Image of what appears to be the Hughes MD500 on Kauai. I can't recall its formal name, but this Airborne Aviation bird based out of Lihue looks ancient. : Query: what would be the age of this aircraft since it would have been made at the culver city facility on the hill the Kauaʻi crash involved a Hughes 369/MD 500‑series helicopter, which traces back to the Culver City facility on the hill where Hughes Aircraft built them in the late 1960s and 1970s. That means the airframe itself could easily be 40–50+ years old, depending on the exact production batch. The MD 500 line has been continuously updated and re‑certified under McDonnell Douglas and later MD Helicopters, but many tour operators in Hawaiʻi still fly legacy hulls from the original Hughes production era. So if this particular ship was one of the early Culver City builds, you’re looking at a machine that rolled out in the 1970s or early 1980s— making it a vintage airframe, four to five decades old, even if it’s been refitted with newer avionics and rotor systems over the years.
HANALEI, Hawaii (AP) -Re: I have experience equipping surveillance sensors in helicopters, and I have slept on the beach where this bird went down. Between you and me, I would never get into a rotary wing for less than $200.00 an hour. #onebrightmorning
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