Hobby Master Archive

Iroquois 582081 was manufactured as a UH-1A at the Bell Helicopter Fort Worth, Texas facility and was delivered to the U.S. Army in 1962. The 57th Medical Detachment was the first helicopter medical evacuation unit in Vietnam arriving April 1962 and assumed the name “The Originals”. 58-2093 was assigned to the 57th MD. In September 1962 the UH-1A was re-designated UH-1B. The unit call sign was “Dust Off” and breaking with the usual procedures that changed the calls sign periodically the 57th was permitted to make it their permanent call sign.