Bell® TH-1L Huey, HT-8 Eight Ballers, 16" Mahogany Scale Model

HT-8 Eight Ballers TH-1L Model Fly with HT-8 Eight Ballers in this Bell TH-1L Huey model. Each model is hand-crafted from carved wood and painted to provide a unique piece of the famous Bell UH-1 Huey. Length - 16 inches Made from Mahogany US Veteran-Owned Business Officially Licensed by Bell The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger.   Bell®, emblems, logos, and body designs are trademarks of Textron Innovations Inc. and are used under license by Squadron Nostalgia LLC.     By 1962 HT-8 was using the HSS-1 Seabat along with the Chickasaws and Sioux helicopters. In September 1962 the Navy adopted the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system and the HO4S and HRS Chickasaw became the CH-19E Chickasaw, the HTL Sioux became the TH-13M Sioux and the HSS-1 Seabat became the SH-34G Seabat. Also in 1962 HT-8 simultaneously designated its first student as a Naval Aviator and a Helicopter Pilot. Prior to that all training had been transitioning fixed wing aviators to fly helicopters. Helicopters used in the decade from 1962 to 1972 were the UH-34J Seahorse, a number of UH-1D Iroquois borrowed from the U. S. Army and beginning in 1968 a new helicopter designated the TH-57A Sea Ranger which was a variant of the popular commercial Bell 206 Jet Ranger. By the end of 1969 the Army's UH-1Ds were being replaced by Navy procured TH-1L Iroquois. By the early 70s the Seahorse was gone and HT-8 had reduced down to the TH-57A for basic training and the TH-1L for advanced training. In March 1974 HT-8 moved from Ellyson Field to its present location aboard Naval Air Station Whiting Field. Coincident with that move a new Helicopter Training Squadron was established and designated HT-18. HT-8 assumed responsibility for the basic training phase of helicopter flight instruction using the TH-57A Sea Ranger and HT-18 assumed the role of advanced helicopter training utilizing the TH-1L Iroquois. In the early 80s HT-18's TH-1Ls were being replaced with an instrumented version of the TH-57 designated the TH-57C Sea Ranger for advanced training. In October 1985 HT-8 and HT-18 became "mirror" squadrons with each teaching the full syllabus from basic helicopter training through advanced training and awarding of wings with both squadrons using both the TH-57A and TH-57C Sea Rangers. By the end of the 80s the TH-57As were replaced with a Bell 206B-3 designated the TH-57B Sea Ranger. Since that time HT-8 has been training and winging Naval Aviators using the TH-57B for primary helicopter training and the TH-57C for advanced helicopter training.