This is the second part and at the same time the completion of an article regarding Austrian OH-58 helicopter. Previous part can be foud here. This post is dedicated to the close-ups of both main and tail rotors, helicopter tail details… and more.
1/ Main rotor
Here you can see part of the main rotor plus the rotor mast and hub:
Please do not miss the engine door inner surface structure and door latches (lower left portion of the picture above).
The same but closer view – to see more details. Layered rotor blade bottom surface is well visible here.
This is the main rotor blade tie down sock in place. The manner in which is attached to the helicopter’s tail can be seen below.
2/ Tail & Tail Rotor details
a) Tail
Here you can see an elegantly thin tail boom with completely uncovered tail rotor drive shaft:
Following two pictures are cut-outs made from the picture above. Both were made to emphasize many details within.
Here is the place where the red bar holding the rotor tie down blade sock ends (lower picture). Do not miss the horizontal fixed (not moveable) stabilizer shape. Its profile is giving the downward force on the tail of the aircraft to pull the nose up:
Tail as seen more from behind…
…and now closer:
The left-hand side horizontal stabilizer (upper picture) and the right-hand side one (lower picture).
Kiowa has many anti-collision lights and position lights around.
Here we can see the tail rotor drive shaft protruding rearwards off the cowl and the drive shaft hangers:
That strawberry-jam-looking grease is covering the drive shaft hangers – do not forget to replicate it on your model kit 😀 …
Lower portion of the tail fin equipped with a small skid protects the tail rotor – not to hit the surface – during maneuvers extremely close to the ground.
b) Tail rotor
And finally let us look at the tail rotor and the tail vertical fin in detail.
Two position lights are placed here: one at the tip and one on spine of the tail boom end (upper picture).
Tail rotor mast and hub – the camera is looking upwards (lower picture).
Camera is looking the same direction but from above. Do not miss the way how the tail rotor drive shaft connects to 90 degree gear box and other details like a small yellow filler cap on it:
Kiowa Helicopter tail boom and a vertical tail fin (lower picture) are not in one piece – like within the Bell UH-1 for instance. Here we have two separate pieces connected together. This is the place of that connection. The camera is looking backwards toward the tail fin leading edge:
Now the camera is directly under the tail boom looking backwards and up – to better unveil the fin to boom connection:
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Text & Images Copyright © 2013 by Marcel Meres