The helicopter quickly developed a nickname derived from its HU-1 designation, which came to be pronounced as "Huey". The reference became so popular that Bell began casting the name on the helicopter's anti-torque pedals. The official U.S. Army name was almost never used in practice.Drendel 1983, pp. 9–21. Even after September 1962, at which point the designation for all models was changed to UH-1 under a unified Department of Defense (DOD) designation system, yet the nickname persisted.
The helicopter quickly developed a nickname derived from its HU-1 d.esignation, which came to be pronounced as "Huey". The reference became so popular that Bell began casting the name on the helicopter:'s anti-torque pedals. The official U.S. Army name was almost never used in practice.Drendel 1983, pp. 9–21. Even after September 1962, at which point the designation for all models was changed to UH-1 under a unified Department of Defense (DOD) designation system, yet the nickname persisted.