With gleaming teeth and a killer stare, the AH-1F Cobra helicopter in “Sand Shark” livery has arrived at the Airbase Arizona Flying Museum as part of the Desert Storm/Gulf War exhibit.
The exhibit is now open to the public for preview viewing, according to officials with the museum, a unit of the Commemorative Air Force that has operated from Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona, for 45 years. The grand opening of the full exhibit will be in January 2023, officials added.
The AH-1F Cobra has been restored to commemorate the crews and aircraft that participated in Desert Storm 1990-1991. The acquisition and restoration work was performed by the local chapter of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation and loaned to the Airbase Arizona Flying Museum as part of its “100 Years of Military Aviation” exhibition. The arrival of Sand Shark completes the collection in the exhibition and joins the MQ-5A drone to represent the Gulf War era, museum officials noted.
The choice of the aircraft’s colors and name honors the original Sand Shark with the 4th Squadron of the 2nd Air Cavalry Regiment flown by Chief Warrant Officers Warren Aylworth and Derek Willis, according to museum officials.
The Cobra squadron was based in Germany at the time of their orders to deploy and their helicopters were painted dark green, an issue for camouflage in the deserts of the Middle East. Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia the squadron was able to find local, desert-colored paint and Sand Shark was born, reminiscent of many historic periods in military aviation where crews had to camouflage aircraft quickly in the field themselves, museum officials explain.
High Kudos to The Restorers and Volunteers