Iowa veteran buys Vietnam-era helicopter flown by his father to keep legacy alive
By Ben Kaplan
Click here for updates on this story
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Iowan Nick Turner, who spent 20 years flying Marine Corps helicopters and deployed five times, has a treasure chest of mementos from his career, including photos of flights transporting the president.
“Got to fly President Obama past the … Christ the Redeemer statue (in Brazil). Flew him right by it,” Turner recalls.
Turner was a member of the Ugly Angels squadron — just like his dad, Capt. Phillip ‘Larry’ Turner.
“My dad doesn’t even know I’m doing this. So, that’s what makes it emotional,” Turner said.
To understand that part of the story, we must go back to the beginning. Turner’s passion for flying began on his family’s farm, inspired by his father.
“I grew up castrating hogs, fixing fence, shearing sheep and flying helicopters,” Turner said, recalling his childhood.
His father used helicopters for crop spraying and even purchased a Sikorsky UH-34, the same model his dad flew in the Marine Corps, for heavy-lift work.
“What really turned the corner for me was when my dad’s buddies would come to the farm,” Turner said. “I got to see my dad tell stories, have a pitch in his voice, a step that I had never seen before as a 10-, 12-year-old kid. And I’m just sitting there with my jaw on the floor listening to these guys talk about getting shot at, creating new tactics. Flying out of zones backwards or sideways.”
So, all these years later, in a tribute to his father, Turner recently bought a Sikorsky UH-34D helicopter— the YL-37, the exact aircraft his dad flew in Vietnam.
“My dad was actually a maintenance test pilot. He tested this aircraft quite a few times, and then once they would get it fixed, he’d fly it in combat missions,” Turner said.
The helicopter’s history is unique.
“The tail had been severely damaged in a rocket attack and, in an interesting way, that’s what saved the aircraft’s life,” Turner said.
Despite being labeled a “hangar queen” due to frequent mechanical issues, its low flight hours led to its repair and eventual return to the U.S. After sitting unused for years, the helicopter was sold for parts in the mid-1980s. Fifteen years later, it was restored upon discovery of its combat history.
“That’s a bullet hole. That’s a bullet hole. That’s a bullet hole,” Turner said, pointing to the aircraft’s scars.
The restored helicopter became a flying memorial, traveling the country to honor the 33 members of the Ugly Angels squadron who were killed between 1962 and 1969, as well as others who served, including Turner’s father.
“I’d flown this aircraft with my dad, with my brothers, flown it at reunions,” Turner said.
Last year, Turner became the custodian of the helicopter, sharing its story with Iowans.
“I called my wife Kim, and I was like, ‘I can’t do this unless we’re going to go all in.’ Logistics, finances, 65-year-old piece of machinery,” Turner said.
Kimberly Turner has embraced the project, managing the helicopter’s social media presence and building a following of tens of thousands.
“It’s been a lot of fun; I really enjoyed it. Not what I thought we’d be doing at this point of our life. But it’s been a blast,” she said.
“I would just love to get this in front of as many people as we can. It has a great story,” Kimberly added.
Turner echoed her sentiment.
“How else are we going to tell that story if we don’t put this machine in front of every American eyeball that we can? Especially these kids, they need to know. They need to know,” he said.
Since assuming ownership, Turner has flown the YL-37 to nearly 20 events around Iowa. And the historic helicopter has had a profound impact on veterans who encounter it, including an 82-year-old Marine who served as an H-34 crew chief.
“This guy looked like he could chew through barbed wire fence; it was pretty cool seeing an 82-year-old Marine who was as sharp as him. He got into that plane, grabbed a hold of that gun, sat down and poof, armor was off,” Turner said.
Turner lost his father in 2023, but he feels his presence in the cockpit.
He believes his dad, and those buddies who would come out to the farm, would be proud of the mission he’s carrying out now.
“I think they’d be proud. I know they’d be proud,” Turner said when asked what his father and his father’s friends would think of his efforts.
“To be able to tell people that Nick flew it with his dad and his dad flew it in Vietnam … it’s very special,” Kimberly said, holding back tears.
For the Turners, the helicopter is more than a machine — it’s a cherished memento and a living tribute to the sacrifices of those who served.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.