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Plus the TH-67 was basically a civilian 206.  The paint job not only adds visibility but evokes the civilian nature of the aircraft.  These aircraft were painted by Bell Ozark towards the end of their career if not their whole service life so it's no surprise they got the flying creamsickle treatment.

    Ray

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10 hours ago, HeavyArty said:

It is actually the other way around.  The black nose is semi-gloss to reduce glare and the rest of the helo is gloss.

Sorry, but it don't look that way in this photo I took at the stage field.  The nose is definitely gloss as indicated by the bright reflections and the rest of the fuselage looks semigloss.

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However, here's one straight off the paint rack at Bell Ozark and I'd say she was pretty much gloss all over.

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Just for fun, here is the original TH-67 flown by my buddy Sam Boyer III.

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Edited by rotorwash
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3 minutes ago, HeavyArty said:

I guess it depends on which bird you are looking at and how long it has been in service.  Needless to say, they are not flat.

Did you happen to notice the first TH-67 had an all white nose?  I need to ask Sam if that made any difference vs the black one.

   Ray

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Well, Tim, I can't get you any closer to the source than Sam.  Below is our exchange on Facebook.  Let me know if you have other questions about the TH-67.
   Ray
 
Sam , can you tell me if Bell had the paint contract for TH-67s throughout their life or just at the end when they were painted at Bell Ozark? Also, any idea why the particular paint scheme was chosen?
 
Sam Boyer III The first 3/4 of the contract were painted at Premier Aviation in Grand Prairie where I was project pilot for 2-3 years. Gary Morton and later, Larry Slatton rode herd on quality making my job a snap.
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Ray Wilhite
Ray Wilhite So you used civilian paint then, Sam?
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Sam Boyer III
Sam Boyer III The paint was an Army spec. The Enstrom, Schweitzer and Eurocopter candidate aircraft were all painted in the same way during the competition that John Williams and I won in 1993 at Rucker.
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Sam Boyer III
Sam Boyer III It was polyurethane paint, commercial standard.
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Ray Wilhite
Ray Wilhite Thanks. I have a point to all these questions, Sam. My buddy is building a model of one. One other question he had was would you consider the paint job gloss or semi-gloss? The black nose sure looks like gloss to me.
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Sam Boyer III
Sam Boyer III All gloss, the black was added post award of the contract because the project officer didn't think it was a visible enough aircraft in the training environment at Rucker. I said okay, here's the contracts phone number....
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Sam Boyer III
Sam Boyer III Yes, DuPont as I recall
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Ray Wilhite
Ray Wilhite Awesome info, Sam! Thanks so much!
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Wow. Thanks a bunch Ray, for going above and beyond to answer my questions.

I sure would like to know what model aircraft were in the competition.

A UH-72 in flying creamsicle scheme would definitely be a conversation piece for sure.

Can you ask him one more question for me.

While running, I keep noticing what looks like a triangular scoop looking thing on the bottom of the helo just forward of the lower anti-collision beacon.

What is it and could he or you dig up some pics of it? If not, no big deal. I was just wondering.

Thanks again Ray, I really appreciate all you've done for my project.

 

Tim

Edited by hawkwrench
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  • 3 weeks later...

201704101757365d7d6c3272a54d47_zpsovga06

Does anybody KNOW what this thing is that I've circled?

When I look at pics of the helo sitting on the ground not started, it's always retracted up into the belly, but every pic I see where the rotors are turning, the "cowl flap" is open. 

What is this? I'm looking for an answer so I can model it on my TH-67.

Thanks

 

Tim

Edited by hawkwrench
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On 3/22/2017 at 4:13 AM, hawkwrench said:

 

 

4 hours ago, hawkwrench said:

201704101757365d7d6c3272a54d47_zpsovga06

Does anybody KNOW what this thing is that I've circled?

When I look at pics of the helo sitting on the ground not started, it's always retracted up into the belly, but every pic I see where the rotors are turning, the "cowl flap" is open. 

What is this? I'm looking for an answer so I can model it on my TH-67.

Thanks

 

Tim

 

According to my buddy, Sam, who flew these birds for Bell, It's the air inlet for the air conditioner.  

   Ray

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A bit more info from a Bell mechanic, William Vandegrift.  " The first AC mods on the TH 67 the condenser and blower was installed in the left side baggage compartment. This was not very efficient and hard to change out the blower motor. This scoop and blower underneath where it could get cooler air was much more efficient and easier to work on."

   Ray

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