Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopter 88-00108.

88-00108

Demonstrating the Flying Frog maneuver, Boeing CH-47D 88-00108 Chinook takes off from a field site in Costa Rica during drug interdiction operations in the mid 1990's.

   88-00108, Boeing D model kit number M3282, was a CH-47D helicopter. The U.S. Army acceptance date was 19 December 1989. As of 19 November 1999, 88-00108 had accumulated 1,754.0 D model hours and 4,989.0 total aircraft hours.

   88-00108 was a conversion from the original C model Chinook 69-17114.

   On 14 November 1988, 88-00108 was inducted into the D model program, conversion complete on 16 September 1989, and initially assigned to B Company, 2nd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, located at Fort Hood, Texas, on 30 January 1990.

   On 7 February 1990, 88-00108 was assigned to C Company - "Sugar Bears South", 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, located at Fort Kobbe, Panama.

   C Company - "Sugar Bears South", was the sister unit of "Sugar Bears North".

   B Company - "Sugar Bears North", 4th Battalion, 123rd Aviation Regiment, was located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. B Company was the former C Company, 228th Aviation Regiment (16 October 1987 - 24 June 1994).

   C Company was the former 242nd Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) - "Muleskinners" (located in Alaska from November 1971 through 16 October 1987). When United States involvement in the Vietnam conflict ended in April 1975, 242nd ASHC was re-located from the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) to Alaska.

   The aviation unit in Alaska at the time was designated the 236th ASHC, 19th Aviation Battalion (April 1971 - November 1971). When the 242nd ASHC re-located to Alaska and reformed, the unit name changed from "Muleskinners" to "Sugarbears" and the unit designation went from the 236th ASHC to the 242nd ASHC.

   At some point, the unit was split into two companies. One company remained in Alaska and became known as "Sugar Bears North". The other company, C Company, 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, was relocated to Fort Kobbe, Panama and became known as "Sugar Bears South".

   At some point, and as of November 1999, 88-00108 was at Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), Corpus Christi, Texas, for On Condition Maintenance (OCM).

   As of 1 January 2002, this aircraft was 31.5 years old.

   As of 28 September 2001, the last known location of 88-00108 was Corpus Christi Army Depot. Aircraft status:

   Undergoing maintenance, but otherwise flyable.