Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Bell Model: 206 (military: OH-58). Nickname: Jet Ranger (military: Kiowa)
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Helicopter
> FAA Category and Class: Rotorcraft/Helicopter
> Engine Description: single turbine
Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/7/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 117
> Number of Times Flown: 69
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: OH-58, H-58, 206, 206L2, 206L3, Kiowa
First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 17. (my first helicopter!)
> Date First Flown: 1/22/1986
> Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD (KNHK)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS, Jack Lawrence (Class 89)
Recollections: My first flight while I was a student at USNTPS was in a helicopter, at night, with a member of the Senior Class, Jack Lawrence. It was not a syllabus flight, it was simply Jack going on a “night currency” flight and, somehow, I tagged along. It wasn’t the only time I flew with Jack during the year and, I suspect, he probably got tired of me bugging him to go fly. One of the flights I did w/Jack was on February 26, 1986. Again, it was a “Night Refresher FAM” but this one happened to occur on the very same day as my T-38 FAM 2. On FAM 2 in the Talon one of the “maneuvers” you do is to go supersonic. For me, it was the first time I ever went supersonic. It was kind of a non-event, to be honest (a sign of a well-designed transonic airplane)…a bit of a pitch bump, some temporary pitot-static fluctuations on airspeed and altimeter…but I can tell you that flying the helo at night w/Jack was much cooler than passing the sound barrier. Certainly more challenging!
During my time in the Navy, I continued to–as a “helo wannabe”–get time in the OH-58 with fellow instructors, like Lee Khinoo. I will speak more about Lee in a different writeup. I felt that such flying was key to me becoming adaptable to new situations. Such seemingly spur-of-the-moment flying (keep in mind that we always fully briefed every flight) is likely no longer allowed. While that may seem like reduced risk to leadership, I really wonder.
(c) Bob Stoney
Helo “on wing” instructor Jordan Kuhnmuench
(c) Bob Stoney
Fast-forward to 2013 when I began flying the Bell 206 (the civilian cousin of the Army OH-58), in my helicopter instrument training, conducted with Leading Edge Aviation and my “on wing”, Jordan Kuhnmuench. Later, I got checked out in the 206 at a local Seattle FBO, Classic Helicopter. Finally made it to be an “unrestricted aviator”!
Filed Under: Helicopter, 1-25
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