Tara Field's Hidden Gem... pssst, it has to do with attack choppers!

I've always been very interested in aerobatic flight and hope to, one day, dabble in the sport myself.  That's why I was excited to be able to visit the Bear Creek Boogie at Tara Field Saturday.  Rain and low ceilings had canceled events that Friday, but I hoped to see a bit of flying.

Saturday rolled around; no go.  Ceilings were around 2,600 and, as Tim explained, we needed about 12,000 for the competition.  I'm a fairly patient guy, so we toured the airport with the slight hope that the skies would clear up.  Just beyond the hangars, right before you get to the taxiways and ramp, Tim pointed out something I didn't even know existed; the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation and Flying Museum.

That's right, a museum.  Though the building's appearance wouldn't suggest it, the herd of Vietnam era hueys and Cobras visible in the hangar's door suggested something very interesting.  I, of course, checked it out.  The museum restores and displays military aircraft of all kinds.  The displays aren't very formal; just helicopters sitting in a hangar, but that's really the best way to view these wonderful aircraft.

This rotorless chopper is the only outward sign of the museum's presence.

The impressive helicopters were a treat within themselves, but our impromptu tour guide took us through a small door into a room where my jaw immediately dropped to the floor.  In front of me, tucked away in a closed hangar full of boxes and spare parts sat six glossy yellow and black Cobra attack helicopters in immaculate condition.

 

He explained that these six were the Army Cobra display team.  Thinking back, I remembered seeing this display team perform in Warner Robins at the Air Force bases's air show.  They were the very same helicopters!  Who knew all of this was tucked away on Tara Field?

I fully intend to revisit this little hangar in the future and talk to some of the people that maintain the helicopters.  I hear some of them flew these helicopters in Vietnam and one even has the exact helicopter he flew sitting in the hangar (below).