Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. The Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program was a United States Army program to evaluate, develop and field a light scout helicopter to replace the Army's aging Bell OH-13 Sioux. It gained impetus with the advent of the Vietnam War, and was aided by advances in helicopter technology, specifically the development of the turboshaft engine.
Expanding on the successful B-8 and Cobra series grips, the LOH Helicopter Control Grip
adds more functionality at the pilot’s fingertips. Adding a separate Radio / ICS rocker switch and another push button location (shown here with a large cap toggle switch), the LOH Helicopter Control Grip improves pilot response time, and reduces fatigue by keeping more controls at their fingertips.
The control grip is in a lovely, service used condition. The grip itself appears to have had a long life of use before being retired. There is unfortunately cracking in the plastic on the upper right hand side and runs the width of the grip by the red push button. There is maker mark present on the top portion of the textured side and the marking is a G in a Three Pointed Shield. This symbol is for the Guardian Electric Manufacturing Company. This company has supplied a wide range of electromechanical assemblies and motion control component lines such as solenoid valves, switches and relays. The switch types include thumb wheel, trigger, miniature, slide, rocker, pushbutton and toggle switches, everything that is present on the control grip.
The stamping is difficult to read and we can barely make out a date that reads 10/77, however, this type of control grip was used extensively during the Vietnam War.
This is a lovely example and comes more than ready for further research and display.
Hughes OH-6 Cayuse
The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter that was designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people while its "Loach" nickname comes from the acronym for the Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) programme that it was procured under.
The OH-6 was developed in response to the United States Army issuing Technical Specification 153 in 1960 to replace its Bell H-13 Sioux fleet. The Model 369 was submitted by Hughes, and competed against the two finalists, Fairchild-Hiller and Bell, for a production contract. On 27 February 1963, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight. The Model 369 had a distinctive teardrop-shaped fuselage that had strong crashworthiness properties and provided excellent external visibility. Its four-bladed full-articulated main rotor made it particularly agile, and it was suitable for personnel transport, escort and attack missions, and observation. During May 1965, the U.S. Army awarded the production contract to Hughes.
During 1966, the OH-6 entered service with the U.S. Army, it promptly arrived into active combat in the Vietnam War. In this theater, it was commonly operated in teams with other rotorcraft, such as the Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter, using so-called "hunter-killer" tactics to flush out and eliminate hostile ground targets; the OH-6 would act as bait to draw enemy fire and mark targets for other platforms such as the AH-1 to attack. In one particular clandestine incident in 1972, known as the Vinh wiretap, a pair of OH-6As were heavily modified and used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) via Air America was used to infiltrate Vietnamese high level communications, providing valuable intelligence. Reportedly, 964 out of the 1,422 OH-6As produced for the U.S. Army were destroyed in Vietnam alone.
During 1967, following price escalations for the OH-6, the U.S. Army reopened the programme to bids for as many as 2,700 additional airframes beyond the 1,300 OH-6s already contracted. Following a competitive fly-off and a sealed bidding process, Hughes lost the contract to Bell, resulting in the competing Bell OH-58 Kiowa being produced. The OH-6/Model 369 was also license-produced overseas by the Japanese aerospace company Kawasaki Heavy Industries for both military and civilian operators. Furthermore, the helicopter was also developed into a civilian helicopter, the Model 500, which was still in production into the twenty-first century under MD Helicopters as the MD 500.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle