Should we stick with the name George has chosen???

I need to work on this. Have Leatherman, will travel.

So I showed my wife this video, she's from the city that MD came from in Maracaibo Venezuela. She told me the flag is the government flag and not the people's flag as the government is very corrupt and the people's flag has only seven stars so it was a government heli at one point. She suggests the name "Chinita" for the MD which is also the name of the airport in the videos you got from them. Very happy for you that you found yourself an MD finally for a good deal and I hope everything is in good working order. If you need some translating done let me know and she can try to help.

Just found your site by accident and almost fell out of my chair. After my tour with the US Army, I moved to Culver City California in 1965 and ended up working for the aircraft division of Hughes Tool Co. I first noticed, sitting in the back corner of your hanger, what appears to be another Hughes 2 seater which at that time was designated the 269A helicopter. My job at Hughes was the tail boom assembly. Later when the fore-runner of your MD, the 369A, was introduced I was transferred to the engine shop and promoted to crew chief. Hughes sent 3 of the 369A LOH helicopters to Viet Niam daily and it was my job along with my crew of 2 other guys to have these great little ALLISON engines ready for the assembly line. I am sure there have been some great improvements in these engines since then but it brought some great memories after serving my time in the Army and then still be able to support the troops. I am now 83 and still kicking it. Can't wait to see your journey getting the MD in the air!

On Sept 11, 1994, that baby was involved in a bad wreck over in Switzerland. MD 500E(369E) with s/n 0141E. Make sure your chosen MRO does a thorough inspection before you place yourself and any of your loved ones in that thing.

Paul is a gem. I don’t know why, but I was a little moved by listening to him impart his wisdom and knowledge to you guys. He is a smart dude who is sharing his passion with the next generation. Do not under value your relationship with him. He is a good guy. This is so cool to watch.

PLEASE get pics/videos of the refurbishment process! What a beautiful unit. Congrats on the new addition to the auto family.

I worked these while stationed at Fort Eustis, VA. Then I worked on these while assigned with the Night Stalkers. I was the Maintnance Supervisior on these, visited the Huges Helicopter, monitered assembly of said airframes; met the almost finished product at the Palomar to conduct the main blade tracking and paperwork changeout from civilian to military standard. After all of that, performed the acceptance flight; then flew the new craft to Camp Pendleton, loaded up the ship on a C-130 for Lakhurst, NJ. That's all I can tell you. Check your Truss System.

We need more of Jackstand on the camera and his infinite wisdom! "If you can't tie a knot, tie a lot!" And "don't stand in the circle" as the winch is pulling tight! 😂

Jackstand is the friend everyone needs , he’s being soo positive about the purchase which was a huge risk and he’s keeping Cleetus optimistic and being super excited and pulling for his boy the whole time , just happy for him and not a Debbie downer , just a good friend and happy for his boy !!🤘🏻🤘🏻👍👍👍

I'm a retired law enforcement helicopter pilot from North Alabama, and this video just got my blood pumping like it hasn't in... well, ever. I'd love just to stand back and watch this thing go back together. 🤠

Congratulations on your MD. I’ll be following the progress. Thank you for the video and thank the crew. 👍🏼

From exhaust pipe whistles to an empire bringing happiness to millions. Truly inspiring! Fly safe, best wishes to you all from England. (Congrats to maddy and garrett on the new baby too!!! )

Paul was an incredible guest. His level of expertise was evident and he made this video super interesting to watch from a layman's perspective. I learned a tiny bit about helicopter construction and maintenance in this video and have a whole new level of respect for the aircraft.

@cleetus and team... bro i just subbed i had to i just ran across your channel and i can not tell you how hard all you guys hit me. Im 47 years old and i used to have awesome friendships like you guys have doing these same things and tbh allll of my friends I've had has passed away over just a few years period and it's just extremely hard finding friends and making a whole new group such as we had and you guys remind me so much of all of us. Bro it's a gift from god to have friendships like this and you wouldn't cherish it unless it was gone and ima tell ya I've suffered nothing but loss all my life and i wanted you guys to know you've brought me some joy back in my life just being yourselves and reminding me of times I've had with them

What a privilege it is to have a knowledgeable man like Paul going over that helicopter.

the mechanic is one of those really cool, calm, intelligent guys that ya wish ya had as a friend.

Customs seized the wood crates because they have very specific criteria on treated wood to kill pests. The wood has to be treated to prevent to risk of invasive species coming into the country.

i really respect sam always jumping in and buffing/shining things. even if it is the inside of a shipping container. doesnt matter what job someone has you want the man with the work ethic like that.

Awesome, the MD-500 (hopefully with the old authentic Hughes 500C tail and not the T-tail shape) is one of the most beautyful helis ever designed. And iconic star in many TV shows like MacGyver. Good luck with your new heli.

Love the old guys' expertise! Learned a lot and hope to get to his level some day

As a former Blackhawk crew chief. I'm seriously loving this aviation content. Really brings back awesome memories of wrenching on these whirly birdies. Yall ever need a place to land in South GA. Hit me up.

Nice seeing genuine excitement about getting something new as a KZfaqr. So many “look at my new car” videos that turn into 6 months later a giveaway or are sold down the road after the “this isn’t going anywhere speech.” This is genuinely a dude excited about getting something and his buddies are just as stoked for him. Good stuff!

I'm excited too. Good luck with your MD, Great helicopter and platform. I flew the OH6, predecessor to your MD500. I look forward to your progress. I

Always love the aviation content. Just watched the 160th SOAR on a training mission just a few weeks ago. I know people who know people if that’s any interest to you. I’ll just bet there are members of that team that are fans of yours.

Port of Miami doesn't have an issue with crates per say, but it's an issue with wood boring insects that come from other countries that can be very very invasive to the US. Good luck with the purchase!

LMAO throwing your brother down like that. 😂

I'm glad you are seeking professional help. Paul is a very knowledgeable MD guy. It will be interesting to see what has to be done to make it airworthy.

Congrats on your push present, Maddie (and Cleet). Can’t imagine how stoked you are for this project. I love that my favorite car channel is slowly becoming a favorite aviation channel. Pumped Jimmy was there and part of the live action!!

Loved seeing Jimmy's world in the vid too, true man of aviation right there with his elvis jet/camper

An hour special! Lets freaking GO!

Congratulations, this is awesome! Glad Jimmy was there with you to see it. And Consuela is a perfect name.

Been an AP/IA for over 30 yrs AND HAVE FACTORY Training ON THE C20 SERIES and it is a great Power plant, congrads' on your MD. I love the MD's even though I'm a Eurocopter fan 🤑

Good to see Paul still at it. I used to work with him shooting movies. I was a camera Tech/Operator back then. Fun times 😁👍.

Helicopters have always fascinated me. I have an older RC helicopter that I need to finish repairs on. When I first tried to fly it, I would over corect and crash it. Now, with all the practice on the 4 blade drones, I need to get it working again and see if I can fly it any better now. But todays drones with 4 blades balance themselves out so much now. But I have gotten a lot better at it. I'm not as good as those people who race the drones. I've practiced a lot with the small indoor drones that can be thrown around when the heater comes on. LOL But I just really haven't had the time for all that lately.

From exhaust whistles... to this! Amazing to see you keep building. Love the passion.

Seeing Maddie attitude around Garrett just solidifies their destiny together. You can tell all she wants is to be a wife and mom to a successful man and his children. She never presses for camera time and is humble as all get out when it's around. Ole cleeter skeeter truly got his round this round of life.

I live in Venezuela and the helicopter has most likely not been flown in years because the government pretty much forbid the use of private helicopters (unless you have powerful connections) and the amount of legal restrictions makes having private planes or helicopters pretty much impossible for everyone except the most wealthy. If the owner flew that helicopter at some point in the mid 2010's he's probably a very powerful person.

Some of the best no nonsense 'guys' content I have watched in ages. That was really cool. Looking forward to the next one.

Congrats brother! Looks sweeeet. I’m around EC130s everyday and buddies of mine work on MDs. They’re so Siick. But once again, amazing purchase and can’t wait to see it finished! HELL YEAH!

No movie or TV show can't beat the straight up good vibes and characters you put yourself around Cleet! Some real guys you lot!

I used to have a 500D. 500s are the most fun you can have in a helicopter. Also I used to build police cars. I have a 2011 Crown Vic owners manual in the shrink wrap if you want it as a souvenir.

I totally enjoyed the time with Paul as he looked at things and explained them! I should have been an AP!! This stuff fascinats me!!

I'm glad that you finally got this bird home. Good luck with the project. I'm sure that you'll get many hours of enjoyment from it.

never seen cleetus so excited on this channel ever. its like a kid that got everything he wanted for christmas and is opening all his presents

"Oh... hi Maddie..." 😂 Great job Jackstand with filming and commentary, with all the excitement going on, did a top job. Cant wait to see the refurbishment, will be awesome to see Cleet flying it for the first time.

Great video, and fascinating to watch an expert go through this helicopter

I am glad that it all looks ok - there are still some honest guys in the world

Love this content! I am an A&P and the Director of Quality/Chief Inspector for a 135 and 145 rotorcraft operation. MD500 looks good so far! Praying the powerplant is clean. Cheers, and keep up the amazing content.

I worked at Hughes Helicopters from 1983 to 1984 and I think I may have designed the trapezoid shaped side plates on the outer ends of the T-tail. The hardest part was laying out the lettering. Oh yeah, this was all on 34 inch X 44 inch size E paper drawings in pencil done on a big drafting table. No computers then. The MD is for McDonnell Douglas, which bought Hughes Helicopters around 1984, and is why I left. They moved the plant from Culver City, CA to Mesa Arizona and I didn't want to go. Eventually, Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas and I don't know who makes the 500 now, which was known as the 369 internally (I have no idea why).

As a structural technician, I got to replce the pilots side windshields on F-4E. Loads of fastners to loosten and remove, carefully scraping off the old PR 1422 using a scraper fabricated and sharpened from a 1" thick old pollycarbonat window pane. With the light construction of the MD500, I'd expect the windows to contribute to the actual structural integrity of the frame. So it's a delicate slow process.

Thanks for the longer form video so we could understand exactly what the situation is with this helicopter. Man I hope all the Engine and Mechanicals are good. will watch with close interest.

Was very surprised to see Jimmy there in this one. Such a cool thing to see an aviation guy there with you for this one.

I just came across your channel, and I love it! I have one idea regarding the color if you haven't decided yet: Vantablack. It's the darkest known black with 100.0% light absorption. We're talking black hole black. That would look freaking awesome streaking across the sky, especially if you use a highly reflective paint for the tail numbers. Just a thought!

What a beauty! Absolutely love the 500!

You had the right guy inspecting her, he really knows what he’s doing. It’s great to see someone who has knowledge and experience. The landing gear dampers were flattened to fit her in the shipping container. Congrats man, your going to absolutely love her, you got a good ship there.

Being a former helicopter avionics technician in the Army, I am so glad to see you doing more and more aviation videos.

Bela aquisição! Curto esses helicópteros desde MAGNUM P.I. Quero ver esse pássaro voar muito ainda nesse canal!!

Dang, looks like you made out! Some timed out stuff but a good going thru and this thing will be back in service in no time!

@59:42 we see "Tha Dale Truck" safely tucked away in the hangar,, GOOD on ya Cleetus!

Jackstand is awesome. “Can’t tie a knot. Tie a lot!” lol😂😂

Fun video. I was the shop floor supervisor in 1984 at Hughes, so I'm guessing this is around serial# 45-55? At that time we were building around a 100 a year. Max. was around 100 a month during the early 70's (369D models). Superficially the helicopter looks in great shape for being 40 years old and around a coastal environment! Good luck with the refurbishment. Looking forward to your first flight video! Oh, I'm still working for MD Helicopters :)

Finally, someone into aviation like fast planes and cool helicopters and not as annoying on camera.

I Love how supportive and how happy Maddie is to see Garrett fired up. I luv it. And im glad she dozent mind being on camera proves how great ole. CLeet is

For future reference, in case you need to do something like this again, jack it up and sit it on like 5 pieces of heavy wall pipe (I'd use 2" rigid conduit, but that's because I'm an electrician, I'm sure rollcage tubing would work just as well) as rollers. Hook it up to a come-a-long if you have to let it down an incline like this. 3 men could EASILY unload that thing that way. Two to push/pull the load, one to man the come-a-long and reset the rollers (as it rolls off one, put it back in front to start over). I've moved 20,000-lb transformers, switchgear, etc. (often multi-millon-dollar equipment) with 2-4 guys a hundred times that way. Very controllable and safe. You can steer it because the 'contact patch' between the unit and the rollers is tiny and slides easily, and you can kick the rollers to straighten them up when they get a little crooked, and if you have like five, two or three of them are just 'safeties' depending on the weight.

Awesome video reminds me of me and my buddies and all of our engineering trying to get things done ✅

I really enjoyed every minute of this vid, remember first seeing these helicopters on magnum and loved how they flew. Subscribed for updates

So so cool. Some brief googling suggests its potentially spent some time in Switzerland, if its the same aircraft theres a picture of it online while HB-XZG. Was crashed apparently but obviously rebuilt. 0141E H-369E Bj. 1985 Engine: Allison 250-C20 Hughes Helicopter Inc, Mesa, Arizona N5227C 000887 reg'd N75NH Nanticoke Homes Inc, Greenwood, Delaware 090591 reg'd N75NH Aircraft Trading Center Inc, Jupiter, Florida 001091 canc N75NH 051192 reg'd HB-XZG Heli Neuchatel SA, Les Eplatures, Switzerland 110994 dam HB-XZG at Steingletscher, but rebuilt 021296 canc HB-XZG 130597 reg'd N75NH Cherokee Aviation Inc, Midlothian, Texas 210597 canc N75NH exported to Venezuela YV-1043P YV2018

Damn Venezuela is going through basically a civil war right now and you managed to secure yourself this helicopter. 😂😂 nice job cleetus

Great score. I'm not a pilot but as an exploration geologist, I have been in and out of helicopters (Australia, SW Pacific islands & PNG, Indonesia, Laos and other places) for much of my working life, and the Hughes/MD 500 was always my favourite machine to ride in, especially the E model. It looks fast, sounds fast, has heaps of power and is very nimble! Well done.

I wish the audio had dual remote mics: Paul's comments are gold.

Hopefully the hour long videos are the new standard. Maybe one hour Monday's???

34:20 love the f&f "ejecto seato" from Zach🤣🤣

Cool video. Something different. I'd listen to that guy all day long! Be well with all the kids!😊

At 4:00 - You can hear the top fuel car. Enjoy neighbors!! Pauls a great guy...

Gotta be honest, I don’t think I seen this coming.. freaking awesome 👏 no click bait immediately to the action

I just wanna say I loved everyone's energy in this video. My grandmother passed away yesterday, I've been very down. Watching this video made me laugh & smile up a storm watching yall unload it to inspecting the helicopter. Thank you, Cleet, for providing top-notch quality content. You have no idea how much this video helped me out today. Reminder for everyone, reach out & check in on your loved ones ❤️

Hi guys, nice buy! You probably know by now, but póliza de seguro translates to insurance policy... All the best

Dude, that thing looks really nice for sitting so long, and all of the unknowns. Happy for you.

Someone I grew up with, who was one of my best friends his entire life was trained as an A&P mechanic, later becoming an inspector. He gravitated towards helicopters & worked at Hughes for some time. He worked in a number of different areas, so he could get a well rounded knowledge base. This was in the '80's, so could very well have had hands on that bird. Keep yours eyes peeled for KJ in very inconspicuous places. He exceled in body skin work & later worked on the proto-type B1 Stealth bomber in the skin dept. He became expert enough in Hughes birds he used to get flown off to the oceans around Tahiti for 6 months stints of repairing & inspecting birds used in the tuna industry. He'd be at sea for 6 months, come back w/ his pockets full, then go back when he wanted. The funny thing was, growing up, he was horsechit as far as anything mechanical, but he was into aviation. Got his license at 16; we went flying in high school. Never got rated for helo's, though. He did become an extremely competent A&P. You scored on that bird, if you got a better than good price. Congrats. GeoD

Dude you have the best helicopter guy. I could listen to him talk about this shit for hours

New subscriber here…love the “good ‘ol’ boys” (in a good way) atmosphere and great content. Thanks!

So who is getting their license to fly your new toy? As an FAA licensed A&P mechanic my biggest concern is your crew taking a freedom factory approach to repairs after you pick it up and have it restored back to an airworthy condition and have it certified as such. The what could possibly go wrong attitude will get someone seriously injured or killed very quickly. Having your boy filming in the wrong place during run up as an example would leave him burnt badly. This is not a toy or a joke , watch this video and Paul is serious trying to explain what you have, while your boys are cracking jokes, which I get helps keep the video fun to watch, which all your videos are Everytime, that why I subscribe. Aircraft don't have the luxury like water craft and cars can do of pulling off the road when something fails or breaks down and call for road side assistance. At least you can autorotate should the unimaginable happen , which gives you a very good chance of walking away from a crash. Getting your licence is not only time consuming and expensive, (routine maintenance and storage is as well) but comes with responsibility that changes the way you think or approach things. A few bad examples not sure if you know them Bill Graham, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Vic Morrow all died from helicopters all differently from each other. Graham high tension power lines, SRV side of a mountain poor weather, Morrow and 2 children killed by main rotor.while shooting the Twilight zone movie when a stunt went bad. The FAA is always looking to place blame on a person when there is an accident, which could mean actual prison time in a federal penitentiary, and a healthy fine and restitution. Sorry for being a buzz kill. After I got my license flying was never the same at least for me.

helicopter dude seems like a fun dude to hang out with that you could learn a ton from just by being around and helping out

I appreciate the positive stuff at the end about the safety. That isn't something that can ever have the corners cut on.

Freakin love this content! Also very glad to see your very respectful attitude towards aviation - professional and safety conscious - an example many YT content creators should follow!

Not knocking you guys at all because you have great content and really enjoy your car and aviation endeavors BUT would have been nice to give ole Jimmy from Jimmy’s world a plug for his channel. I am a fan of both channels and let’s just say Jimmy seems like a good guy!

Things I like about this video: 1) Finding the transport wheels inside the helo...after transporting the helo. 2) Paul's high speed , low altitude arrival. 3) And best of all, the boy and his new toy look on Cleetus's face throughout the entire video...priceless!

Paul is an absolute bottomless pit of knowledge and skill. Absorb as much as you can from him!

So glad you got the Logs.. All the Best,

Congratulations on the purchase of the helicopter that is a huge thing to buy and so far it looks pretty good

Seeing ole Cleet this happy makes me smile like a proud brother. Garrett has done so much for the car community and all of us viewers it’s literally like living in a dream sometimes. Regardless to say, no one deserves to have things more than you buddy! Thanks for letting us tag along for the awesome ride🤘

Cleetus: Cancels jet car out of safety concerns. ALSO Cleetus: Buys sketchy sight unseen overseas abandoned helicopter.

Cleetus I definitely can’t wait to see more of this wirlywind maker under the leatherwood scalpel work that has to be done!!! I’m definitely looking forward to more on the build for sure buddy!!! I’d still like to now what you ended up getting it for and what it will be worth when all finished and running and flying???

Hardware included? AN hardware is Incredibly expensive. The fiberglass landing gear cuffs are very fragile and a pain in the ass to install and remove. Looks pretty good but you need to pull all the panels and inspect for damage and wear. Need to price out a rotor head. Hell, I'm excited!!!!

Men like Paul don't live to a long age unless they are remarkable. It's fun to watch Cleet absorbing the knowledge. Paul is an American legend, and Garrett is harvesting the goodness while walking in footprints. God bless you guys.

*37:20** I mean, that's a RIDICULOUS amount of hawks to have next to an airport.*

Awesome guys and greetings from the UK!!! Just a quick question did you get the rotor head? Didn't see it amongst the parts. Looking forward to an amazing rebuild and seeing her back in the air! Awesome to see Paul again and a wealth of knowledge. Have a great week gents

Please follow the refurb! Awesome helicopter!

As a YT viewer and fan of the channel, I'm stoked at all the great things going on in your life and it sure adds enjoyment to ours! The MD500 will be an absolutely awesome addition!