Hobby Master Archive

The 204 is the civilian version of the UH-1 Iroquois “Huey”. In 1955 the U.S. Army’s need for a utility helicopter brought about the creation of the 204. This helicopter was revolutionary because it was the first ever helicopter to use a turbo-shaft. The 204B was first delivered in 1961 with more than 60 civilian models were delivered by 1967 with production continuing until 1973.

Operation Frequent Wind took place in Saigon, South Vietnam on April 29-30, 1975. It was the code name for the helicopter evacuation of American civilians and “at-risk” Vietnamese from the city just before it fell to the North Vietnamese. Air America, operated by the CIA, supplied 24 helicopters and 31 volunteer pilots to assist in the evacuation. Of the more than 7,000 people airlifted Air America had removed over 1,000. The people were picked up from roof tops around the city and taken to a central compound and then flown out to awaiting aircraft carriers. N8514F was one of the 204B helicopters to participate in the operation. N8514F was one of 5 helicopters sold after the war to a Danish company and after several years it was sold to an American firm. In 1994 N8514F was severely damaged while fighting a brush fire.