Formerly U.S. Army Helicopter 66-14401
This helicopter was originally registered with tail number 66-14401 and was purchased by the U.S. Army in February of 1968. This helicopter saw Combat in Vietnam with the 355 AVN and first took enemy fire on June 12th, 1968 while on an armed reconnaisance mission. Despite Damage to the fuel system, the helicopter continued flight and accomplished all mission objectives. This aircraft again sustained damage from additional combat missions, having been shot down in July of 1968, and hit 9 times with small arms fire in January of 1970.
This Aircraft returned from Vietnam in 1973 and served out the rest of her military history in the National Guard. She has been completely reconditioned in 2001 and recieved a standard civilian registration, N888US.
The Hughes OH-6A was designed for use as a military scout during the Vietnam War to meet the U.S. Army’s need for an extremely maneuverable light observation helicopter. Initially fielded in Vietnam in early 1968, The Hughes OH-6A was used for command and control, observation, target aquisition, and recon.
The OH-6A Cayuse was quite effective when teamed with the AH-1G Cobra Attach Helicopter. The OH-6A would find targets by flying low, “trolling for fire” then marking the target with colored smoke to lead in a Cobra, to attack. The Cayuse could absorb an extensive amount of small arms fire and still bring the crew home safely.