The pilot in this film is my Dad 49 years ago. Dad and I were looking on the computer last Sunday when we accidentally stumbled upon it. I remember I was just eleven at the time and this was the first time I saw one of the four movies he was in. Just another highlight. Got some good backstories, too.
Amazing. I was drafted in August of 1967. I was an Army crew chief on the OH6. I trained at Fort Eustis from November 6, 1967, to March 1968. We were so valuable that we spent over a month on KP after our training. I trained on the UH then the OH. I made E-5 in 5 months. I can't remember checking the rotor blade using the tail rotor. I know it was a great machine. I've stood on the landing skids shooting at enemy positions and supplies in 1968 Republic of Vietnam. I served in the 1st Aviation My pilot was a gem. God bless.
As an Army aviation UH-1 trained mechanic "hanger rat" having just arrived in Vietnam, I performed maintenance of a few Loachs. I was amazed by the aircraft's simplicity of design, power-to-weight and maneuverability. I got to go for some amazing test flights! What a terrific helicopter
My Father-in-Law flew the LOACH with the Americal division in Vietnam. He has told me several times about how wonderful the aircraft was. One time a pilot crashed and the main fuselage tumbled 6-7 times and the pilot walked away with nothing more than a sprained wrist. The crew chief was only scraped up.
I'm impressed by how the engineers actually made this as simple and rugged as possible. Engineers tend to overcomplicate things and rely on electronics which in my opinion are nothing but a liability. I wish car manufacturers would take a lesson here. (Oh, but they wouldn't make money if everyone could fix their own.)
@@hobbyhermit66 I hear ya. Their mindset is "Oh my! A simple lever does that? Let's add vacuum lines and servos to do the same thing!" This explains using the timing belt to drive the water pump and circulating oil through an alternator bracket. Engineering students should do 1 year of service in a mechanic's shop.
My dad was a civilian flight instructor after that war and retired from the 82nd at Bragg. He taught in the Hughes 500 occasionally but he taught mostly fixed wing aircraft like Cessna's and Beechcraft, i used to love flying with him on the weekend's. I just remember how in love he was with the 500, his buddy actually owed the helicopter and had a landing pad in his front yard right in a residential area off of Morganton rd in Fayetteville NC, near ( Ft Bragg)
I flew the OH6 in my younger years. Much better than the Huey in many aspects. Yes, it could be trimmed for hands off, but not long, as it drifted in roll after 15 seconds or so, like it did in the video. When I was a crew chief, those backseat were not comfy if you had the flightbags or aying else in the back. What a wonderful little bird. Looks like FT. Rucker landscape. That sound. Great memories.
We used to call the OH-6A, the pregnant Easter egg, self castrating. It had an A-frame surrounding the cockpit, which protected the pilot from crashes. It also had self-sealing fuel tanks, to protect the fuel from rounds entering the fuel tank, and to keep the aircraft from burning upon crashing.
The best "scout / hunter" a/c ever provided the Army.....I loved the C model (RVN) and D models (civilian)....the Bell 206 was a old Chevy pickup compared to the Hughes 500 'Porsche' being more nimble, fast and crashworthy.
Actually the round nose is more aerodynamic. They went to the pointed nose becasue it looks faster and sexier. The most aerodynamic shape is a teardrop. Nature is always right.
I probably have 8-9000 hours in these aircraft. I have a ton of video and audio and the original Quite One factory Hughes Tool company pictures. I owned two, love em to death! o7
It's pretty amazing to think that such a huge portion of the current fleet of utility helicopters in use today (MD-500, Bell 206, Bell 205/212, etc) are of the same basic model/design as those used 50+ years ago, especially considering that Sikorsky's VS-300 was launched less than 20 years prior to that. In other words we are still using helicopter designs for the bulk of the working fleet that are more than twice as close timewise to the first conventional helicopter prototype than they are to our present day. Fascinating.
I got checked out in these babies in Oct 68, was maintenance test pilot for them and later in mid 70's project pilot to put VOR/ILS in them. Probably first pilot to shoot an ILS approach in a Loach, maybe only active duty one as don't think they ever completed the program.
prior to the Nomex ones, they were made of a very high grade kid skin leather that was incredibly soft until the first time your hands started sweating, usually the first thirty minutes, then the began to turn into rock. Find an old golf glove somewhere and you will understand. Nomex on the other hand, after a few hours of use, begin smelling like an unwashed jock strap.
If you're gonna crash, this is the puppy to be in. Have seen -6's that would fit under a table and the pilot crawled out in one piece. Flew them all of '69 in country. I'm still here. OH-58 cannot compare to my favorite bird. Made by Bell you know it's swell......NOT.
The mechanical linkage is assisted by a motorized trim(Chinese hat on cyclic) which aids the pilot in keeping it steady. Without it, your arm would likely go numb.
