Hughes OH-6A Cayuse Electric Olive II

Electric Olive II is a Hughes OH-6A Cayuse flown in 1972 by Captain Rod Willis, Darkhorse 13, Can Tho, VietNam. The OH-6A was nicknamed the Loach... more

by Arthur Eggers

Title

Hughes OH-6A Cayuse Electric Olive II

Artist

Arthur Eggers

Medium

Digital Art - Color Print

Description

"Electric Olive II" is a Hughes OH-6A Cayuse flown in 1972 by Captain Rod Willis, Darkhorse 13, Can Tho, VietNam. The OH-6A was nicknamed the "Loach" from the initials LOH of Light Observation Helicopter. It was the principal scout helicopter used by the U.S. Army in Vietnam. The Loach was armed with the XM-27 Armament Subsystem comprising an M-134 mini-gun mounted on the left side of the aircraft with 2,000 rounds of ammunition. The crew normally consisted of a pilot and a crew chief who sat in the right rear seat armed with a M-60 machine gun on a bungee cord with 3,000 rounds of ammunition. In addition to this, assorted armament was carried by the crew depending upon their personal preferences. Doors were removed from the aircraft since they obstructed vision and made it difficult to get out in the event of a crash. Flying in the Aero Scouts was one of the most dangerous of all flying duties in Vietnam, only equaled by that of Dust Off pilots. In 1969 the Scout Platoon had 10 pilots at any one time. Eighty percent of that first 10 were wounded or killed. That rate remained fairly consistent. Many pilots did not stay in the unit long because it wasn't for everyone. In a 12 month period, there were approximately 20 different pilots. Lt Col Willis retired from the U.S. Army in 1989 with 22 years of service. SN17365 was named "Electric Olive II", "Enforcer" and "Dark Death". Limited Edition Color Prints, Signed and Numbered by the Artist.

Uploaded

April 11th, 2013