The museum’s founder has been renovating a former bank near the restoration shop to become a coffee shop.
He has locations already in operation near the museum in Texas, and is expanding further north with this one in Ohio.
We drive by the coffee shop while driving to and from the restoration shop, hearing about the progress of the renovation has been here and there as the restoration shop’s focus has been on a static aircraft to sit outside of the coffee shop.
A Huey.
Which is the name of the shop, after the founder’s dog, Huey, which was named after the military helicopter.
Earlier this year, the helicopter arrived on a flatbed truck for cosmetic repair and installation of rotors and other parts to round out the appearance of the aircraft before installation.
As the Huey gets closer to completion, our veteran volunteer who flew them during his years of service has been helping the restorers accurately recreate the exterior and supervising the work on his beloved aircraft.
On my days at the shop, I’m enjoying the small conversations with our veteran volunteer regarding most anything, really. I had no idea the sheer weight of armor necessary to protect those inside.
The city has allowed the helicopter to reside outside of the coffee shop once completed. This Huey will have a more unique vantage point compared to another shop where its located on the roof.
The installation of the rotor blades and the completion of major internal work has changed the focus from mechanical to cosmetic.
The restorers asked the veteran volunteer how to paint the helicopter.
Dustoff, a designation for a medivac flight was his response.
During Vietnam, the terrain and nature of the conflict did not allow for movement of wounded via ground transport as done in earlier conflicts, the Huey became the transport of choice for moving wounded out of hot spots. Additional information can be found at the Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive.
Completed in time for the Christmas party, and the stencils and red cross on the white background popped off of the base color.
Word is that the shop will be done soon, the driveway has recently been poured and some landscaping has been removed in preparation. With colder weather upon us, having another place to get a warm beverage will be happy addition!
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