Yankee knocks ‘Sox’ off at Farnborough

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jerry Fleshman
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing, Public Affairs
FARNBOROUGH, England --  The U.S. Marines participated in the 2010 Farnborough International Air Show by displaying their newly upgraded helicopter at the premier aviation event.

The UH-1Y Venom, also known as the Super Huey or Yankee, was the foremost U.S. Marine asset at the air show.

The helicopter was introduced in 2008 as an upgraded model of the older UH-1N that initially entered service in the early 1970's and today has become centralized to the Marine Corps to aid in their special mission requirements.

According to Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. Tony Randall, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367, Camp Pendleton, California, "We do a little bit of everything. We can do multiple missions with the Yankee that we couldn't do with the UH-1N," he added.

Some of the most notable differences between the UH-1Y and the UH-1N are the four-bladed, all composite rotor systems, which is double the number of blades than the original helicopter.

The upgraded engines and transmission in the Yankee has also helped increase cruise speed by 50%, enabling the Yankee to maneuver more aggressively and evasively.

"The Yankee is the Marine Corps utility helicopter", said the lieutenant colonel.

The UH-1Y has many mission capabilities to include command and control, escort, reconnaissance, troop transport, medical evacuations and close air support.

The current mission of this particular UH-1Y is to highlight the mission of the U.S, Marines and specifically, the Yankee at this global iconic event. This gives visitors the opportunity to see this remarkable utility helicopter up close.

"This is my favorite aircraft," said John Stevenson, an aviation enthusiast who admired the Marines new utility helicopter. "It's a reliable helicopter that's been in the service for quite a long time," he added.

"Coming to the air show has been a great experience," said Lt. Col. Randall. "Getting to meet the aircrew from all the other services and getting to know them and their platforms has been a great learning experience," he added. "Just being here in the local area has been great."

The UH-1Y Venom was on static display July 19-25 during the 2010 Farnborough International Air Show.