50 Years of the Fabulous 500.
Don't do like I did.....fly your New Hire Check Ride with the Frictions still on. Kinda shot down my claim of enough time on type for the job. Still got the job as the CP reckoned if I could do that well fighting the Frictions I would be much better with them released.
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Originally Posted by Savoia
If anyone is attending Heli Expo and happens upon the scenario described by Ian Corrigible .. please take a couple of photos and post them on PPRuNe!
I/C
Last edited by Ian Corrigible; 27th Aug 2014 at 18:34.
50 years
Blimey, I am 50 this year and my son was 18 on the 27th of Feb, bit spooky really. She might be an old girl but she will still give a lot younger machines a run for their money. My favourite D will still just get to 140 kts with a little coaxing. 
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helispeediii
369/hu50/500 watever u call them, they are the dogs b------s i even had one with that reg is it still about GOTDB ?? helispeediii
Last edited by helispeediii; 12th Mar 2013 at 15:12.
I purchased G-OTDB ages ago ( from the owners estate who had passed away in 2003) and had to spend a fortune on it as who ever had maintained it obviously new nothing about maintaining one.
I sold her on and she was owned by Carl Springthorpe ( G-OOCS), he purchased a brand new one and I sold her on to one of my customers ( G-KSWI) which went on to have a tail rotor blade pitch horn fail over Glastonbury and was written off in the crash, but she looked after her owner who escaped with severe head injuries and a broken pelvis.
I sold her on and she was owned by Carl Springthorpe ( G-OOCS), he purchased a brand new one and I sold her on to one of my customers ( G-KSWI) which went on to have a tail rotor blade pitch horn fail over Glastonbury and was written off in the crash, but she looked after her owner who escaped with severe head injuries and a broken pelvis.
Thanks, Sav. They're some of the best photos I've seen of this 500D yet.
I am in contact with a test pilot who flew for Hughes back in the late seventies (in relation to research for my planned book). He was in the Production Flight Test section at the time of this aircraft's delivery and flew this helicopter prior to delivery to Hawaii. This heli has flown only in Hawaii for all of its service and was suffering with some corrosion consistent with that environment. He was at Phoenix Heliparts recently and he reckons this ship is now in as good a condition as the day it was pushed out of the factory back in the seventies, after the refurbishment work carried out on it.
500 Fan.
I am in contact with a test pilot who flew for Hughes back in the late seventies (in relation to research for my planned book). He was in the Production Flight Test section at the time of this aircraft's delivery and flew this helicopter prior to delivery to Hawaii. This heli has flown only in Hawaii for all of its service and was suffering with some corrosion consistent with that environment. He was at Phoenix Heliparts recently and he reckons this ship is now in as good a condition as the day it was pushed out of the factory back in the seventies, after the refurbishment work carried out on it.
500 Fan.
Last edited by 500 Fan; 22nd Aug 2013 at 21:58.
500 Fan: Happy St.Patrick's Day!
And because I know you may want to discover a liitle more about the craft in question (if you don't already know her) ..
She is a 'tuna bird'!
And here she is back in the 70's, presumably not long after her delivery:
Hughes 500D N8352F as seen at Reading Airport, Berks County, Pennsylvania on 15th June 1977 (Photo: Peter Nicholson)
And because I know you may want to discover a liitle more about the craft in question (if you don't already know her) ..
She is a 'tuna bird'!
And here she is back in the 70's, presumably not long after her delivery:
Hughes 500D N8352F as seen at Reading Airport, Berks County, Pennsylvania on 15th June 1977 (Photo: Peter Nicholson)
Hi Sav. Thanks for that latest set. An Irish Tuna Bird is a rare bird indeed!
Here is another Irish Hughes, pictured at Kilrush Airfield a few years ago.
Edit: I am particularly proud of that landing. I almost got the skid tube exactly parallel with the seam in the tarmac.
500 Fan.
Here is another Irish Hughes, pictured at Kilrush Airfield a few years ago.
Edit: I am particularly proud of that landing. I almost got the skid tube exactly parallel with the seam in the tarmac.
500 Fan.
Last edited by 500 Fan; 17th Mar 2013 at 20:18.
heliispeed
not saying it was you but how I found it when puchased eg 3 mm hole in the leading edge of one of the main rotor blades, all main rotor dampers delaminated and scrap. Tail rotor showing 6 ips not .01 as it should be !
or should that be 
not saying it was you but how I found it when puchased eg 3 mm hole in the leading edge of one of the main rotor blades, all main rotor dampers delaminated and scrap. Tail rotor showing 6 ips not .01 as it should be !
or should that be
Buttocknurdler: (What a name! ) What happened to your original photo? I was admiring the driver's dismount! 
500Fan: You said you liked the 'offshore' 500 with cargo pod .. if you like the 500 with lot's of kit hanging off it .. then I assume you must be familiar with the ASW version:
Hughes 500M 6912 of the Taiwanese Navy (colour drawing)
And here's 6912 in 'the flesh' but, sadly, minus the torpedo:
Hughes 500M ASW 6912 of the Taiwanese Navy at Taoyuan, Taiwan on 14th August 2004 (Photo: Morgan Liu)
And finally .. one with the torpedo:
Could someone with a better awareness of military equipment have a go at explaining the short belly pod next to the torpedo and also indicate the function of the 'drogue' on the craft's starboard side?
) What happened to your original photo? I was admiring the driver's dismount! 500Fan: You said you liked the 'offshore' 500 with cargo pod .. if you like the 500 with lot's of kit hanging off it .. then I assume you must be familiar with the ASW version:
Hughes 500M 6912 of the Taiwanese Navy (colour drawing)
And here's 6912 in 'the flesh' but, sadly, minus the torpedo:
Hughes 500M ASW 6912 of the Taiwanese Navy at Taoyuan, Taiwan on 14th August 2004 (Photo: Morgan Liu)
And finally .. one with the torpedo:
Could someone with a better awareness of military equipment have a go at explaining the short belly pod next to the torpedo and also indicate the function of the 'drogue' on the craft's starboard side?
As far as I'm aware, the smaller item hanging under the ASW 500D is either a smoke marker or, more likely, a single depth charge. I don't think the 500 has the ability to carry two torpedoes at the same time so the mix of one torpedo and one depth charge still gave it two chances of success. The sonar sensor is dubbed the "Magnetic Anomaly Detector" or MAD Bird.
The Hughes 500/ASW came about when the U.S. Navy's QH-50 Drone Helicopter ( Gyrodyne Helicopter Co., Mfg of QH-50 series of VTOL UAVs ) was retired in the late sixties and a small ASW helicopter was required. The 500 fitted easily onto the existing heli-deck and into the hangar facilities already fitted to the Sumner- and Gearing-Class vessels. Soon, these vessels were sold off to friendly nations and a new, larger ASW helicopter was required. Ultimately, the Kaman SH-2F LAMPS was purchased by the U.S. Navy.
Hughes recognised that the new owners of these vessels might still need a small ASW helicopter and development continued. Spain purchased the 500M/ASW while Taiwan acquired the 500M-D ASW Defender. Despite the obvious risks of single-engine maritime operations, both nations still fly the majority of the aircraft delivered to them.
500 Fan.
The Hughes 500/ASW came about when the U.S. Navy's QH-50 Drone Helicopter ( Gyrodyne Helicopter Co., Mfg of QH-50 series of VTOL UAVs ) was retired in the late sixties and a small ASW helicopter was required. The 500 fitted easily onto the existing heli-deck and into the hangar facilities already fitted to the Sumner- and Gearing-Class vessels. Soon, these vessels were sold off to friendly nations and a new, larger ASW helicopter was required. Ultimately, the Kaman SH-2F LAMPS was purchased by the U.S. Navy.
Hughes recognised that the new owners of these vessels might still need a small ASW helicopter and development continued. Spain purchased the 500M/ASW while Taiwan acquired the 500M-D ASW Defender. Despite the obvious risks of single-engine maritime operations, both nations still fly the majority of the aircraft delivered to them.
500 Fan.
Here is nice old video of early production of the OH-6A at Culver City and pre-delivery test flying at Palomar. You might want to turn the sound off on this vid!
500 Fan.
500 Fan.