|
Description
| Notes: Single rotor, light observation vehicle (2 CREW, 2 PASSENGERS, OR 40 LBS CARGO) . | ||
| Manufacturer: | Bell | |
| Base model: | H-58 | |
| Designation: | OH-58 | |
| Version: | A | |
| Nickname: | Kiowa | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Air Force | |
| Designation Period: | 1948-Present | |
| Basic role: | Helicopter | |
| Modified Mission: | Observation | |
| Crew: | Pilot Co-pilot/Observer | |
Specifications
| Length: | 32' 7" | 9.9 m | |
| Wingspan: | 35' 4" | 10.7 m | |
| Wingarea: | 978.8 sq ft | 90.9 sq m | |
| Empty Weight: | 1,464 lb | 663 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 2,313 lb | 1,048 kg | |
| Max Weight: | 3,000 lb | 1,360 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 1 | ||
| Powerplant: | Allison T63-A-700 turboshaft | ||
| Horsepower (each): | 317 | ||
Performance
| Range: | 299 miles | 481 km | |
| Cruise Speed: | 117 mph | 188 km/h | 101 kt |
| Max Speed: | 138 mph | 222 km/h | 120 kt |
| Climb: | 1,780 ft/min | 542 m/min | |
| Ceiling: | 18,900 ft | 5,760 m | |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| Air Mobility Command Museum | Dover AFB | Delaware |
| United States Army Aviation Museum | Ozark | Alabama |
OH-58A on display
Air Mobility Command Museum | United States Army Aviation Museum |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Mike Hardin , TX | I enlisted in 1977 and after the 67V school was assigned as a OH-58 crewchief/observer at Ft Bragg in early 1978 with B Troop 1/17 Cav. I was assigned to OH-58A #68-16937 which is close to two of the birds assigned to the United States Army Aviation Museum at Ft Rucker. It was a great bird and I treated it like it was my own personal “ride“. In 1981 my platoon was the first in the 82nd to receive an upgraded to the “C” model 58’s and we flew our 58’s to Corpus Christi Army Depot for rebuild. From Corpus we flew to the Bell plant in Amarillo, Texas and signed for our C model 58’s. It took a week to work off the red X’s and so our first test flight. There must have been about 30 pages of red X’s on each bird (15 in all) after down grading most to circle red X’s we were cleared to ferry the birds back to Bragg were they spent the next month in intermediate maintenance at the 82 Aviation BDE. The bird I got was a Vietnam vet with bullet holes in the floor and roof thru the co-pilots/observer seat area, I always thought about that but it was a good bird and flew well. 03/18/2011 @ 15:10 [ref: 36883] |
| Robert Enterprise, AL | Back in the '70s when the Army was doing all it could to get troops to re-enlist my father reupped in a flying OH-58. 09/27/2007 @ 13:37 [ref: 18034] |
| Craig Clary , CA | Great Helicopter, I have about 8 flights in one of these birds and i enjoyed every one of them. 03/20/2007 @ 05:19 [ref: 15969] |
Recent photos uploaded by our visitors
