Nowra’s iconic chopper on a stick is to be grounded and removed for refurbishment.
A Defence spokesperson said, “The Royal Australian Navy and the Shoalhaven City Council remain committed to ensuring ongoing, prominent recognition of the contribution to the nation and the local community of the crew of HMAS Albatross and the Fleet Air Arm.”
Defence said, “In order to return Iroquois 894 to an appropriate representational state and ensure its ongoing ability to be displayed in its current manner, it will be removed from its mount for inspection and renovation at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at HMAS Albatross.“
The work to remove the aircraft off its mount will be conducted in a manner, and at a time, designed to minimise disruption to traffic.
The Iroquois helicopter is synonymous with the Vietnam War.
Members of the Royal Australian Navy flew several variants of this aircraft in both “gunship” and “utility” configurations as part of the RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam and with 9 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.
Defence said, “The timeline for re-installation will not be known until technicians have the opportunity to conduct the inspection.”
