FORT POLK, La. -- The Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, better known as the "Huey," has been the singular iconic image of Army aircraft since the Vietnam War. Americans have watched this chopper, adorned ...

It's like a scene out of an old war flick. Five UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopters fly low to the ground overhead in formation as dust swirls up and the chop of the blades resonates throughout the land.

Half a century ago, a prototype aircraft lifted off for the first time, one that 50 years later has become an icon of military aviation and among the most-produced helicopters of all time. In 1974, ...