Bell TH-1A 59-1609

These are 1/72 scale decals for Bell TH-1A 59-1609, assigned to the U.S. Army 1st Aviation Brigade.

The TH-1A was the dedicated instrument and transition trainer variant of the Bell Iroquois family, used to qualify Army aviators in turbine-powered rotary-wing flight before they moved on to operational UH-1 variants. Simple, reliable, and forgiving, the TH-1A gave thousands of Army pilots their first hours in the Huey cockpit — the same cockpit they would soon fly in combat over the jungles and rice paddies of Southeast Asia.

The 1st Aviation Brigade was the U.S. Army's primary aviation command in Vietnam, activated in 1967 to consolidate the Army's rapidly expanding helicopter force under a single headquarters. At its peak, the brigade controlled over 4,000 aircraft and 26,000 personnel, making it the largest aviation organization in the history of the U.S. Army. The TH-1A's role in producing the pilots who filled those cockpits made it an indispensable part of the Army aviation story. Serial 59-1609 wears the standard olive drab scheme of early Army Iroquois airframes.

A great subject for any U.S. Army aviation or Vietnam-era rotary-wing collection. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.