The Puma had a load pole directly attached to the bottom of gearbox. The crewman could monitor the load through a 2'x1' hole in the floor. The pole was steadied by a bracket at the front of the hole and attached to a ring on the gearbox, as was the crewman's harness.
About fifty years ago a gearbox bottom fractured and the pole, with a jeep attached to it, went though the hole in the floor.
So did the crewman.