Red Bull gives you wings rotorblades!

For a good number of years, Bell TAH-1 Cobra N11FX was the star of Flying Bull’s helicopter fleet.

But on 25 May 2017 that suddenly changed when the machine was severely damaged during a landing accident. While coming in to refuel after a display, the main rotor struck a building at Reutte-Höfen Airfield, Austria. The sole pilot onboard was not injured.

Unfortunately the helicopter was considered to be damaged beyond repair. So a replacement Cobra was sought, and found!

The new AH-1F replaces Red Bull’s previous Cobra, a TAH model of the type used for training pilots. Built from spare parts in the U.S. by pilot and mechanic Chuck Aaron, who later flew aerobatics for the company, that helicopter was acquired by Red Bull in 2004.

The fully demilitarized aircraft was transferred to Austria after a lengthy export process, still with an experimental category registration from the Federal Aviation Administration and tail number N11FX.

The replacement Cobra that is now in Red Bull’s collection is a former U.S. Army AH-1F model, serial number 67-15819. Originally built in 1967, it was converted to an AH-1S in 1976 (the F designation was applied to certain modernized S models.)

Following its military career, it was used as a training aid in an aircraft maintenance school, where it was discovered by Northwest Helicopters CEO and avid helicopter collector Brian Reynolds in 2010.

During Red Bull’s search for a replacement Cobra, Reynolds was contacted and finally commissioned to restore his AH-1F. To supplement the rebuild, Red Bull transferred some parts of the wreckage of the first Coibra (N11FX) to Northwest Helicopters’ facility in Olympia (WA), and N11FX was ultimately reincarnated with the same tail number. Following another lengthy export process, the Cobra returned to Salzburg in March 2021. It was awarded its CoA on 7 March 2022.

And now, like a phenix from the ashes, another Cobra N11FX graces Europe’s skies. Hopefully for years to come!

Source: Flying Bulls