North Alabama VHPA

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North Alabama VHPA Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from North Alabama VHPA, Nonprofit Organization, Huntsville, AL.

To seek out, using whatever means available, individuals who piloted, maintained or crewed rotary wing aircraft in Southeast Asia or were associated with other military aviation units during the Vietnam era, 1961-1975.

The NAVHPA has regular meetings on the second Tuesday of each month. In September, we had about 36 members and guests at...
09/20/2026

The NAVHPA has regular meetings on the second Tuesday of each month. In September, we had about 36 members and guests at the Huntsville Country Club for dinner, socializing and a business meeting.
We only pay $26 for dinner per person. These days that's a great deal.
Several times a year we have a raffle as a fundraiser. All prizes are donated.
If you flew helicopters in Vietnam, come join us for fellowship and a good meal.
If you're interested, send a note to [email protected] to let us know to expect you. Please include the number of folks attending so we can make sure there's plenty of chow.

On August 7th, several members of the NAVHPA were presented with handmade quilts from the national VHPA's quilting organ...
08/08/2026

On August 7th, several members of the NAVHPA were presented with handmade quilts from the national VHPA's quilting organization. Honored were Sam Maki, Don Bison, Bob Monette, Don Le Master, and Ralph Weber. We were humbled to be honored this way.
Ralph found out that his had been made on a 1920 vintage treadle manual sewing machine. Incredible!

The annual Huntsville Veterans Day Parade was held on 11 November. As we have done for the last 15 years, we participate...
03/17/2026

The annual Huntsville Veterans Day Parade was held on 11 November. As we have done for the last 15 years, we participated with members walking and riding in BUC-3. This year we had 14 members & spouses come out on a chilly day to participate. This is a large parade, with over 150 entries. As the only helicopter in the parade, we get lots of cheers, applause and pictures taken as we maneuver through the streets.

We took BUC-3, our UH-1C/M Gunship to the Cullman, AL Veterans Celebration onNovember 1st. This annual event, held at th...
03/17/2026

We took BUC-3, our UH-1C/M Gunship to the Cullman, AL Veterans Celebration on
November 1st. This annual event, held at the Cullman Alabama Airport, is one of the largest veterans’ events in Alabama. It includes a full day of activities like vintage military aircraft displays; flight demonstrations; sky divers; car show; old military movies; veterans organizations tents; reenactors of World War II, Korea, Vietnam; free lunch for all veterans and families; and Huey rides. NAVHPA docents were Dan Petrosky, Bob Monette, Bob Stewart, Marshall Eubanks, Ernie Megli, Jean Rose, Sandy Weand, Les Haas, Stan Souvenir and Rich Hudgens. As always, at this type of event, there was lots of interest in BUC-3.

This memory was submitted by Sam Maki, the one and only Secretary of the North Alabama VHPA. 10 Dec 1967 I reported in...
02/26/2026

This memory was submitted by Sam Maki, the one and only Secretary of the North Alabama VHPA.
10 Dec 1967 I reported into the 40th Arty Bde (Air Defense). I was assigned to Crissy Army Airfield and there was one OH-23G assigned to the unit. 10 Jan 1968, I replaced Sgt. Stoner. I got my runup orders to crank the aircraft up. CW-3 Ed Doblado was my first pilot and was later replaced with CW-3 Perry D. Leonard and CW-2 Terry Connors. The little flight detachment was a stopover for guys going to Vietnam or ones that were going to be a short timer getting out.
The 40th had all the Nike sites from San Francisco up to the northern border. The pilots were always taking someone out to a site out in the middle of nowhere. Once in a while I would get to go. Let me tell you, those poor Nike guys who got assigned to some of those very isolated sites had to be thrilled when they got to go off site and see civilization.
When I got married, we had quarters on Fort Barry across the bay and had a Nike site right across the pond from our house. We'd watch the missiles come in and out of the silos for whatever. We had floats installed on the aircraft and the pilots would go float around on that pond.
Anyway, we had a small hanger at the end of the runway on the water side. We were always throwing our crappie nets out or trying fishing. One of our guys was Dennis Leavitt and he was into rockets. He'd bring it out the airfield and he'd launch it from the beach near the water. They would go up from about a hundred feet to maybe three hundred and fall into the bay. The problem was we were always visited by the MPs. The tower way at the other end of the field would call it in and here come the MPs again. If you notice in one of the pictures there are a lot of billets at the end of the runway. Some were used by Letterman Army hospital to put male patients in. We didn't always catch crabs but would get these huge snails. We gave them to the wounded guys to cut up for bait when they were fishing.
The runway itself was about 3.000 feet. The 6th Army Flight Detachment was on the other end from us. They had all the fixed wing plus one CH-34 with floats, that I remember. In the one picture you will see an OH-23 sitting in front of our hanger. Looks like a U-8 at the very end. Sometimes they would start their run there to get all the runway they could get. The one picture of all those folks is what the former airfield turned into. A park.
Did I tell you I met Rosie Grier while stationed there? At a club called Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. Yes, the Presidio was a terrible assignment from 1967-1969 and I feel so bad about this assignment. Well, we also flew by the USS Enterprise when it came in 1968. Carol Doda was showing her wares from a small boat nearby. Nasty girl I say.
I was supposed to ETS in 1969 and thought about trying out for the California Highway Patrol. Perry Leonard asked me if I'd considered going to flight school. I went to Letterman, did my physical, had my interview with LTC Taylor, who flew with us once in a while and who would put on his scuba gear and retrieve our nets. Perry called Branch and before I knew it, I had a class report date of 1 March 1969. I reenlisted for 6 years. Perry took time to show me hovering and doing a traffic pattern, and I headed to Fort Wolters, Texas for abuse.
And there I met my forever friends Les Haas, and Richard Ready. 69-37 B5. Les with the big glasses.

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Huntsville, AL
35801

Telephone

+12565207133

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