DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?
From the desk of Jan Hommel, American Freedom Museum Director:
If it has been more than a week since you stopped by the American Freedom Museum, you have missed one of our newest additions. Is that a helicopter I hear? The Museum has recently added a sound box to the outdoor helicopter exhibit. The box was designed by Don Allen (COO and owner of AVTT) and Kevin Weatherly (CEO) of the American Veteran’s Traveling Tribute in Flint, Texas. The “sound box” captures one of the most memorable sounds of the 1960’s, the iconic sound of the Huey Helicopter and the Vietnam War.
The classic example of the “helicopter sound” is that produced by the Bell UH-1 Iroquois (‘Huey”) helicopters used in the Vietnam War. The twin blades of the main rotor moved at speeds very close to the speed of sound, producing a loud “thump-thump” sound that has become iconic for helicopters in general and for the Vietnam War. Most other helicopters don’t produce quite as distinctive or loud a thump-thump sound as the UH-1. Helicopters generate their lift through the spinning of rotor blades. The spinning blades generate aerodynamic pressures and forces that create acoustic waves. These acoustic waves are what we call noise as we hear them while standing on the ground.
The most widely used military helicopter, the Bell UH-1 series Iroquois, better known as the “Huey”, began arriving in Vietnam in 1963. Before the end of the conflict, more than 5,000 of these versatile aircraft were introduced into Southeast Asia. “Hueys” were used for Medevac, command and control, and air assault; to transport personnel and material; and as gunships. Considered to be the most widely used helicopter in the world, with more than 9,000 produced from the 1950’s to the present, the Huey is flown today by about 40 countries.
We invite you to stop by over the holidays and experience our new exhibit!
Holiday Hours:
- Saturday, December 19th: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 23rd: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- CLOSED December 26th
- Wednesday, December 30th: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Saturday, January 2nd: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
