The greenhouse window of the Huey helicopter has been replaced after it was found busted out late last month.
The Huey is located in the Fannin County Veterans Memorial Park and is a helicopter that was used in Vietnam.
The windows for such a helicopter are around $1,600, but Fannin County Veterans Museum Curator Trevor McIntyre had a back up in stock.
“After the broken greenhouse was removed, we pulled out our brand new greenhouse and peeled the protective spraylat coating off of it,” McIntyre said. “Even though it was made in 1998, the coating did its job, and the window looked like it was made yesterday!”
McIntyre and his father Rod replaced the window Sunday, August 31, which consisted of changing out 54 screws, applying sealant, drilling screw holes into the new window, and performing cosmetic work around the window.
While adding some finishing touches to the frame, a man approached the two and offered to donate $200 in cash for the repairs.
“That fully covers all of our expenses,” McIntyre said. “Needless to say, we couldn’t thank him enough.”
The man wished to stay anonymous.
“We are truly blessed to live in a community that cares so much about our veterans,” McIntyre said.
The replacement window itself was bought several years back from a fellow in the Greek Army.
The army there still uses the type of helicopter found in the park.
“With the faded paint and the mismatched greenhouse, our Huey sure is starting to look like she just came back from Vietnam,” McIntyre said.
As to the culprit of the damage, he said, “Based on information we have received, we’ve concluded that the person who broke the window did so while attempting to find a ‘Geocache’ that was placed at the Huey without our knowledge or permission.”
“Geocaching” is a type of scavenger hunting game.
He added that they know who is responsible for placing the Geocache on the Huey, and they are “continuing to pursue the matter.”
To prevent an incident such as this from happening again, they have removed the stairs that were on the left side and placed them in storage.
There are also two steps built into the airframe and both were pinned shut, and signs that say “DO NOT CLIMB ON HELICOPTER” have been taped on each cargo window.
“Short of surrounding the Huey with barbwire and posting armed guards, there’s not much more we can do to prevent someone from trying to climb on it, but we’ve definitely made it much hard to do so now,” McIntyre said.