The Rocket Stop » Business

Beware of Business Opportunity Or Franchise Claims of Explosive Growth

admin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:00:21 +0000

“One of the fastest growing franchises in the nation in 2010,” the advertisement read. Many franchise buyers saw this as a great company to buy into and get in on the ground floor. Unfortunately, many franchise systems that experience explosive growth in the first few years of franchising also end up failing, or as they start to fail due to the hemorrhaging of cash a competitor in the market place buys them up and absorbs them into their system.

This is especially common with new franchisers which start out like rocket ships. The reality is that if a franchiser is moving extremely fast in the market place, you need to do more homework, and do additional due diligence. You need to talk to their franchisees and make sure that they are getting proper support, and that the franchiser has competent staff to handle the increased growth. You’d be surprised how many new franchisers don’t, and it doesn’t mean they aren’t trying; the reality is it is overwhelming.

If such a fast growing franchise system does not have an adequate executive team that has done it before, or the financial resources it takes to do it right, chances are this is not a good franchise to buy even though it seems to be breaking all the speed records in the market place. It takes an awful lot to run a franchising company and as more and more new franchisees come on-board, each one brings with them specific problems that must be dealt with in their local regional areas.

A newer franchiser that is only growing at three or four new units per month, but has an excellent franchise executive team, and a good balance sheet with lots of cash reserves behind them can usually make it without any problem. However, it is all too easy to get into problems when growing that fast if the franchiser has a lack of cash. If you are considering buying a franchise, I hope you will please consider this.
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How to Tie-In With News Events to Score Publicity

admin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 03:39:51 +0000

It’s safe to say that we live in interesting times. It seems we hardly have a breather between wars, tragedies, scandals, epidemics, circus trials and other events that capitalize the media’s attention. For the business seeking publicity, the “news hole” for more traditional stories — new product reviews, business features, offbeat promotions — keeps shrinking as the “big story” mentality takes hold.

Fortunately, you’re not completely at the mercy of world events when it comes to obtaining some exposure. By being smart and aggressive, you can find a way to break through the logjam by tying-in — where appropriate and tasteful — with the news of the day.

Here are a few good examples (including a couple in which I was personally involved):

Taco Bell’s Mir Brainstorm. The Soviet Mir space station was falling, and Taco Bell reaped the benefits. The company set up a 40’ x 40’ vinyl target — emblazoned with the company’s logo and the words ”Free Taco Here!” — 10 miles off the coast of Australia. In the extremely unlikely event that Mir hit the target, the company promised free tacos to all 281 million Americans. Space-travel experts said the prospects of the debris hitting the mark were slim to none. Taco Bell added relevance to the public relations stunt by claiming to have taken out an insurance policy. A minute-by-minute countdown of Mir’s descent and a photo of the floating target were anxiously seen by millions of hungry websurfers on the Taco Bell site. The result? Millions of dollars of free publicity on major news programs and media outlets around the world. Their website could hardly handle the traffic.

5 Star Shine Goes to War. Fellow Free Publicity subscriber Glenn Canady discovered that his car polishing product — 5 Star Shine — was being used by the U.S. Navy to keep the Aegis radar equipment up and running in the face of saltwater, sea air and other potentially damaging elements. Take a look at Glenn’s press release — along with a great hit he earned in the San Diego Union Tribune–by going to: http://www.5starshine.com/press-coverage.html

Dan’s Lucky Angel. We were charged with getting publicity for the “My Little Angel” doll, so we sent one to a photographer in Ireland, who took a shot of the doll “kissing” the lucky Blarney Stone. We then sent the newly-lucky doll on to Olympic speedskater Dan Jansen at Lillehammer. When the previously hard-luck skater finally won his elusive gold medal, we took the credit — and got lots of press!

Here’s how to tie-in with a news event:

1. Be prepared. If something happens that can offer the possibility of your involvement, you’ll need to act quickly. Make sure you have press materials prepared beforehand so they’re ready to go when needed. Obviously, you can’t predict news events, but you can begin examining your product, service or area of expertise to discover the types of events that may occur and the role you can play. Put together a strong bio that details your background and expertise. Make a list of the news editors, assignment editors and producers at, respectively, your local newspaper, TV stations and talk radio stations.

2. Be appropriate. This means two things, actually. First, don’t force a fit where none exists. If the world is focused on, say, a manned mission to Mars, your carpet cleaning business probably has nothing much that it can do to tie-in. There has to be some legitimate connection, or else you’ll be laughed out of the newsroom (on the other hand, if it’s proved that the germs behind some fast-spreading respiratory illness can live in carpeting, you’re just the person to talk to the press about how to kill germs hiding in carpets). The second measure of what’s appropriate is common sense and decency. Jumping on a tragedy with a hype-filled press release is just plain ghoulish. In the aftermath of something truly awful, go to the press only if you have something unique, helpful, non-promotional and newsworthy to offer.

3. Be timely. If you have something of immediate value to offer (e.g. you’ve written a book about a major figure who’s just died), time is of the essence. Work from the media list you’ve already prepared and hit the phones. Tell the reporters, editors and producers who you are and the kinds of insight you can offer about the current situation. Since seconds count, offer to stop by with a copy of your book, or to email or fax your press materials. If you really are an expert on the subject of the breaking news story, you’re doing the journalist a huge favor right now, so don’t be shy.

4. Be timely, part 2. The other side of the coin: You have a story that might fit in with what’s happening, but it’s lighter, softer and less timely (5 Star Shine is a great example. It fits with world events, but it’s not hard news). In these cases, wait until the dust has settled. The first few days covering any big story, the media is interested solely in the hard stuff. The who, what , when , where and why info. If you can help with that, great. If not, hang on until the media machine needs more fuel. After a little while, there will be huge blocks of time to fill, breaking news will dissipate and the media will begin turning to lighter stuff to fill the void. Consider that, just in the past few weeks, you’ve begun hearing about such things as the “Talking Iraqi Information Minister Doll”. Expect much more to come.

5. Be creative. For non-tragic events, taking a fun approach often works wonders. Consider the Mir idea (it was already determined the station would land in the water, so there was no element of potential tragedy involved. If there was a chance that people could have gotten hurt, the promotion wouldn’t have been such a great notion). Or think about how ice cream companies that get mileage out of naming flavors for newsmakers, or fashion designers who send out lists of fashion hits and misses for major Hollywood events or DJ’s who do things like sleeping in a billboard until the hometown team breaks its losing streak. When there no lives at stake and the story is purely for fun, be as creative and “out there” as you can to tie in.

6. Be smart. One very important caveat has to be mentioned: unless you specifically cater to a particular audience — all of whom are in agreement a particular issue — don’t take sides politically. No matter how strongly you may feel about a certain issue, if a segment of your potential or existing customer base may feel differently, you’re taking a major gamble by choosing sides. If you want to poke fun at politicians, include both Democrats and Republicans. Unless your area of expertise requires it, steer clear of divisive issues such as religion, abortion, gay rights, etc. Using your business as a personal political soapbox can come back to haunt you. This isn’t about “wimping out”, it’s common business sense. Customers are hard enough to attract and keep — there’s no point in going out of your way to alienate them by showing disdain for their beliefs.
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New Forms of Advertising

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:36:54 +0000

New forms of advertising are emerging and they are overtaking traditional media like television, news papers, magazines, etc. because of a shift towards consumer internet as well as storage & hand held devices. World Wide Web is a new media & it’s a phenomenon. Web-based advertising prices dependents on the “relevance” of the surrounding web content and the traffic that a website receives.

Companies are experimenting and taking monetary risks to reach customers. In recent past some companies have proposed to place messages or corporate logos on booster rockets, satellites and the space stations. The effectiveness of subliminal advertising and mass messages still not clear to most advertisers.

As the mobile phone became a new mass media, mobile advertising followed the trend. By 2007, the market of mobile advertising had reached 2.2 billion dollars. Thousands of ads delivered on mobile phones everyday. Advanced mobile ads include banner ads, MMS pictures, video messages, advergames and various engagement campaigns. The feature driving mobile ads is the 2D Barcode, which replaces the need to do any typing of web addresses and uses camera feature of modern phones to gain access to web content.

The other new form of advertising that is growing rapidly is social network advertising. It is a kind of online advertising with a focus on social networking sites like Face Book. This is a relatively immature market. It has created ripples in western media due to its ability to provide demographic information of target market.

A few new breed internet startups relying on launching new forms of advertising to generate revenue. These forms can include product placements, sponsorships of various flavors, local advertising, interactive out-of-home, and lots of variations of mobile advertising. This is a tough business model considering how ad space is bought by major ad spenders on internet and other media. If this form of advertising is successful, they can aim to become new Google. But, most of entrepreneurs underestimate how much time it will take for revenues to ramp.

The alternative approach which is emerging on internet is to make sure that new form of advertising is closely parallels to an existing standard ad unit. 30 second online video ads, online leads and new variations of CPC have all been close enough to an existing ad unit that they have been able to tap existing ad budgets. So, the success of new forms depends on how they project themselves to advertisers and reach they provide.
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Cost Effective Metal Bellows Expansion Joint Solutions

admin — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:06:37 +0000

Metal expansion joints are often called by the somewhat misleading name of metal bellows, as expansion joints are completely unlike the old leather bellows that were used to pump air into a fireplace, furnace, or kiln. The resemblance shared between metal belows and the leather variety is only slight, in that they are both sealed chambers that expand and contract along concertinaed folds in the sides. While the term “metal bellows” may be used interchangeably with metal expansion joints, bellows is usually reserved for reference to a vessel, bladder, or irregular shape that collapses when it empties, while expansion joints are used as a junction in a pipeline.

Metal expansion joints are a concertinaed in-line junction piece included in many liquid and high-pressure gas pipeline systems for a variety of reasons. When most pipelines are built, it is not uncommon for there to be sections where two pipe sections do not meet perfectly. An expansion joint allows for some shear, an imprecise gap, or a slight curve at a junction, or in other words, lateral, axial, and angular movement is allowed to occur at the join. Any significant twisting of the line at an expansion joint will cause the bellows to fail, and even slight torsion on a metal expansion joint will severely reduce its effectiveness.

Welded metal bellows have many applications in medicine, heavy industry, defense, aviation and aerospace. They are frequently used in internal medical implants, in fluid sensors, actuators, altitude sensors, pressure surge arrestors, and for waste fluid storage. Their collapsible design makes them ideal for applications where space is critical, such as on the space shuttles and International Space Station.

Expansion joints are designed to limit vibration, noise, movement from heat expansion and contraction, and pressure undulation (a common example is “water-hammer” in the pipes of an old house) in pressurized lines. Proper installation of expansion joints allows you to manage where any movement in the system occurs, preventing damage or movement to the rest of the system by forcing it to occur at the join.

Metal expansion joints can be required to operate under very extreme conditions particularly when deployed in boiler seals or aircraft, from temperatures ranging between -200°C (less than -300°F) and 1300°C (2500°F), and at pressures ranging between the near total vacuum of space to over 2000 pounds, and the precision required of this equipment necessitates stringent testing before deployment in many systems.

In order to prevent undue strains being placed on expansion joints, manufacturers have developed several different support structures that can be deployed on a pipeline increasing the effectiveness of a given bellows. Some bellows are fitted with internal liners or external sheaths to prevent damage to the main assembly, and external tie-rods or a universal joint called a gimbals is fitted in some applications to prevent twisting, or excessive movement in any direction beyond design limitations.

As metal expansion joins are often deployed in highly critical applications, rigorous Quality Assurance (QA) testing is often required of each individual unit after manufacture before it is deployed. Production shops may subject a finished unit to radiography, ultrasound, mass spectrometry, magnetic, hydrostatic, helium leak, and liquid penetration testing to guarantee that the unit does not contain any adverse anomalies or microscopic leaks. It is also possible to test the hardness, impact resistance, pressure limit, and positive composition of a finished product.

Only a few of the firms who manufacture metal expansion joint systems are able to deliver tailored, non-standard solutions, however, it is not unheard of to find box-shaped or toroidal metal belows deployed for some applications, as well as tailored, irregular shapes for very specific uses.

Metal bellows and metal expansion joint assemblies are manufactured with advanced techniques to precise requirements, and must frequently undergo stringent testing before deployment in the very extreme, critical applications they are used for. The skilled tradesmen who build these systems need years of experience, requiring well-honed skills and years of experience and certification. This is a field that continues to advance with science, ensuring that only cutting-edge manufacturers are able to stay competitive for the high-tech industries they serve.
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Motivating Employees Is Not Rocket Science

admin — Sun, 29 May 2011 22:56:21 +0000

First of all it’s not your job to motivate them. The concept of motivation implies that it is the responsibility of people to motivate themselves. As long as you see it as your responsibility to motivate them, guess what, you will always have to motivate them by finding clever, creative and innovative ways to accomplish this and trust me sooner or later you will tire of this responsibility. It is better to have them understand that their motivation is their responsibility not yours as their manager. Motivation is an inside-out not an out-side in individual responsibility.

The role of a manager is only to create a positive motivating, validating and empowering motivational climate in which employees are willing to take full responsibility for their own motivation.

Having said this if you have employees who need constant motivation either they don’t understand the above concept or you need to re-consider their role in your organization.

There are two traditional methods of motivating employees that are being used in thousands of companies by millions of managers to “MOTIVATE” their employees. They are: fear or punishment and reward or incentives. Both of these motivational environments are temporary and appeal to the outside-in need to be motivated.

Fear Motivation is based on punishment of some kind from the withdrawal of a privilege to being fired. If fear motivation is the dominant type you or your organization uses, I will bet you live with a great deal of frustration and poor performance not to mention the negative climate and culture. People can build up an immunity to your threats. And if they are no longer concerned about the punishment, these methods just won’t motivate them over the long term. Fear motivation is also negative and tends to de-motivate, the opposite of what you are attempting to accomplish.

Reward or incentive motivation is based on a want or need of the employee. The problem is, if they don’t want what you are rewarding them with, guess what – it won’t be a motivator. I worked with a client years ago where the average yearly sales compensation was over $150,000 per employee. The president was frustrated because their potential was in excess of $300,000 a year. No additional incentives would improve performance because each of the employees was satisfied with his or her current compensation levels. So offering them bribes, bonuses or nicer drapes in their office just didn’t work to get them to work harder to sell more so they could earn more.

There is an old saying that says. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” You can, however, put some salt in his oats to make him a little thirstier.

The only motivation that works for the long haul is turning over the responsibility of motivation to the individual. That’s why it is called self-motivation.

This third type of motivation is based on a person’s attitude development. He or she does more or does it better – not because you want them to, threaten them or promise them the moon – but because they want to.

The key role of a manager is to hire self-motivated employees, then do as little as possible to get in their way or de-motivate them.
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Will the Franchising Industry Ever Rebound?

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:08:11 +0000

You know, generally speaking when there is a recession the franchising industry takes off like a rocket ship. This is because so many people are laid off from corporate America, the jobs are not coming back fast enough, and people know that they have to find something to do for a living. Often, if they can’t find a job they turn to starting a business of their own. Indeed, one of the easiest ways to start a business is to just buy a franchise with a perfect business model, and an attached brand name which is already proven in the marketplace.

However, during this last recession things were a little bit different. Franchising never really did take off like it normally does during recessions and this is because the commercial credit markets were so tight. And even as we exit the recession in a jobless recovery those folks out of work cannot afford to purchase a franchise because there are no banks or companies willing to lend the money. Will the franchising industry ever rebound from this conundrum and catch 22?

The answer is yes, absolutely. After all, it makes sense from a banker’s standpoint to lend money at the bottom of recession knowing that they will get the money back as all those businesses grow. It’s a safer bet from a risk standpoint. Therefore, there will be small business banks, and entrepreneurial capitalists who fund the growth of the franchising industry, there is a lot of profit to be made. Where there is profit, there will be investment and cash available.

Indeed, I wouldn’t worry about the Franchising Industry even a little bit, but there are those that are doubters, because they have not lived through very many recessions in the past. As a retired franchisor who’s been through recessionary up and downs a couple of times, it’s fairly obvious to me the franchising sector will grow stronger than ever in the future. Please consider all this.
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Differences Between Products And Services

admin — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:30:28 +0000

What are some of the main differences between products and services? And when are these relevant?

Tangibility versus Intangibility

Products are tangible. You can buy pork as a tangible product. You buy it, you ship it and sell it. In the same way as you buy stamps, cigarettes and cars.
Financial service companies however, make it possible to exchange pork bellies Futures, on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). A future is (not the most simple example of) a service with which you can hedge your risk. In this last case, most of the people trading on the CME will never see or smell the pork bellies.

The ownership between products and services is different. A stock could be called a financial product that you own. You can place a stock order which might result in a transaction later on. You bank services a depot fee for saving you a lot of work. You cannot own a service.

Where the product is much more standardized, the service is tailor-made. Companies differentiate in offering products and services, but the variations between similar products of different producers are less prominent than the variations between services.

You can count products in the same way as you can count your money (or have your service you this information). A service is not countable, but is “leveled;” better than the best service is not possible. There is a limit in what a service can offer.

A product is produced by a manufacturing process. A service is offered by the utility element of companies; you subscribe to a service in the same way that you subscribe to your gas and electricity supplier.

And this brings us to the essential of these differences; changing from one (product approach) to the other (service offering) is very complex, because of the last mentioned differences. Not only the process is different but the style change you need to support this change… Good Luck.

© 2006 Hans Bool
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The space race, Customer Service and monkeys flying rocket ships. 7 strategies for the New Year.

admin — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 05:44:22 +0000

I was thinking this morning about rockets, the “space race” and Customer Service Management. (I dated myself with the “space race”, didn’t I. But it really happened.)
I know that the two subjects seem completely unrelated. Not even in the same Encyclopedia volume.

And I submit for your consideration that driving a rocket in the space race and good Customer Service Management are exactly the same. Let me explain why.

Your business is your rocket ship. In this ship is everything you need to survive when venturing into the hostile environment that is space. (And business) In it you will find life support systems, food and water, power, data bases, computer systems and communications.

Pretty cool, huh. You were driving a rocket ship the whole time and you just thought you were at work.

There is one other element to consider in space flight and business. It’s the people flying your rocket ship. So, I’d like to tell a little story about the space race, monkeys and astronauts.

As the space race was starting, it became apparent that eventually someone was going to have to strap in, flip the switch and ride a burst of hot flame into orbit. Not wanting to risk human life, the idea was floated to teach a monkey to ride in the rocket, thereby getting the data necessary to facilitate safe human flight. (Can you imagine the conversation around that conference table? “We’ve just spent a gazillion dollars on these rockets and we need someone to test fly them.” From the back of the room a voice of reason shouts out “We can get a monkey to do it!”)

So the call went out, find a monkey to go to space. Now we have continents full of monkeys, however, it’s doubtful any of them had seen a rocket much less flown one or even had any idea they were going to learn how to fly. They are monkeys after all.
As the search started, it became apparent that we would need to set a few standards in place. We had to find acceptable monkeys.We had to train them. They had to be able to complete some simple tasks, pull a few levers, push a few buttons and survive the trip back to earth.

After all of the experiments were over, and we had all of the data, we went out and found the best pilots and asked them if they wanted to become astronauts. We had a very stringent selection process that filtered out those that would not make it in the harsh environment of space. We instituted a long intensive training program to make sure that the astronauts could fly rocket ships and respond appropriately in case of an emergency. We then edified the position to attract even more talented pilots who wished to become astronauts. (Who didn’t want to be an astronaut growing up)

We didn’t recruit or train any more monkeys. We found that we had all that we needed.

Nice story. What does that have to do with Customer Service Management?

Well, I have a few questions to answer your question, Customer Service Professional.

Did the monkey actually “fly” the rocket or just ride around in it and complete a few tasks?

In your business, are your people flying your rocket, or just riding around pulling a few levers and pushing a few buttons?

Are you searching the continent for monkeys or astronauts?

You might have a point there Leonard. Now that we know the questions, what can we do about it?
Take a look at the list of seven strategies for your space race.

1. Key people in key positions need to be fully trained in the operation of your rocket ship.

2. Astronauts make better pilots than monkeys. Hire the right people.

3. Pulling levers and pushing buttons does not make a monkey a pilot. If they are a monkey, give them monkey duties. If they are a pilot, let them fly the ship.

4. You can train a monkey to only do so much. Then you need an astronaut.

5. Astronauts need to have a destination to fly to.

6. If you keep flying the ship, no one else learns to be a pilot. They become monkeys.

7. Everyone likes monkeys until there is a crisis.

For the new year is your course set? Do you have astronauts or monkeys?
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Into Space From a Supermarket

admin — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 09:32:19 +0000

Pick up a trip into space from a supermarket. Today in Austria tickets for orbital trips can be bought in an ordinary discounter just for 210 thousand euro. Despite the paradoxically of the situation the experts are assure that the offer is quite real. It is possible to say that it is a successful publicity stunt.

“Milk, bread, butter and a ticket into space, please!” In theory it’s possible to hear this phrase in any Austrian Penny supermarket. The discounter offers its customers to buy tickets for XP Spaceplane provided by Rocketplane Global.

Regular flights will be launched by the end of 2011. The launching pad is the cosmodrome in Oklahoma. The tourist will stay in zero gravity condition for about 10 minutes. Although the offer is not new but it is rather tempting. General Representatives of Space Adventures consider that such a short space flight will become a very popular entertainment.

The cost of the trip is just 200 thousand euro. It is not 30 million dollars as for the flight on the international space station. Thus, most probably that the worldwide client base will be rather huge.

However not many people will buy tickets for the Spaceplane in the supermarket because of a discord between the product and the sale place. People, who can really afford to pay for such a flight, don’t visit supermarkets very often.

At the same time everyone should acknowledge that it was a mutually beneficial decision for the retailer and the space tour agency to announce about the project this way. Hearings have reached even Russia and that’s the best proof that the project is already popular. It is a wonderful news occasion to write about the supermarket to mass-media, thus, it is a wise PR decision which has drawn attention to the project.

Today the ticket cost for Rocketplane Global is 210 thousand euro; the figure is comparable with the offers of Virgin Galactic. Experts consider that by 2011-2012, by the moment of launching of commercial flights to the orbit, the figure will grow to half a million euro. It is not known if the sum will decline and when exactly it will decline.
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Helicopter Pilot Careers in the US Army

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:00:47 +0000

The Army operates the largest number of helicopters of any US military service. If you choose to fly helicopters in the Army you will start at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, which is the home of Army Aviation. Once you’ve completed your training the real fun begins. Army aviators fly some of the most advanced helicopters in the world.

The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is the most advanced attack helicopter in the U.S. inventory. It’s able to operate day or night in good or adverse weather. The Apache is armored and can withstand hits from shells as large as 23mm. The pilot’s sit in a titanium tub offering them protection not seen in any other helicopter. The Apache is able to carry an assortment of rockets and missiles in addition to its 30 mm chain gun. The Apache has a crew of two pilots. It has a maximum speed of 180 mph and a combat radius of 270 n.m.

The OH-58 Kiowa Warrior is a scout, observation, and light attack helicopter. The job of the OH-58 Kiowa is to locate the enemy and call in fire from other units such as artillery, naval gunfire, tactical aircraft or AH-64 gunships. The Kiowa also has the ability to engage targets. It can carry rockets, missiles, and gun pods. The Kiowa has a crew of two pilots and can carry two additional people in the rear seats. It has a maximum speed of 140 mph and a combat range of 170 miles.

The AH-1F Cobra is a generation older than the Ah-64. The Ah-1F is a tandem seat attack helicopter. It’s used in much the same way as the AH-64 Apache. It can carry rockets and missiles in addition to its 3-barreled 20mm gatling gun. It has a crew of two pilots and a combat radius of 150 mi.

The UH-60 Black Hawk is a medium lift assault/utility helicopter. The black hawk is able to carry 11 fully armed combat troops. It also has the ability to lift the 105mm M102 Howitzer along with its 4-person crew and reposition it. The crew consists of two pilots, a crew chief, and a gunner. The Blackhawk has a maximum speed of 200 mph and a combat radius of 370 mi.

The CH-47 Chinook is the Army’s heavy lift helicopter. It has two engines and is a tandem rotor design (one rotor behind the other). The Ch-47 roles are troop movement, re-supply, and artillery placement. To help in loading and unloading supplies the Chinook has a large loading ramp in the rear of the fuselage. It also has three external hooks from which it can sling loads. The CH-47 has a crew of three, two pilot and a crew chief. It can carry 33 troops or 24 litters and three medical personnel or 28000 pounds of cargo. The Chinook has a maximum speed of almost 200 mph and a combat radius of 650 miles.

The OH-6 Cayuse is a small helicopter that is used for personnel transport, escort, and light attack missions. The OH-6 has a crew of two. Its max speed is 175 mph and its combat radius is 115 nm.

The MH-6 and AH-6 LOACH were originally variants of the OH-6 but know they are a separate platform based on the McDonnell Douglas model 530. The MH-6 and AH-6 are special operation helicopters. They’re used to insert and extract special operations troops, to support special operation troops and other missions relating to the conduct of special operations warfare.

Army aviators have a long and proud tradition of flying helicopters. They are very skilled and serve the nation with honor and distinction.
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