Hughes TH-55 Osage

(I flew this as my primary trainer in 1969...the connection between the engine
and rotor was system of 8 fan belts which you tightened using a cockpit lever.
The first models had a tail rotor that spun so fast...you couldn't fly it in the
rain as the tail rotor hitting rain drops would cause it to
disintigrate!...seriously. It was so small, only short guys like me got
assigned to it...taller guys were assigned TH-13s and 23s)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_TH-55_Osage

The Hughes TH-55 Osage was a piston-powered light training helicopter produced
for the United States Army. It was also produced as the Model 269 family of
light utility helicopters, some of which were marketed as the Model 300. The
Model 300C was produced and further developed by Schweizer after 1983.

The Hughes 269 was designed with a fully articulated, three-blade main rotor,
and a two-blade tail rotor that would remain as distinctive characteristics of
all its variants. It also has shock absorber-damped, skid-type landing gear. The
flight controls are directly linked to the swashplate of the helicopter so there
are no hydraulic systems in the 269. There are generally two sets of controls,
although this was optional on the civil 269A. For three-seat aircraft, the
middle collective control stick is removable and a seat cushion can be put in
its place for the third passenger.


Role
Light utility and trainer helicopter

Manufacturer
Hughes Helicopters

First flight
2 October 1956

Primary user
United States Army

Produced
1961–1983

Number built
2,800

Variants
Schweizer 300

In 1958, prior to full-time production, Hughes provided five preproduction Model
269 examples to the U.S. Army for evaluation as a light observation helicopter
to replace the aging OH-13 Sioux and OH-23 Raven. Designated as the YHO-2HU the
helicopter was eventually turned down. 9 April 1959, the 269 received
certification from the FAA and Hughes continued to concentrate on civil
production. With some design changes, deliveries of the Model 269A version began
in 1961. By mid-1963 about 20 aircraft were being produced a month and by the
spring of 1964, 314 had been built.

While the U.S. Army had not found the Model 269 adequate for combat missions, in
1964 it adopted the Model 269A as its training helicopter to replace the TH-23
and designated it the TH-55A Osage. 792 TH-55 helicopters would be delivered by
1969, and it would remain in service as the U.S. Army's primary helicopter
trainer until it was replaced in 1988 by the UH-1 Huey. At the time of its
replacement, over 60,000 U.S. Army pilots had trained on TH-55 making it the
U.S. Army's longest serving training helicopter. In addition to the U.S. Army,
Hughes delivered TH-55/269/300s to other military customers.

In 1964, Hughes introduced the slightly larger three-seat Model 269B which it
marketed as the Hughes 300. That same year, the Hughes 269 set an endurance
record of 101 hours. To set the record, two pilots took turns piloting the
aircraft and hovered in ground-effect for fueling. To ensure no cheating, eggs
were attached to the bottom of the skid gear to register any record-ending
landing.

Between Hughes and Schweizer, and including foreign-licensed production civil
and military training aircraft, nearly 3,000 copies of the Model 269/300 have
been built and flown over the last 50 years. That would have been the end of the
story, but Schweizer continued to develop the model 300 by adding a turbine and
redesigning the body to create the model 330m, and then further developed the
dynamic components to take greater advantage of the power of the turbine engine;
this led to the development of the Model 333.

Specifications (Hughes 269A)

General characteristics
Crew: two
Length: 28 ft 11 in (8.8 m)
Rotor diameter: 25 ft (7.6 m)
Height: 7 ft 11 in (2.4 m)
Disc area: 490.9 ft² (45.6 m²)
Empty weight: 896 lb (406 kg)
Loaded weight: 1550 lb (703 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, 180 hp (134 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 78 kts (90 mph)
Cruise speed: 65 kts (75 mph)
Range: 203 nm (233 miles)
Service ceiling: 14,630 ft (4,460 m)






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