LUH Poll

[Guest rookie101]

http://www.verticalmag.com/control/news/te...?a=1885&z=4

 

It would seem that MD's CEO is a little hot under the collar concerning the U.S. armies choice. Will MD ever get back into the game or are they pretty much fading into oblivion?

[Goldy]

http://www.verticalmag.com/control/news/te...?a=1885&z=4

 

It would seem that MD's CEO is a little hot under the collar concerning the U.S. armies choice. Will MD ever get back into the game or are they pretty much fading into oblivion?

 

 

OUCH ! As a PR/ Marketing guy I would never let a release go out with that kind of attitude. Thats a mistake.

 

I think that individual should be canned asap, I am willing to step up and take their place, next to Lynn T. of course. I wonder if she needs some comforting in this time of need. I have big shoulders...

 

Seriously, I hope MD has a strong plan B. I would honestly love to see this makeover of a company work, and their CEO does have a bit of a fire in her, if she cant do it, nobody can.

 

Goldy

 

( Lynn, email me, I'll be glad to send you my resume)

[Linc]

According to the instructors I flew with at Rucker, the OH58 replaced the OH-6 because LBJ wanted a military contract in Texas. So they used the excuse that the OH-6 parts were becoming to costly and gave the contract to Bell. A lot of the time, the -58 was grounded due to a lack of power on the hot humid days and it's survivability was nil. None of the scout guys I flew with liked the -58 over the OH-6 and the loss in performance they claim, was a reason a lot of guys were shot down or unable to complete the mission. They all swore by the OH-6. That's probably why the 160th still uses them. The whole contract thing though is one of those conspiracy things, so who knows.

Army urban legend.

 

The initial production contract with Hughes was voided because, either Hughes attempted to renegotiate the contract when the Army exercised an extension option on the initial production contract, or because Hughes couldn't/wouldn't meet the terms on the agreed contract. When the Army rebid the contract, Hughes had no choice but to bid a price in an attempt to regain the money lost by previously underbidding the contracts previous contenders, Bell and Fairchild-Hiller. Hughes' bid for the contract was no longer the lowest bid, and Fairchild-Hiller failed to resubmit their bid for the second contest. In fact, the Hughes bid is rumored to have been more than twice the original bid in an effort to recoup the money lost on initial production of the OH-6A.

 

If Lady Bird Johnson had stock in Bell, it was most likely due to the fact that since they had lost the first LOH bid, Bell was turning the remodeled 206A into a commercial success. That the OH-58A wasn't popular is historical fact, but the aircraft was effective once the pilots stopped treating it like an OH-6. More than likely that issue was due to the difference in rotor types and their dynamics, since the same engine and the same weight requirements had to be met for both airframes.

 

After the fact, I have voted for the EC 145 contender, but that has been my vote all along. This bird will never be touched by military mechanics. In fact, very few military pilots beyond those in the ARNG will ever fly it. The contract pretty much stipulates that the pilots will shutdown the aircraft, tie it down, fill out the logbook, lock the doors and walk away, and that will be the extent of any soldier interaction with the aircraft until the next preflight. The majority of pilots of the aircraft on the active duty side of the house will be contracted civilian pilots. Another boon for using the EC 145 versus the MD902, there is a lot more marketability for an EC 145 qualified pilot than for an MD902 qualified one as well as a greater pool in the market of EC 145 pilots than MD902 pilots. That makes the contract job more attractive and means less risk for the Army for being able to fill pilot positions.