Artifact of the Month
TH-55 Osage on exhibit at the TC Museum.
An image TH-55 Osage.
Purchased off the shelf in November 1964 by the US Army after tests and evaluation, the Osage was built by Hughes Aircraft and was originally known as the Model 269. Designed with dual controls, it was a two-place, side by side primary training helicopter. Over 860 eventually entered the Army inventory. It featured 360-degree visibility, eight foot ground-to-rotor clearance, and well-designed skids to absorb hard student landings. The TH-55 replaced the TH-23 trainer and was first delivered in 1969.
The TH-55 would remain the Army’s primary helicopter trainer until it was replaced by the UH-1 Huey in 1988. At the time of its replacement, over 60,000 Army pilots had trained on the TH-55 making it the Army’s longest serving training helicopter. This helicopter was used to train student pilots at Fort Rucker, Alabama, until it was retired and sent to the U.S. Army Transportation Museum in 1989.