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Helicopter what ifs?


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Was tinkering around with a Longbow or an A model Apache painted up in DHS/US CBP colors and gear.... but getting smacked around like a redheaded stepchild at school... so its gotta wait.

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You guys may recall having seen this one before. It is my first rotorcraft model. As I have always been a fan of USCG aircraft, I thought that I would do a fictitious Bell 206 Jetranger.

CGJR29.jpg

CGJR28.jpg

Haven't yet gotten around to completing the display base for it. I plan on doing a "what if" EC-135 medical helicopter for the new Nemours Children's Hospital that I work at. I am a transport nurse there. Since we just opened in October, it will be a while before we start our own flight program. BUT, that doesn't mean that I can't come up with a graphics scheme for our first rotorcraft... :D/> May give the "higher ups" something to shoot for...

David

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They were more than "discussed".

Sikorski 55 in drag:

p0503378.jpg

Cheers,

Andre

OMG, THAT thing!

Friend of mine did a test eval of the S-55 "Hind". What a POS...

Note that there were a couple ex-AF HH-3's converted as Havoc surrogates also.

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Is that an H-3 rotor-head on the S-55 Hind? I have to agree with you, Matt, that is one ugly helo. It seems like a huge amount of effort just to build something that looks like what the enemy were flying at the time. It would also be a considerable effort for anyone build a scale model of it.

LD.

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Nope, wasn't an H-3 head, but a brand new head that Orlando developed for their WhisperJet that they built for Papillion Helicopters to meet the new noise requirements in the Grand Canyon. The WhisperJet was basically a remanufactured S-55 with a 5-blade main and a Garrett 331 turbine. The head didn't use any H-3 parts, but did use some S-55/S-62 pieces.

The "QS-55s" were created as targets for weapons development testing at WSMR and were intended to try to mimic the signature of a Hind, hence the 5 blade rotor and external configuration. They were drones, but had an optional pilot capability for checkout flights (you can see his head in the little "Hind oil cooler" canopy up on top. I heard Orlando wanted to fit turbines, but since the helos were built to be shot down, the R1300 recips were retained to keep the cost down. They were pretty heavy with all that crap on them and performance was pretty poor.

Edited by EDWMatt
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They were more than "discussed".

Sikorski 55 in drag:

p0503378.jpg

Cheers,

Andre

Doesn't look bad all things considered. Certainly looks the part. While I was an Army tanker during the mid-90's they were flying real Hind's as OPFOR/Aggressors at the NTC out in lovely Fort Irwin CA (Mojave Desert).

I'll never forget seeing it for the first time, as a tank crewman it is the kind of thing that sends shivers down your spine and it is unmistakable. Of course, the first time I saw it we had just climbed out of the turret after being killed by during the morning "battle".

Just a mean looking bird.

My what-if thoughts is an AV-22 Osprey spec ops Spooky type gunship. I was thinking a 30mm chain gun and a pair of 20mm gatlings. Not sure if the airframe would be sturdy enough for bigger weapons. I also have the Anigrand AH-56 Cheyenne and Sikorski S-67 kits which I wanted to do in operational markings. I was thinking as well of a naval Apache (it was proposed at one point in the 1980's I think).

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I had some involvement with a couple of those real Hinds before OPTEC got them. They're even more interesting from the inside ;)

I'd forgotten about the Naval Apache. There were a couple different proposed configurations (I've got a couple McD 'artist misconceptions'). I may have to build one of those.

And the V-22 gunship is a cool idea

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And the V-22 gunship is a cool idea

Hey-

Here's my V-22 Escort. 1/48 Revell Citation with a 1/72 V-22 wing and nacelles. Scales out very close to the size of the Bell 609. Apologies to those that have seen it before.

final2a.jpg

Phil

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Hey-

Here's my V-22 Escort. 1/48 Revell Citation with a 1/72 V-22 wing and nacelles. Scales out very close to the size of the Bell 609. Apologies to those that have seen it before.

final2a.jpg

Phil

I like it!

My thoughts were more along the lines of a stock V-22 with the weapons and sensors similar to an AC-130 gunship, but I like the sleek look of your escort ship a lot. Great job!

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