Magnum Mania!

T.C.'s Chopper

Opening Credits

Hughes 500D

T.C.'s ubiquitous, multicolored helicopter is a Hughes 500D, the civilian variation of the OH-6 military helicopter. The Hughes 500 series is one of the most popular light turbine helicopters in the world. Its rugged construction, superior performance and reliability, crisp handling, precise maneuverability and fast speed combine to make it a favorite of many helicopter pilots. The Hughes 500D entered the commercial market in 1977 with a new five-bladed rotor system, a T-Tail, and the Allison Model 250 turbine engine. In 1984, Hughes Helicopters became a subsidiary of McDonnell Douglas and the 500D became the MD 500 series. Unlike most choppers, the 500D is piloted from the left side.

Contrary to popular belief, the chopper's paint job is not a custom design. The paint scheme (namely the diagonal bands) and colors (bright) are one of several standard factory designs available in the 500 series.

T.C.'s chopper was the sole flight craft of his air charter company Island Hoppers. Primarily a tourist sightseeing business, Island Hoppers first homebase was at a public heliport in Honolulu (first two seasons). For most of the show, it operated out of the Makai Research Pier on the SE coast of Oahu, close to Sea Life Park. In the late '70s, before he owned Island Hoppers, T.C. flew birds for a charter compnay called Ken Enderlin Charters. After saving his money for "years", he was able to purchase his own chopper and charter business in 1980. Somewhat surprisingly, T.C. never named his helicopter. It's simply refered to as "The Chopper". The chopper's registration number (the tail number) is N1095-A.

Magnum & T.C.

Island Hoppers HQ

The chopper has endured numerous hardships over the years. It sustained countless damage from small weapons fire, several perilous emergency landings, even skyjackings. And then of course there was the neverending "gas money" issues. The chopper was totalled on two occasions during crash landings in "Past Tense" (3.5) and "Under World" (5.5). In the case of the later, it actually crashed in the Pacific ocean and sank to the bottom!

The show used several different Hughes 500-series choppers for filming, as well as a Hughes 369D early in the first season, each with a slightly different setup and look. The main differences were with regards to the tail and skids -- T-tailed (500D), Y-tailed (500C), high skids [pic], short skids, skids with floats [pic], and gray and tan interiors were all used in various configurations. The T-tailed/short skid setup (the 500D) was by far the most commonly seen in the show.

Most of the birds used in the show were owned by Jetcopters Inc. and operated out of Van Nuys, California. Several different pilots were used in the show, including Marc Wolff, Steve Kux (also Aerial Coordinator) and Beau Vanden Ecker. Steve Kux was seriously injured in Oahu (1997) after crashing a Hughes 500D (with the same paint job at T.C.'s chopper, but not one that was used in the show) into a drainage ditch. Steve was pinned in the cockpit, and under water, when local Hawaiian "Tiny" Amarel heroically lifted the chopper up enough, so he could be pulled out! The incident was dramatically caught on film, and can be seen on a variety of "Caught on Video"-type TV shows. Steve recovered, but lost the use of his left arm and had to retire from flying. The cause of the accident was engine malfunction.

Chopper Surprise!

In Flight

During the filming of "Skin Deep" (1.6), in a low-flying aerial sequence, a Hughes 369D (N58243) helicopter crashed into the ocean, tragically killing cameraman Robert Van Der Kar. N58243 was the chopper with floatation gear and long skids seen in the opening credits and in the first several episodes. The official NTSB report finds the cause as pilot error, a misjudgement in altitude. The episode contains an In Memoriam caption in his honor.

In the Vietnam War with the Marines, T.C. flew Huey's, Kiowa's, Little Bird's and Cobra's.

If you would like to take the chopper for a spin around the islands you can try your hand at MS Flight Simulator (2004 & X), which has a free Hawaiian-themed scenery add-in that features T.C.'s chopper [pic]. It even has T.C. in the cockpit! And for model enthusiasts, Revell made a 1/32 scale model kit [pic], which is no longer being produced. Check eBay for availability.

Hughes 500D Specs

Max. Air Speed	Cruise Speed
152 mph	130 mph
Max. Gross Weight	Empty Weight
3,000 lbs	1,414 lbs
Max. Fuel Range	Fuel Capacity
375 nm	64 gal
Service Ceiling	Hover Ceiling
15,000 ft	8,500 ft
Max. Continuous Power	Installed Horsepower
370 hp	420 hp
Required Crew	Passengers
1	4
Engine Manufacturer	Engine Model
Allison	250-C20B

Something important missing? Got a correction? Shoot me an email.

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