Whenever I see a Hughes 500 I always think of their ancestors - the OH-6 Cayuse. The pilot would sit in the right side of the aircraft and an observer/gunner would sit behind him with an M-60 machine gun. They would serve as scouts and troll for enemy fire at treetop level as bait for the gunships.
(painting by Joe Kline)
I flew with a couple of Scout pilots way back when (post-Vietnam). To a man they were expert aviators and just a little nuts. They usually preferred the OH-6 to the OH-58 Kiowa.
A tip of the Stetson to those modern-day heroes carrying aid and rescuing people.
🐷