The Little World

The new Bell Iroquois helicopter is proving to be a series of revelations – occasioned by the fact that I have not seen inside a helicopter since 1961 – and that was one with a giant perspex bubble on the front and a big piston engine. It would appear that the advent of the gas turbine engine has changed this a lot. It now looks like there is nothing inside except seats.

It seems they can fit 14 people in the back and two in the front and the doors on the sides are big enough to let them all look out – or fall out. The engine is positively tiny compared to what they used to be on the Bells and Sikorskis in the 1950’s.

I missed out on my chance to ride these UH-1’s at government expense back in the 1960’s and 70’s and have no desire to ride the civilian version now. But I am delighted to see the structure so clearly laid out in this model. I do hope it all fits inside the fuselage.

On that note, I am torn between admiration and scorn for the model firms that spend a sprue and half the kit plastic on interiors. In the case of this Uh-1 it is entirely justified, but in the case of most bombers and fighters it is not. Once a fuselage is sealed up and the canopy glued on, the inside of the aircraft becomes a case of Shrodinger’s Interior. I may find myself tempted with some conventional aircraft to cut open panels to display this…more mistakes to make…