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KH 1/35 A/MH-6 kit


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The model in the kit can be converted back into a 500D or if you have bits from the Dragon OH-6A kit, a 500C or OH-6A. The biggest issue is the surface detail on the KH kit, It has the reinforcing plates on the skin that isn't present on the standard-production versions of the 500/OH-6. Sand those plates off and add new rivets and you can convert the KH kit into another version of the 500.

 

LD.

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Thanks LD. 

 

Do you know of any A/MH-6 birds that would have been retired from service and used by another agency/third party?

 

Those plates would not have removed then, correct?

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No, I haven't heard of any being retired. All the original 500Ds from 1981 , that haven't been written-off on operations, are still in service. When the Little Bird is retired, I doubt it'll be flown by any other operator. 

 

LD.

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21 hours ago, Loach Driver said:

No, I haven't heard of any being retired. All the original 500Ds from 1981 , that haven't been written-off on operations, are still in service. When the Little Bird is retired, I doubt it'll be flown by any other operator. 

 

LD.

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation in Hampton Ga has a Little Bird hull flown by the 160th during Panama. The foundation’s maintenance director told me it’ll never fly again since DOD won’t let them get it FAA certified regardless of its airworthiness. Apparently former SpecOps aircraft are “restricted” property meanwhile they let them fly around AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters, go figure...

Government bureaucracy at its finest I guess.

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56 minutes ago, hawkwrench said:

What is 197? 

 

Tim

 

 

 

Ship 197 and crew were contracted to film a Korean episode of Top Gear. Flight controls locked up in a roll and couldn’t recover. The good news is both crew members walked away shaken but unscathed. The bad is 197 now resides next to that Little Bird hull in the back of their hanger.

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8 hours ago, Hooker169 said:

The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation in Hampton Ga has a Little Bird hull flown by the 160th during Panama. The foundation’s maintenance director told me it’ll never fly again since DOD won’t let them get it FAA certified regardless of its airworthiness. Apparently former SpecOps aircraft are “restricted” property meanwhile they let them fly around AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters, go figure...

Government bureaucracy at its finest I guess.

 

I wonder if some of the 160th airframes don't have a full history, and DOD doesn't want to take a chance legally.  I know some of the LB airframes originated on the civilian market and were modified.  The FAA might not let them fly in the civilian arena because of this.  What you've got is an aircraft that was originally certified only for civilian use and which has subsequently probably been through multiple rounds of non-civilian standard, non-FAA-sanctioned modifications and which may have a damage history due to operations.  Also I wouldn't put it past the Army to have put together airframes that in the civilian world would be considered "parts" aircraft.    I could not find a manufacturer tag anywhere on the one J model I looked at in detail.

 

Some LBs are now in civilian hands, but those are the V-tailed OH-6A-based training birds which went to various police agencies.

 

BTW, the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, PA has an LB airframe that the museum says is made from parts to resemble the Kurt Muse rescue aircraft, and is marked 23655. 

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5 hours ago, FM-Whip said:

 

I wonder if some of the 160th airframes don't have a full history, and DOD doesn't want to take a chance legally.  I know some of the LB airframes originated on the civilian market and were modified.  The FAA might not let them fly in the civilian arena because of this.  What you've got is an aircraft that was originally certified only for civilian use and which has subsequently probably been through multiple rounds of non-civilian standard, non-FAA-sanctioned modifications and which may have a damage history due to operations.  Also I wouldn't put it past the Army to have put together airframes that in the civilian world would be considered "parts" aircraft.    I could not find a manufacturer tag anywhere on the one J model I looked at in detail.

 

Some LBs are now in civilian hands, but those are the V-tailed OH-6A-based training birds which went to various police agencies.

 

BTW, the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, PA has an LB airframe that the museum says is made from parts to resemble the Kurt Muse rescue aircraft, and is marked 23655. 

FM, now that you mention it, that is pretty much the way it was explained to me also. Although I didn’t look for a data plate on the hull next time I’m over there I’ll check it out.

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22 hours ago, FM-Whip said:

BTW, the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, PA has an LB airframe that the museum says is made from parts to resemble the Kurt Muse rescue aircraft, and is marked 23655. 

Actually it isn't really an operational airframe.  The story goes, the NASM requested a Little Bird from the 160th when they retired one.  They took it as they had to, so they built one up from a maintenance trainer and spare parts and presented it to the NASM.  NASM only takes real airframes and not mock ups which this one really is.  So the NASM contacted the American Helicopter Museum to see if they wanted it for their collection and of course they did.  The aircraft has no engine, no logbook and no real tail number.  Still it is fairly close to the real thing.

Floyd

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