TUKWILA, Wash. — The Museum of Flight in Tukwila welcomed its newest addition on Saturday, a U.S. Army Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
Nicknamed, ‘My Old Lady,’ it was the oldest flyable Chinook helicopter in the Army inventory when it was taken off flight status in 2017 after 54 years of service, according to Museum of Flight officials.
The helicopter was delivered to the Museum of Flight by some of the same crew members that have been serving with the aircraft for years. The aircraft will be centered in the Museum’s Aviation Pavilion.
My Old Lady was built in 1962, and in 1963 became the fifth Chinook accepted by the U.S. Army. The helicopter has served with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard and has been based at Camp Murray near Joint Base Lewis-McChord since 2009.
Officials say the aircraft flew combat missions in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan between 2009-2011.
It was most recently flown in support of domestic emergencies, such as the Okanogan Complex Wildfire in 2015.