Helicopter With a MASSIVE Radial Engine Up Front — 54 Bullet Holes

Take a close look inside a **Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse**, one of the most distinctive vintage military helicopters of the Vietnam War era. This historic US Marine Corps helicopter is powered by a massive **1,500 hp radial piston engine mounted right in the front** — an unusual design for a helicopter of this size.

This particular UH-34D has documented Vietnam combat history, including **54 bullet holes**, and today flies as a memorial dedicated to 33 Marines who lost their lives while serving with the Ugly Angels squadron.

We climb aboard this incredible **historic military helicopter** and find out what it takes to start, fly and maintain a machine from another era. Its Wright radial engine burns around **70 gallons of aviation fuel per hour**, costing roughly $600–$700 an hour before oil, maintenance and insurance are even considered.

The Sikorsky UH-34 was used by the US military for troop transport, medevac, cargo operations and heavy lifting. Some surviving UH-34 helicopters are still being used commercially today for heavy-lift work — and amazingly, even hovering above cherry orchards to blow rainwater from the fruit before it splits.

We also look at its 56-foot rotor, rolling takeoffs and landings, autorotation, unusual engine and rotor controls, 5,000 lb lifting capability and what it’s like to fly one of the relatively few UH-34 helicopters still operating today.

Filmed at **EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026**.

#Sikorsky #UH34 #MilitaryHelicopter