YCH-47B / YCH-1B / YCH-47A Chinook

This aircraft was the third prototype for the CH-47 line and is the oldest Chinook in existence. Constructed in 1959, tail number 59-4984 began as YCH-1B, was redesignated YCH-47A in 1962, and soon after became YCH-47B when it served as the test aircraft for the B model Chinook. After its test career, it was used as a maintenance trainer at Fort Eustis until its retirement from service in 1975. In the early 1990s it stood in a field in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, owned by Southeast Equipment Corporation, and after restoration efforts fell short it was turned over to the museum in 1992. Damaged in shipment to Fort Eustis, it then sat outside at Felker AAF for more than 10 years before moving to the museum. In 2013 the helicopter was transported to Delaware for restoration by Summit Aviation, and in April 2014, after a year of hard labor, it returned. The twin-engine, tandem-rotor Chinook helicopter has undergone numerous upgrades since the first CH-47A model was delivered to the Army for use in Vietnam. From 1982 to 1994, all CH-47A, B, and C models were upgraded to the CH-47D version, which remained the U.S. Army standard until the CH-47F began delivery in 2006. The newer model has an improved airframe, engines, and avionics, and can lift 21,000 pounds, nearly twice the Chinook's original lift capacity.

Newport News, Virginia · United States