand still. The wind speed is always changing. The flight stick is moved in a small circle about the size of a half dollar."

He explained that many rookie pilots often over correct and wind up zig-zagging over a large area.

"The only time experienced helicopter pilots get sick is when they are up with rookie pilots," Merrill said.

Pilot Vern Clobes, a retired Northwest Airlines captain, displayed a EZ Flyer kit airplane he is in the process of building. Only the wing and tail surfaces will be covered. The plane will travel 70-75 mph with a 100 horsepower motor that will be mounted behind the second seat.

Clobes learned to fly 40 years ago in the U.S. Marine Corps. He attended Navy Aviation Training in Pensacola, Fla. and performed his carrier landing qualifications on the USS Lexington in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hector crop duster Ed Newburg attended the fly-in and distributed flyers for the 61st annual Hector Flight Breakfast, 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 21.

The event is expected to draw about 200 aircraft including war birds, classics, antiques, ultra lights, home builts and other unique aircraft. Free plane rides will be given to 8-17 year olds. A ping pong ball drop will be held with prizes for kids 12 and under.