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The Bell H-13B now on public display at the South Carolina Military Museum.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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Years of neglect and weather damage had taken their toll on the U.S. Army’s first production-model H-13B helicopter.
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Loading the H-13B airframe onto a CH-47 in South Dakota for the trip to South Carolina and the Army Aviation Support Facility, McEntire Joint National Guard Base.
Photo by Buddy Sturgis
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When the sheet metal skin was removed, the restoration team found they had to fabricate new cowling pieces for the engine compartment.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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Parts scattered and labeled on the floor after moving the aircraft to another work hangar. The deteriorating engine is in the foreground.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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Engine after reconstruction.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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Buddy Sturgis, director of the South Carolina Military Museum, working on the rotor blade restoration. When the H-13B arrived the old blades were almost completely rotted.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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Sgt. 1st Class Kenny Erdel, chief of the Prop and Rotor Shop, working on the rotor head. “This man can build or fix anything!” says project manager, Ron Claypool.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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Sgt. Robert Hill prepares the tail boom prior to final painting.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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Spc. 4 Charles Edmond (right) and Sgt. Robert Smith (left) prepare the cockpit for painting.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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Chief Warrant Officer 2 Don Dingledein (right) and Staff Sgt. Allen Acord (left) install the restored engine.
Photo by Ron Claypool
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The Bell H-13B ready for the big move to the SCMM. The bubble glass canopy was installed after the helicopter was placed on the museum floor.
Photo by Ron Claypool
Military history buffs can now explore a rare Korean War artifact at the South Carolina Military Museum, thanks to years of painstaking restoration work by museum volunteers.
The U.S. Army’s first production-model H-13B helicopter is on display in the vintage vehicles wing of the museum. Most people will recognize the distinctive, bubble-cockpit helicopter from the television series, M.A.S.H. Light-duty helicopters like this one were used during the Korean War as a utility and medevac chopper.
The Bell H-13B, later designated as the “Sioux,” was the first helicopter organic to Army Aviation. The military procured 65 units from Bell Aircraft Corporation after testing the civilian version (Bell Model 47). Production of the operational H-13Bs began in July 1948.
The South Carolina Army National Guard Aviation flew variations of the H-13 for nearly 20 years—from 1953 until the early 1970s—a period spanning the Korean and Vietnam wars, says SCMM Director Buddy Sturgis. Adding this artifact to the SCMM collection fills a gap in the overall service story of the S.C. Army National Guard.
When the SCMM acquired the aircraft from the South Dakota Army National Guard in 2012, it was a rusting hunk of metal and broken Plexiglass. Museum volunteer Ron Claypool, the restoration project manager, coordinated the efforts of volunteers from the S.C. Army National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility and the Combined Services Maintenance Support Facility at McEntire Joint National Guard Base. Working together, they brought the helicopter back to life—a monumental task that took more than two years, as seen in these images of the restoration effort (above).
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Get There
The South Carolina Military Museum is located at 1225 Bluff Road (behind the S.C. National Guard Headquarters) in Columbia.
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Sundays, state holidays and on USC home football game days.
Admission: Free
Contact: (803) 299-4440; scmilitarymuseum.com