I've always loved the Hughes 500. As a kid I used to make drawings of it and built a plastic model of the OH-6.

Heard that the egg shape of the fuselage improved crash survivability as it would tend to roll on impact and absorb energy that way. I wasn't happy with the looks of the pointy nose re-design on the 500E, though it was supposed to improve leg room for the pilot.

Many years ago the Israeli military was selling off surplus MD 500 Defenders. I actually looked into it, but as I recall they would have needed a lot of work to get into flying shape. The Israelis apparently would do aerobatics with them (loops and stuff) and therefore nicknamed them "להטוט" (lahatut, meaning "stunt").

Probably costs as much as several truckloads of Ferraris.

Probably costs as much as several truckloads of Ferraris.

I had that model! I built it with a little electric motor and batteries to swing the main rotor. That was a fun toy.

Wow Michael, beautiful.

Next time include a picture of the Agusta......................................

You win. No one can up you!
That is a GORGEOUS helicopter but some people are blocking the view.

Where's IceMan?

I maintained a MD500E for 5 years (I work as an A/P for a local police department air support unit). We have since replaced it with an Airbus H125. The H125 has much more performance, comfort, maintainability, parts availability, and customer support. But buying a new or used H125 is WAY more expensive than a used 500.

The MD500 series is indeed a pilots helicopter, and flying in one with the doors off is an awesome experience. The engine start of a 500 is the quintessential turbine engine sound. But they are not very maintenance friendly. Many components are buried under or inside other components, and the engine is mounted at a 45 degree angle (its odd to work on). The main rotor head is time limited, and can be difficult and sometimes impossible to source if time is an issue (the last one I replaced took 9 months to get). The one thing that made me nervous was sitting in the back seats.....there is not much room back there, and the drive shaft is spinning right next to your head at probably 5000 rpm.....if it comes apart your only protected by a flimsy piece of interior (to be fair I've never heard of this happening....probably just paranoid). I don't have any recent personal experience with MD, but I know several operators that do, and they say parts availability is a real issue. MD (the company) is currently up for sale, and they are going through some tough times.

The 500E and its engine have 100 hour inspections, which takes a couple of guys a couple of days. Then every 300 hours is the large inspection with takes a couple of guys 2 to 3 weeks. I don't recall if there were calendar limitations to those inspections (like 100 hours or 12 months, or 300 hours or 24 months.....whichever comes first). We were constantly chasing engine oil leaks. We would joke that if it wasn't leaking oil its because the oil tank was empty. With all that being said, they are great helicopters...our pilots loved to fly them.

If I was in the $300,000 to $500,000 helicopter market I would be looking for a Bell 206. Bell is almost always #1 in customer satisfaction, and parts availability. There are tons of parts available (OEM and aftermarket PMA and STC'd) and lots of mechanics know the 206 very well. Even an 1980's to 1990's Airbus AS350BA or B2 would be a good choice...possibly in the $500,000 to $700,000 range.

Just my 2 cents.

I sold a Cessna 195 to Hugh Mills a few years ago. You will not find a nicer and more humble man. He was incredible to work with and I really enjoyed getting to know him throughout the transaction. It wasn't until the end of the deal where he let it slip that he had written a book about his time in Vietnam so I picked it up a few days later. He is an incredible writer!

-Neal

I had a little OH-6 time in RVN. When they switched to the OH-58 (Bell Jet Ranger) there were a lot of very unhappy scouts, but the war was ending and our Troop had them until stand down. Back home, I flew the 58 in the Guard a few years. Much different bird.

Speaking of 500's - came across this video as I was (again) salivating over them. Look at the confide area landing he does after the 6:00 mark - absolutely f-ing insane! Mad respect to this Kiwi pilot.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/VPjpgxTTCoE[/youtube]

Kiwi chopper pilots were/are nuts, IMHO!
Don't believe me? Read - "The chopper boys : New Zealand's helicopter hunters" by Rex Forrester, if you can get your hands on a copy!

Flying the OH-6 in RVN took more than excellent pilot and quick reaction times; it took big brass balls. When we flew Air Cav, the little bird, OH-6 went down low to look around, often in tops of trees or around to see what was underneath. We covered them with a light or heavy team of Cobras (1 or 2.). A Huey flew higher up and coordinated the
mission.
Near the end of the RVN war, one day our little bird discovered the bad guys moving tanks into Tay Ninh provence which was just in from the Cambodian border. The OH-6 pilot pointed out the area to a Cobra which marked it. I was the Air Mission Commander that day and coordinate with Air Force and Navy tactical air support. At one point, we had air priority in RVN. I put an ear phone in my headset that day and recorded several of the missions. That night, our OH-6 pilot asked me for the tape which I gave to him so he could have a record of what he had done. Quite the day and we all made it back in one piece.

I have some UH1 time but would LOVE to get time in a loach. Magnificent performers and an amazing legacy from RVN. There are several flying around here contracted out by the state to kill wild hogs.

When man and machine become one.

The late Morgan Saxton in NZ flew the 500 like it was an extension of him. Notice how stable and precise he is consistently after 250lbs of trapper steps off the skids - not an easy feat.



And here's Morgan again coming in hot on a very foggy morning. Man the 500 is cool.

OK, now you're just showing off!