20                           HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS IN NORThERN IRAQ, 1991:


                                                         Photograph by the author
"Leroy Three Two" was a Ull-iN two-pilot, twin-engine, utility helicopter. Altl~ough officially
named "Iroquois," Ull-is were always called "Hueys, " a nickname first used ih~nng the Vietnam
conflict.

   Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallions were the most capable heavy-lift cargo
helicopters in the free world. They had three jet engines, a single main rotor, and
a four-man crew. They could carry 55 Marines internally and sling a 16-ton
ext&nal load. These workhorses were able to recover any airframe in the Navy-
Marine Corps inventory.   They flew  172 miles per hour,   had a practical
operational ceiling of 10,000 feet, and a ferry range of 1,000 nautical miles.
Nose-mounted aerial refueling probes made the Super Stallions valuable as long-
range transports and cargo carriers. Commonly called "Echoes" or "Fifty-
threes," they provided the only helicopter lift for M198 howitzers and light
armored vehicles. The four Super Stallions assigned to HMM-264 came from
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461) at New River, North
Carolina.  Although notorious for leaking fluid, il~ese rugged birds were
dependable cargo haulers that carried heavy loads over long distances. During
a flight from Silopi to Incirlik on board a U.S. Navy CH-53, an alarmed civilian
passenger alerted the crew chief to a hydraulic leak. The Marines on board burst
into laughter at the veteran flier's unconcerned reply: "Be glad, lady!  It means
there's some fluid still in there."
    Two Bell-made aircraft comprised the squadron's light aircraft contingent.
The Bell UH-lN Iroquois, familiar to most Americans as the "Huey," was a
twin-engine, single-rotor utility helicopter. Two pilots flew it at a cruise speed
of 125 miles per hour, with a ceiling of 10,000 feet, and a range of about 200
nautical miles. The Huey was primarily used for passenger transport, command
and control, and reconnaissance missions, but flew medical evacuation flights
when needed. The squadron's other light helicopters were among the stars of