Huey Helicopter vs. the WWII C-47 Plane

C’mon, ride it. Old plans and helicopters I mean. I was luck enough to have the chance to ride a Vietnam era Huey Helicopter as well as a C47 plane. Which one is better? Read on to find out!

C47 Plane Ride

Yankee air museum in Ann Arbor, MI is open to the public from May to October and operates in conjunction out of Willow Run Airport, offering rides to the public from May to October. Visiting early one morning, we rode in a C47 plane. It was one of the principal transport aircraft used by the Allies in World War II, from the beginning of 1942 through the end of the war. C-47s were used to carry troops in military campaigns and to ferry them back to the States. C-47s dropped paratroops behind enemy lines in the invasion of Sicily and again in the invasion of Normandy.

At the Yankee Air Museum, many planes are available for visitors to walk and tour, but rides cost between $80 and $400 depending on the plane. Trivia: These planes use, on average 150 gallons of fuel per hour.

The Willow Run Bomber Plant was built in 1941 and began producing B-24 Liberator bombers in 1942. Between 1942 and 1945, Willow Run produced 8,685 of these planes. At its peak, the plant, which was the largest industrial facility in the world at the time and was the first aircraft manufacturing complex to use Ford’s automotive mass production method, employed more than 42,000 people and produced a B-24 every 59 minutes.

Huey Helicopter Plane Ride

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation acquires, restores and maintains historic vintage flying aircrafts from the Vietnam and the Cold War era. We flew in a Vietnam era Huey Helicopter. Huey helicopters weigh 5,000 pounds and can reach speeds of 127 miles per hour. With a flight crew of four, they can take nine additional passengers.If you don’t like the idea of being on a helicopter with wide open doors, don’t go on this ride. I found it thrilling but it could be a bit frightening for some. Once you arrive at the AAHF in Hampton, GA, you’ll have to fill out some waivers and you’ll have to wait about 3 rides before it’s your turn. It goes by rather fast, with rides being a short 6-8 minutes.

Read more about the Huey Helicopter rides available in Atlanta’s Henry Country here.

I absolutely LOVED the ride o the Huey Helicopter, but I thought it was way too short. A helicopter ride that could be the same length of time as on the WWII C47 would be my pick. Too bad you can’t have both! I will say that the ability to walk around both of these spots and see the old planes that have been restored is VERY cool.

Which would you rather ride in: Huey Helicopter or WWII C47 plane?