Classic Hughes

[Savoia]

Hughes 500D I-SHRA (71-1017D) as seen at Corvara, Bolzano, Italia in February 1991

The Christmas Hughes


Hughes 500D N725M aka 'The Christmas Hughes'

[Savoia]

Hughes 500D G-DIGZ (cn 1111D) as seen at Denham Aerodrome on 14th December 2017 (Photo: Brian Nichols)

[Savoia]

Viking Helicopters Hughes 500D C-GRYI (19-0444D) Nym Lake, Ontario, Canada 12th July 1988 (Photo: Robert Arnold)

[Savoia]

Hughes 500C ZK-HQH engaged in live deer capture in the 1970's


Hughes 500C N5FC seen during power boat racing

[Savoia]

500E+


Aka the 500 'Special'

[Savoia]

For 500 Fan


OH-6A N239MY (cn. 1132) as seen at Kilrush Aifield Co. Kildare on 26th May 2017 (Photo: Ian McGarrigle)

[Savoia]

Hughes 500 Racing

[Savoia]

During my time in PNG I was surrounded by Kiwis who rarely ceased speaking about their deer recovery antics; and when they weren't talking about deer recovery, then they were watching it .. on well worn video cassettes which they had brought with them from Kiwiland. God bless 'em!

Well well, what do you know .. one of these very videos to which I made reference in the above post from the previous page, has appeared online. This was a short film (just 12 mins) made in 1980 featuring an Alpine Helicopters 500D 'HMB' flown by Doug Maxwell. How I should like to track down some of the other videos the Kiwis use to inflict upon me! One, so I recall, involved a 500 flying through a naturally formed rock 'archway'.

This video doesn't get into the 'high antics' of deer hunting but has some pleasant shots nonetheless. I doubt whether we shall ever see anything quite like that which took place in the 70's and 80's with these deer hunters and their 500's.

Enjoy!

[Savoia]

C-GSZM


West Cost Helicopters Hughes 500D C-GSZM as seen at Gold River, Vancouver Island BC, on 8th June 2016 (Photo: Bill Campbell)

[Savoia]

G-HEWZ


Hughes 500C (369HS) G-HEWZ (cn 940649S) as seen at White Waltham on 14th August 2016 (Photo: Steve Lynes)

[Savoia]

Royal Danish Army


Royal Danish Army Air Service (Hærens Flyvetjeneste) Hughes 369M H-213 (cn 71-0213M) as seen in flight over Denmark on 7th June 2005 (Photo: Jan Jørgensen)

[Savoia]

GdF


BredaNardi NH500M (369HM) GdiF-55 (122-0227M) of Italy's Guardia di Finanza as seen off the coast of Luqa, Malta on 9th July 1992 (Photo: Ivan Azzopardi)

[Savoia]

Birds of Prey

This video pieces together some of the flying scenes from the 1973 movie 'Birds of Prey' which starred David Janssen as a former American Volunteer Group pilot working as a radio station pilot/reporter who becomes involved in chasing down 'baddies' after witnessing an armored robbery where the suspects flee in a Lama helicopter.

If you think there are too many similarities between this movie and 'Deadly Encounter' (1982) then don't be surprised, as both movies were written and directed by the same duo namely, Robert Boris and William Graham. However whereas Larry Kirsch flew the Hughes 500 scenes in Deadly Encounter, in Birds of Prey the 500 was flown by James 'Jim' Gavin.

Birds of Prey was one of Jim's favourite projects and about which he once said: "We took the helicopter out of its normal environment, put it in the city streets and did all the work with Janssen in flight for real. In fact, since he was a pilot Janssen did a lot of the flying, and I'd sit opposite him." (Flying Magazine, June 1988) Gavin would later go on to fly in the making of Blue Thunder.

Those were the days!


Hughes 500C N9103F (cn 52-0378S) wearing Salt Lake City 'KBEX' radio station livery being flown by Jim Gavin during the filming of 'Birds of Prey' in 1972

[Savoia]

Hughes Aircraft OH-6A Promotional Film

[Savoia]

More Classic 'C'

Continuing our review of the Classic 'C' model, this lovely shot courtesy of Zishelix:


Hughes 500C (369HS) G-AZVM (cn 610326S) as seen at Goodwood Aerodrome in March 1973 (Photo: Zishelix)

Some 44 years after her delivery to the UK this craft remains flying and remains in Britain, now sporting the registration G-TCEE. She was delivered to her initial owner in May 1972 and went on to become an Air Gregory bird in 1974.

[Savoia]

Wow! What a wonderful story - one I wasn't aware of. Well done to the Hughes team and to Bob Ferry for this feat of endurance. Astonishing (and delightful) that so many of the 'old birds' still retain various records. Brilliant post 500 Fan, well done!

[500 Fan]

Thanks Sav. It appears this Loach is still in service in El Paso.

[500 Fan]

YOH-6A 62-4213 RECORD BREAKING FLIGHT

50 years ago today .. around this time, Hughes Test Pilot Robert Ferry was in the air in his Hughes YOH-6A prototype, 62-4213, as he set the world record for the longest distance flown in a rotorcraft, non-stop and un-refuelled. He flew for 15 hours and 8 minutes and covered 2,213.8 miles as he flew between Culver City, California and Ormond Beach, Florida. The record still stands to this day!

In theory, a helicopter as small as the OH-6 should come nowhere near setting such a record, but the radical design of the OH-6 has made it ideally suited to these type of flights. Clean aerodynamics, a fuel-efficient engine, a favourable power-to-weight ratio and the associated favourable fuel fraction (the weight of the fuel carried as a percentage of the total take-off weight, if I understand it correctly) all contribute to an exceptional range. One of the Hughes engineers calculated that the only way to beat the current record was if someone could come up with a lighter helicopter capable of carrying a greater amount of fuel!

Hughes engineers felt they could have constructed the OH-6A to be 200 pounds lighter but the Army went with the design that ultimately went into production. A friend of mine who has visited the Army Aviation Museum and examined 62-4213 noted that the construction of -4213 was lighter than that of a production OH-6A. This more lightweight construction probably contributed to this amazing record.

A couple of attempts to break this record have been announced in the past but they never came to fruition. Steve Fossett was going to use a modified BO-105 and someone else was going to use a Sikorsky S-76. Maybe they crunched the numbers and realized they needed a different helicopter! Perhaps the only way at the moment to beat this record would be to strip-down and lighten a Hughes 500C or OH-6A and try to increase the fuel fraction.


Robert Ferry being briefed before his record breaking flight


The record-breaking bird 62-4213


A map of Robert Ferry's flight from Culver City in California to Daytona Beach, Florida

500 Fan.

More info


Edit; I thought I would try to put the distance covered in this flight into perspective by seeing how far one could fly in Bob Ferry's YOH-6A if the flight started from Dublin! The most impressive flight I could come up with was this, a flight from Dublin to Happy Valley - Goose Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. IN AN OH-6A!!!!!! Granted, the conditions were quite different for Bob Ferry's flight but Dublin to Newfoundland is 2,187 miles, well short of his 2,213 miles. The extra fuel might have come in handy fighting that nasty headwind, though.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...?p1=78&p2=1137

[Savoia]

For 500 Fan

CLASSIC CAYUSE


US Army OH-6A Hughes Cayuse 17830 as seen in Vietnam 1970

This aircraft was delivered to the US Army in April of 1968 and was then assigned to D Troop, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry, 9th Infantry Division Light Horse from February to July 1970.

In 1972 she was assigned to C Troop, 16th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade Outcasts where she flew as 'Dark Horse 12'.

On 12th January 1994 she was assigned to the City of El Paso Police Department, El Paso, Texas and registered as N2091R.

[Savoia]

Lovely shot 500!

[Savoia]

Classic 'C'


Hughes 500C (369HS) N9221F (cn 104-06565) as seen at Miami's Opa Locka Airport on 20th June 1978 (Photo: Mick Bajcar)

[500 Fan]

Winter Hughes

The Gazelle thread featured a few wintry photos of Fenestrons on the snow, so I thought it might be an idea to show the 500 in a colourful paint scheme cruising along over a pristine snowy background, in this case Antarctica. A belated Happy Christmas.


Jayrow Helicopters Hughes 500C VH-SFS in Antarctica Photo: John Manning

[Adrian Batchelor]

I think it was more of a pose than genuine help Savoia but seriously as Bosses go Henry was a very good boss to me & even though those days are long in the past i do miss them,i had 22 years working on every shape and size Helicopter & Fixed wing aircraft that i could ever wish for...

[Savoia]

Another Take On BESS


Hughes 500D (369D) G-BESS (cn 1160029D) as seen at Cranfield on 3rd September 1977 (Photo: Keith Sowter)

Seen here having been recently acquired by Micro Consultants of Surrey who went on to buy the Ecureuil G-MAGY which Adrian also photographed and most likely repainted.

BESS was then sold to a former associate of Denissimo, Peter Millward. There is an interesting story about one of Peter's landings with BESS at Booker, involving her tail rotor - to perhaps recount another day.

Visible in the background is Ferranti JetRanger G-AWJW.

[Savoia]

Ha ha, great stuff Adrian, lovely shot! I see Henry is quite literally offering a 'hand'!

[Adrian Batchelor]

Even the Boss had to work!!

Hughes 500 (369D) C/N 1160029D G-BESS, being moved into the HPB Aviation hanger at Leavesden for repainting in 1985.

The picture shows Frank Dodd (Paint Shop Manager) on the tail boom, Henry Hewitt (Chairman & Managing Director) nearest to the exhaust & all smiles, Abdul Qayoom (Paint Shop Operative) taking absolutely no notice!!& if you look carefully there's a face looking through the rear STB side window, this is Robert Hood another paint shop operative, i was often asked "go on take a picture!". Well you cant say no to the boss!!!

[Savoia]

Hear, hear. Must have missed this when you posted it Elipix. A rare 'classic Hughes' shot. I love the tie down!

Will post some G-AYIA shots (from near Elstee) up ahead.

[Adrian Batchelor]

Got to say it again top draw picture Helipixman,Brilliant!!!

[Helipixman]

G-BHWD

Hughes 369D c/n 30-0689D owned by John Patrick Desmond Heyward 21.5.80 - 6.9.82

This was seen at Elstree Aerodrome numerous times, 1.6.80, 23.7.80 and 30.12.80 mostly in connection with Avionics fitting.
Around the same time other 500s were at Elstree G-AYIA and G-BMJH on 1.6.80 and G-BIOA on 22.2.81


Helipixman Collection

Seen at Elstree with taped registration.

[500 Fan]

Nice photos, Helipixman.

Interestingly, the three 500Ds featured in the preceding photos are painted in the three different factory paint schemes offered by Hughes in the late 70's and early 80's. G-HEWT is painted in the grandly-titled "Plummage III" scheme!