Ladon Briggs, who flew Army Black Hawk helicopters in Iraq, prepares to pilot a Huey from the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation hangar in at the Henry County Airport in Hampton, Georgia, to an air show in Columbus, Georgia on Friday, March 14. The foundation is headquartered in Hampton, where they restore retired Army helicopters in an effort to educate people about the aircraft and the people who flew them, particularly in the Vietnam War.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
Ladon Briggs, who flew Army Black Hawk helicopters in Iraq, prepares to pilot a Huey from the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation hangar in at the Henry County Airport in Hampton, Georgia, to an air show in Columbus, Georgia on Friday, March 14. The foundation is headquartered in Hampton, where they restore retired Army helicopters in an effort to educate people about the aircraft and the people who flew them, particularly in the Vietnam War.
Mike Belleme for CNN
A retired Cobra AH-1 helicopter from the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation lands at the Columbus, Georgia, airport before a weekend air show on Friday, March 14.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
A retired Cobra AH-1 helicopter from the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation lands at the Columbus, Georgia, airport before a weekend air show on Friday, March 14.
Mike Belleme for CNN
Retired Lt. Col. John P. Woodward, now the CEO of an aviation logistics company in Marietta, Georgia, stands outside the office before a flight briefing in the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation hangar at the Henry County Airport.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
Retired Lt. Col. John P. Woodward, now the CEO of an aviation logistics company in Marietta, Georgia, stands outside the office before a flight briefing in the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation hangar at the Henry County Airport.
Mike Belleme for CNN
A helmet rests in the cockpit of a Huey helicopter that was in service during the war in Vietnam at the Henry County Airport.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
A helmet rests in the cockpit of a Huey helicopter that was in service during the war in Vietnam at the Henry County Airport.
Mike Belleme for CNN
Foundation volunteer Tyler Phillips hops aboard a restored Huey helicopter as it is towed from the hangar to the tarmac in preparation for flight in Hampton.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
Foundation volunteer Tyler Phillips hops aboard a restored Huey helicopter as it is towed from the hangar to the tarmac in preparation for flight in Hampton.
Mike Belleme for CNN
A retired Cobra AH-1 Army helicopter flies between the Henry County Airport and the Columbus Airport near Atlanta on the way to an air show in Columbus.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
A retired Cobra AH-1 Army helicopter flies between the Henry County Airport and the Columbus Airport near Atlanta on the way to an air show in Columbus.
Mike Belleme for CNN
The cockpit of Huey 354, a retired Army helicopter that was in service during the Vietnam War.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
The cockpit of Huey 354, a retired Army helicopter that was in service during the Vietnam War.
Mike Belleme for CNN
Huey 354 sits in the hangar of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation in Hampton. Huey 354 flew more than 1,400 combat hours in Vietnam.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
Huey 354 sits in the hangar of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation in Hampton. Huey 354 flew more than 1,400 combat hours in Vietnam.
Mike Belleme for CNN
A pod that shot folding-fin aerial rockets is seen on a restored Cobra AH-1 helicopter.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
A pod that shot folding-fin aerial rockets is seen on a restored Cobra AH-1 helicopter.
Mike Belleme for CNN
Retired Army Col. Ralph Kahlan, a Huey pilot, is a veteran of two tours of Vietnam.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
Retired Army Col. Ralph Kahlan, a Huey pilot, is a veteran of two tours of Vietnam.
Mike Belleme for CNN
Jim Brennan, a retired Army chief warrant officer and Vietnam combat veteran, in a restored Huey helicopter at Columbus Airport.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
Jim Brennan, a retired Army chief warrant officer and Vietnam combat veteran, in a restored Huey helicopter at Columbus Airport.
Mike Belleme for CNN
A retired Cobra AH-1 Army helicopter flies between the Henry County Airport and the Columbus Airport.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
A retired Cobra AH-1 Army helicopter flies between the Henry County Airport and the Columbus Airport.
Mike Belleme for CNN
St. Claire Williams, in a Cobra AH-1 Army helicopter at the Henry County Airport, is a former Marine who saw combat in Afghanistan and is now a police sniper in Roswell, Georgia.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
St. Claire Williams, in a Cobra AH-1 Army helicopter at the Henry County Airport, is a former Marine who saw combat in Afghanistan and is now a police sniper in Roswell, Georgia.
Mike Belleme for CNN
A seatbelt holds a passenger in a Huey in flight between the Henry County Airport and the Columbus Airport.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
A seatbelt holds a passenger in a Huey in flight between the Henry County Airport and the Columbus Airport.
Mike Belleme for CNN
Retired Army Lt. Col. John P. Woodward says of the copter, "I fell in love with it in '73, when I first started flying them. My wife is still jealous."
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
Retired Army Lt. Col. John P. Woodward says of the copter, "I fell in love with it in '73, when I first started flying them. My wife is still jealous."
Mike Belleme for CNN
A retired Huey lands at the Columbus Airport before the Thunder in the Valley airshow on Friday, March 14.
Preserving a Vietnam icon —
A retired Huey lands at the Columbus Airport before the Thunder in the Valley airshow on Friday, March 14.
Mike Belleme for CNN