The Hueys have taken off.

The North Dakota National Guard said goodbye Wednesday to its last two Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopters. They flew past the state Capitol building, headed for New Mexico, to that state's Army National Guard, officials said.

Maj. Gen. Dave Sprynczynatyk, the North Dakota Guard commander, said the Hueys are being replaced with Black Hawk helicopters to help the Guard become better equipped.

One other Huey left a couple of weeks ago for Louisiana. The North Dakota Guard is gaining five Black Hawks.

Sprynczynatyk said the Hueys have served the country since the early 1960s. North Dakota got its first Huey in 1971, he said.

Ron Doll, who learned how to fly a Huey in flight school 30 years ago, said they are dependable and reliable.

The Black Hawks are faster, more sophisticated and can hold more, he said. Guard pilots have been training in the Black Hawk helicopters since the early 1990s, he said.

The Hueys have been used for rescues, grass fires and other Guard missions.

"They're simple to maintain and they're very economical to fly," said Dennis Connelly, a test pilot. "From that perspective, and me being the maintenance test pilot, I'm going to miss them."