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Wood helicopter pays tribute to Marine veteran’s service

Josh Miller’s art work now sits on Mike Burkhart’s Plantation Road stump
October 19, 2020

Story Location:
Plantation Road
Lewes, DE 19958
United States

It’s been less than two days since Mike Burkhart has had a wooden helicopter installed on a tree stump in his front yard.

Standing there, with the smell of the recently applied deck sealant still detectable in the air, Burkhart said chainsaw artist Josh Miller did a fine job.

“I think it’s kind of neat,” he said. “Who else has a wooden helicopter in their yard?”

Burkhart said one of the summer’s destructive storms knocked over the maple tree in the front yard of his Plantation Road home outside Lewes. He said he thought about turning the stump into a dolphin, a bear or something else, but the idea of a helicopter came to him after thinking about it for a while.

The helicopter is a reproduction of a Sikorsky CH-53D. Burkhart flew one of these - the full-size model - as a Marine in the Vietnam War. He said he flew 90 combat missions as member of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463. Burkhart was in the Marines for eight years and Army National Guard for 13 years. While in the National Guard, he went to medical school, eventually becoming a family doctor, and later an emergency room specialist. He and his wife Kay have lived in the Cape Region for many years.

Based out of Felton, Miller owns Artnsaw Chainsaw Carving. The name is a play on Arkansas, which is where Miller was born.

Miller said his business started as a hobby - his first carving was the stump of a tree in his yard that he turned into a Minion. That changed after COVID hit and he was furloughed. Miller said he took the opportunity to go at chainsaw art full time.

What started out as one chainsaw has turned to 10, he said.

Burkhart said some liberties were taken with the design of the helicopter - primarily the use of aluminum for the blades and rotor mast. Miller said he spent hours researching design with photos, but it’s not to scale.

The helicopter itself is made of pine. Burkhart said Miller attempted to make the body of the helicopter with one piece, but the cockpit area would have been endgrain and there was some concern about splitting. Ultimately, the helicopter was made with two pieces of wood.

Miller said it was the first helicopter he’s ever carved. Typically, he said, he does bird species, but he said he enjoyed the challenge. Between carving and installation, Miller estimated he put about four days of work into the piece.

“Dolphins are popular and they sell good, but I think it turned out better than a dolphin,” he said.

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