UH-1H HueyDCS WORLD Startup Checklist · 115 steps
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U.S. Army / Wikimedia CommonsPublic Domain
RotaryVietnam Era
AIRCRAFT BRIEF
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, universally known as the 'Huey,' is the most iconic helicopter in military history. Over 16,000 were built starting in 1959, and it became the symbol of the Vietnam War, serving in medevac, troop transport, and gunship roles. The UH-1H variant featured the more powerful T53-L-13B engine, and the distinctive 'whop-whop' sound of its two-blade rotor remains instantly recognizable worldwide.
SPECIFICATIONS
manufacturerBell Helicopter
first Flight1959
roleUtility helicopter
crew1–4 crew + 12–14 troops
engines1x Lycoming T53-L-13B (1,400 shp)
max Speed241 km/h (130 kts)
range510 km (275 nmi)
ceiling16,100 ft
weight4,309 kg (MTOW)
PHS 1 — Electrical / Pre-Start8 steps
| 01 | Circuit Breakers | CHECK — All in | |
| 02 | Battery Switch | ON | |
| 03 | Main Generator Switch | ON | |
| 04 | Non-Essential Bus | ON | |
| 05 | Inverter SwitchNOTE: AC power off until after engine start. | OFF | |
| 06 | Caution Panel — Low RPM WarningCAUTION: Silence the low RPM warning before starting to prevent audio damage. | PRESS to reset | |
| 07 | Pitot Heat | OFF | |
| 08 | De-Ice Switch | OFF |
PHS 2 — Engine Setup7 steps
| 01 | Governor SwitchNOTE: AUTO allows governor to maintain 6,600 RPM. | AUTO (Forward) | |
| 02 | Main Fuel Switch | ON (Forward) | |
| 03 | Chip Detector Switch | BOTH (Forward) | |
| 04 | Force Trim Switch | ON (Forward) | |
| 05 | Hydraulic Control Switch | ON (Forward) | |
| 06 | Collective | FULL DOWN | |
| 07 | ThrottleNOTE: Press idle release button to move past idle stop. | CLOSE — Rotate to idle stop position |
PHS 3 — Engine Start8 steps
| 01 | Starter ButtonNOTE: Hold starter until N1 reaches 40%. | PRESS & HOLD | |
| 02 | N1 RPM | MONITOR — Rotors start turning at ~15% N1 | |
| 03 | Starter Button | RELEASE at 40% N1 | |
| 04 | EGTWARNING: EGT must not exceed 400°C during start. Exceeding 610°C causes engine damage. | MONITOR | |
| 05 | ThrottleCAUTION: Advance throttle gradually — sudden movement risks overtorque. | SLOWLY advance to full open at 70% N1 | |
| 06 | N2 / Rotor RPMNOTE: Governor auto-maintains RPM. N1 and N2 needles should be married. | STABILIZE at 6,600 RPM (324 rotor) | |
| 07 | Oil Pressure | CHECK — 40–70 PSI | |
| 08 | EGT (Stabilized) | CHECK — below 400°C at idle |
PHS 4 — Post-Start / Systems11 steps
| 01 | Inverter SwitchNOTE: Enables AC power for instruments. | MAIN ON | |
| 02 | Starter / Generator Switch | STBY GEN | |
| 03 | Radar Altimeter | ON | |
| 04 | Gyro / Attitude Indicator | CHECK — Erect and stable | |
| 05 | Compass | SET heading | |
| 06 | Altimeter | SET — Field elevation / QNH | |
| 07 | Radios (UHF / VHF / FM) | SET frequencies | |
| 08 | ICS / Intercom | CHECK with crew | |
| 09 | ADF / Navigation | SET as required | |
| 10 | Caution Panel | CHECK — No warnings | |
| 11 | Engine Instruments | CHECK — All in green |
PHS 5 — Before Taxi7 steps
| 01 | Flight ControlsNOTE: Cyclic, collective, and pedals full travel. | CHECK — Free and correct | |
| 02 | Trim | CHECK — Center | |
| 03 | Doors | CLOSED or as required | |
| 04 | Crew / Passengers | BRIEFED and secure | |
| 05 | Landing Light | AS REQUIRED | |
| 06 | Anti-Collision Light | ON | |
| 07 | Position Lights | AS REQUIRED |
PHS 6 — Hover / Taxi7 steps
| 01 | Area Clear | CHECK — Clear all sides | |
| 02 | CollectiveCAUTION: Increase collective gradually — torque increases rapidly. | SLOWLY RAISE | |
| 03 | Left PedalNOTE: Huey torques right — add left pedal as collective increases. | ADD to counter torque | |
| 04 | Hover HeightNOTE: In ground effect — collective should be stable. | 3–5 ft AGL | |
| 05 | Engine Instruments | CHECK — Torque, EGT, RPM in limits | |
| 06 | Hover TaxiNOTE: Walking pace — below translational lift speed. | FORWARD CYCLIC gently | |
| 07 | Ground TaxiNOTE: Only on smooth surfaces. Keep RPM at 6,600. | ALTERNATIVE — Low collective, skids on ground |
PHS 7 — Before Takeoff6 steps
| 01 | Engine InstrumentsNOTE: Torque, EGT, N1, N2, oil press/temp. | CHECK — All green | |
| 02 | Fuel Quantity | CHECK — Adequate for mission | |
| 03 | Caution Panel | CLEAR — No warnings | |
| 04 | Transponder | SET and ON | |
| 05 | WeaponsNOTE: Master Arm OFF for takeoff. | SAFE | |
| 06 | Radios | SET — Contact tower/ATC |
PHS 8 — Takeoff7 steps
| 01 | Wind Check | NOTE — Takeoff into wind preferred | |
| 02 | CollectiveCAUTION: Monitor torque — do not exceed 48 PSI. | INCREASE smoothly | |
| 03 | Pedals | MAINTAIN heading | |
| 04 | CyclicNOTE: Expect slight vibration and left yaw at ETL (~15 kts). | FORWARD — Accelerate through ETL | |
| 05 | Translational LiftNOTE: Helicopter becomes more efficient — reduce collective slightly. | FEEL — Aircraft climbs at ~16–24 kts | |
| 06 | Climb SpeedNOTE: Best climb speed for the Huey. | 60–70 kts | |
| 07 | Climb RateNOTE: Adjust collective and cyclic for desired climb. | 500–1,000 ft/min |
PHS 9 — Climb5 steps
| 01 | AirspeedNOTE: Best rate of climb speed. | 60–70 kts (Vy) | |
| 02 | Engine Instruments | MONITOR — All in limits | |
| 03 | Torque | MONITOR — Max continuous 40 PSI | |
| 04 | Altimeter | CHECK — Set QNH or STD | |
| 05 | Landing Light | OFF (above 500 ft AGL) |
PHS 10 — Cruise7 steps
| 01 | Altitude | AT assigned level | |
| 02 | AirspeedNOTE: Max speed 120 kts. Adjust for mission. | 80–100 kts (normal cruise) | |
| 03 | TorqueNOTE: Typically 30–35 PSI. | SET — Cruise power | |
| 04 | Fuel State | MONITOR — Check quantity | |
| 05 | Navigation | CHECK — Heading, ADF, position | |
| 06 | Engine Instruments | SCAN — Regular instrument check | |
| 07 | Trim | ADJUST as needed |
PHS 11 — Descent5 steps
| 01 | Airspeed | 80–90 kts descent speed | |
| 02 | CollectiveCAUTION: Avoid rapid collective reduction — may cause rotor droop. | REDUCE for descent | |
| 03 | Rate of Descent | 300–500 ft/min normal | |
| 04 | Altimeter | SET — Local QNH | |
| 05 | Landing Zone | IDENTIFY — Wind direction, obstacles |
PHS 12 — Approach6 steps
| 01 | Landing Light | ON | |
| 02 | Airspeed | REDUCE — Decelerate to 40–60 kts | |
| 03 | Collective | MANAGE — Control rate of descent | |
| 04 | Approach AngleNOTE: Aim for a constant angle to the landing point. | MAINTAIN — Steady approach | |
| 05 | Pedals | MAINTAIN heading alignment | |
| 06 | DecelerateCAUTION: Do not lose translational lift too quickly at high altitude. | AFT CYCLIC — Reduce to hover speed |
PHS 13 — Landing7 steps
| 01 | HoverNOTE: Stabilize in ground effect before landing. | ESTABLISH at 3–5 ft AGL | |
| 02 | Wind Check | FINAL — Note drift | |
| 03 | CollectiveNOTE: Gentle descent — let skids touch evenly. | SLOWLY LOWER | |
| 04 | Touchdown | SKIDS on ground — Level attitude | |
| 05 | Collective | FULL DOWN after touchdown | |
| 06 | Cyclic | NEUTRAL | |
| 07 | Pedals | NEUTRAL |
PHS 14 — After Landing5 steps
| 01 | Weapons | SAFE | |
| 02 | Transponder | STBY | |
| 03 | Landing Light | OFF | |
| 04 | Anti-Collision Light | ON | |
| 05 | Engine Instruments | CHECK — All normal |
PHS 15 — Shutdown19 steps
| 01 | Collective | FULL DOWN | |
| 02 | ThrottleNOTE: Let engine cool for 2 minutes at idle. | CLOSE to idle | |
| 03 | Weapons Systems | OFF | |
| 04 | Radar Altimeter | OFF | |
| 05 | Radios | OFF | |
| 06 | Navigation Equipment | OFF | |
| 07 | Inverter | OFF | |
| 08 | ThrottleCAUTION: Wait for N1 RPM below 40% before securing. | CLOSE — Rotate to OFF | |
| 09 | Main Fuel Switch | OFF | |
| 10 | N1 / N2 RPM | MONITOR — Wait for full spool-down | |
| 11 | Force Trim | OFF | |
| 12 | Hydraulic Control | OFF | |
| 13 | Governor Switch | OFF (Center) | |
| 14 | Non-Essential Bus | OFF | |
| 15 | Main Generator | OFF | |
| 16 | Battery Switch | OFF | |
| 17 | Anti-Collision Light | OFF | |
| 18 | All Lights | OFF | |
| 19 | Rotor BrakeWARNING: Never apply rotor brake above 30% RPM — causes damage. | APPLY when RPM below 30% |