Before and after...
"Side-view of four shot pod . Rocket pod and mini was installed and serviced by Tony "Limey" Holmes."
"LOH during run-up for testing, after installation of 4 rocket pod and mini. Rockets were usually W-P to mark targets for Guns. We usually had to throw smoke anyway. Pilot on left Rodney Orten. June 68 Camp Enari"
"Jay Eldridge LOH CE, Gary Lee 40th TC, and Rich Hefferman LOH CE/OBS taking a break at Camp Enari '68."
M60 with modified buttstock and M79 Grenade Launcher:
"Thats "Quick Draw" McGraw. Photo taken at Ca Mau. Quick Draw and I got shot down together and I spent November in the hospital. He quit flying scouts after that episode.
Image courtesy of Jim "Moon" Sheetz"
"Rich Hefferman Scout CE/OBS feeding ammo into minigun ammo box and feed tray."
"Scout low level and going to work, not sure of the AO. But it sure looks pretty. Late '68 or '69"
"Notice the bullet-proof glass able to withstand .51 cal. hits. While surrounded by a titanium core able to deflect even 37mm cannon fire. Right, if you wanted to double the skin all you had to do was line it with beer cans. Also visible is a red smoke grenade suspended by a D-ring. There are more smoke grenades lined across the top of the instrument panel. The M-177 mini-gun mounted in back cargo area was a real crowd pleaser, even to us CE's that had to reload it all the time. The first time it was fired right beside my left foot was cause for some excitement. Throw in a Car-15, an M-79 grenade launcher, an assortment of CS and CN grenades, a few frags, and my personal favorite White Phosphorus. The pilot's .38 Smith and my Colt .45ACP and we were good to go."
"Scout pilot Freddie Wilson unloading a supply of 2.75 rockets at a staging area South of Pleiku. Dec '67 before Fred was transferred to B Troop Maintenance Section in Jan '68.
Bill Walton photo"
"Another day begins, a pair of Scouts pulling pitch, leaving the Base Camp at Enari. This is where you get that funny feeling, I can't explain it. But I'm sure we all know that feeling well. But after you cleared the wire that feeling went away. The yellow cord in foreground is a tie down for LOH blades.
Enari '68"
"Scout heading for revetment, the flying might be over but there is still plenty of work to do. The ship still needs to be post flighted, log books need up-dated. Any maintenance needed must be done. If the ship has a mini-gun it needs cleared and reloaded, and in my ship's case you may need to reload 2.75 rocket pod. Of course, you already know, the hot shower is out and the Mess Hall closed.
Camp Enari '68"
"Tim Flood left wearing the 60 ammo, Steve Moody, pilot,sitting in back of LOH. At Dak Seang mid 1970. Crewchief needs ID.
Tim Flood photo"
"LOH being prepped for flight aboard the USS BRETON"
"LOH lifts off and hovers before turning and heading for shore."
"Photo taken moments before LOH noses over and disappears into the Sea. Unsure of what mechanical failure caused the loss of first 17th Cav aircraft."
"Mike Piccone at what looks like POL at Phan Thiet. CAR-15 between the seats. Hey Mike, nice job getting someone else to pump the fuel. I know, somebody has to keep an eye on the ship."
"OH6G!!!! One day in the spring of 1968, in Pleiku, we ran completely out of UH-1C gunships in my unit, B Troop 7/17th Air Cav. With the assistant of our Armament Specialist Anthony Holmes I converted a OH6A into the now well known OH6G, complete with rocket pods and 40mm turret on the nose. Of course it was not flyable, could not even be hovered, but it did look Tough.
Image courtesy of Bill C Walton, Former Maintenance Officer, B Troop, 7/17th Air Cav"
Circle Red X Ranch's Secret Weapon OH6-G
SP Holmes helped me assemble this mini-gunship. The rocket pods were held on by angle iron that we picked up. The turret is a shell held on by safety wire and the 40 mm tube (hidden by shadow) is a rolled up manila folder painted with black shoe polish. Although these "modifications" were a joke. I like to believe that some of the later improving modifications to the OH6 and UH1 such as in (OH6) fuel boost pump and improved fuel control to overcome fuel percolation problems, better skid caps, metal tail rotor blades (recall the fiberglass blades and the question, "When is a crack not a crack?) bigger holes in the tail rotor formers to prevent scoring the tail rotor drive shaft and my favorite, a built-in lifting device on top of the rotor head. UH1, foot mikes for the door gunners, better screen on the oil coolers to prevent FOD, all the result of the aggressive Equipment Improvement Recommendations (EIR) program started by our Maintenance Sgt SFC John Bonds.
From the very beginning at Knox he was constantly on the crewchiefs, and I passed his words on to the pilot's, to submit EIR's on anything they thought could be improved in either type of aircraft that we had, not just parts that failed before replacement time. At the last count 110 EIR's on the OH6 had been submitted by B Troop. So if the pilot's of the 2nd and 3rd generation OH6's thought they had a pretty good aircraft, they owe a lot to Bonds and others like him throughout the Army Maintenance system.
photo Fred Wilson
text Bill C Walton"
Note the different set of teeth here:
Hugh Mill's equipment and Loach:
"Side-view of four shot pod . Rocket pod and mini was installed and serviced by Tony "Limey" Holmes."
"LOH during run-up for testing, after installation of 4 rocket pod and mini. Rockets were usually W-P to mark targets for Guns. We usually had to throw smoke anyway. Pilot on left Rodney Orten. June 68 Camp Enari"
"Jay Eldridge LOH CE, Gary Lee 40th TC, and Rich Hefferman LOH CE/OBS taking a break at Camp Enari '68."
M60 with modified buttstock and M79 Grenade Launcher:
"Thats "Quick Draw" McGraw. Photo taken at Ca Mau. Quick Draw and I got shot down together and I spent November in the hospital. He quit flying scouts after that episode.
Image courtesy of Jim "Moon" Sheetz"
"Rich Hefferman Scout CE/OBS feeding ammo into minigun ammo box and feed tray."
"Scout low level and going to work, not sure of the AO. But it sure looks pretty. Late '68 or '69"
"Notice the bullet-proof glass able to withstand .51 cal. hits. While surrounded by a titanium core able to deflect even 37mm cannon fire. Right, if you wanted to double the skin all you had to do was line it with beer cans. Also visible is a red smoke grenade suspended by a D-ring. There are more smoke grenades lined across the top of the instrument panel. The M-177 mini-gun mounted in back cargo area was a real crowd pleaser, even to us CE's that had to reload it all the time. The first time it was fired right beside my left foot was cause for some excitement. Throw in a Car-15, an M-79 grenade launcher, an assortment of CS and CN grenades, a few frags, and my personal favorite White Phosphorus. The pilot's .38 Smith and my Colt .45ACP and we were good to go."
"Scout pilot Freddie Wilson unloading a supply of 2.75 rockets at a staging area South of Pleiku. Dec '67 before Fred was transferred to B Troop Maintenance Section in Jan '68.
Bill Walton photo"
"Another day begins, a pair of Scouts pulling pitch, leaving the Base Camp at Enari. This is where you get that funny feeling, I can't explain it. But I'm sure we all know that feeling well. But after you cleared the wire that feeling went away. The yellow cord in foreground is a tie down for LOH blades.
Enari '68"
"Scout heading for revetment, the flying might be over but there is still plenty of work to do. The ship still needs to be post flighted, log books need up-dated. Any maintenance needed must be done. If the ship has a mini-gun it needs cleared and reloaded, and in my ship's case you may need to reload 2.75 rocket pod. Of course, you already know, the hot shower is out and the Mess Hall closed.
Camp Enari '68"
"Tim Flood left wearing the 60 ammo, Steve Moody, pilot,sitting in back of LOH. At Dak Seang mid 1970. Crewchief needs ID.
Tim Flood photo"
"LOH being prepped for flight aboard the USS BRETON"
"LOH lifts off and hovers before turning and heading for shore."
"Photo taken moments before LOH noses over and disappears into the Sea. Unsure of what mechanical failure caused the loss of first 17th Cav aircraft."
"Mike Piccone at what looks like POL at Phan Thiet. CAR-15 between the seats. Hey Mike, nice job getting someone else to pump the fuel. I know, somebody has to keep an eye on the ship."
"OH6G!!!! One day in the spring of 1968, in Pleiku, we ran completely out of UH-1C gunships in my unit, B Troop 7/17th Air Cav. With the assistant of our Armament Specialist Anthony Holmes I converted a OH6A into the now well known OH6G, complete with rocket pods and 40mm turret on the nose. Of course it was not flyable, could not even be hovered, but it did look Tough.
Image courtesy of Bill C Walton, Former Maintenance Officer, B Troop, 7/17th Air Cav"
Circle Red X Ranch's Secret Weapon OH6-G
SP Holmes helped me assemble this mini-gunship. The rocket pods were held on by angle iron that we picked up. The turret is a shell held on by safety wire and the 40 mm tube (hidden by shadow) is a rolled up manila folder painted with black shoe polish. Although these "modifications" were a joke. I like to believe that some of the later improving modifications to the OH6 and UH1 such as in (OH6) fuel boost pump and improved fuel control to overcome fuel percolation problems, better skid caps, metal tail rotor blades (recall the fiberglass blades and the question, "When is a crack not a crack?) bigger holes in the tail rotor formers to prevent scoring the tail rotor drive shaft and my favorite, a built-in lifting device on top of the rotor head. UH1, foot mikes for the door gunners, better screen on the oil coolers to prevent FOD, all the result of the aggressive Equipment Improvement Recommendations (EIR) program started by our Maintenance Sgt SFC John Bonds.
From the very beginning at Knox he was constantly on the crewchiefs, and I passed his words on to the pilot's, to submit EIR's on anything they thought could be improved in either type of aircraft that we had, not just parts that failed before replacement time. At the last count 110 EIR's on the OH6 had been submitted by B Troop. So if the pilot's of the 2nd and 3rd generation OH6's thought they had a pretty good aircraft, they owe a lot to Bonds and others like him throughout the Army Maintenance system.
photo Fred Wilson
text Bill C Walton"
Note the different set of teeth here:
Hugh Mill's equipment and Loach:
