Helicopter Movie Cliches

[phrogdriver]

Hey, Top Gun definitely has its gay moments, but that movie was a smash hit with... everyone. Firebirds? Come on, it's the Iron Eagle of the helicopter world. Now, We Were Soldiers had some nice helo action, landings in hot LZs and such. Good stuff.

Firebirds was a failed attempt to make a helo Top Gun. However, there hasn't been another "Top Gun" since Top Gun, either. Every so often there's an airstrike or the generic reporter on a flight deck setting the "world in crisis" motif, but that's it. Helos play a best supporting actor role in a lot of movies, for good and bad, hence the cliches.

I would add Blackhawk Down in with We Were Soldiers as a pretty decent helo movie.

 

[goosegagnon2]

We Were Soldiers was horrible, at the end a CH-47 comes in and drops off a bunch of reporters, like 30 or so...I didn't know there were 47s in Vietnam, maybe I am wrong? Also they had a plane or some older aircraft drop "fuel tanks" and blow up into a fireball. I thought they used another type of bomb, besides isn't a bomb, more blunt force and less fiery dramatics? Also they give a code word "Broken Arrow" in the movie out as like some command for an all out airstrike, I think A-4s launched and were within the strike zone in less than 30 seconds...kinda akward, i thought flights would take alot longer, it was a good plot but coulda used more feasible actions. Does any remeber the scene in James Bond where they drop a helicopter out the back of a plane and it starts up while its falling to the ground, then it flies away before smacking into the ground. I give blackhawk down credit, that was a damn good movie.

 

[Fly Navy]

I would add Blackhawk Down in with We Were Soldiers as a pretty decent helo movie.

Oh yeah, Blackhawk Down for sure.

 

[Fly Navy]

We Were Soldiers was horrible, at the end a CH-47 comes in and drops off a bunch of reporters, like 30 or so...I didn't know there were 47s in Vietnam, maybe I am wrong?

"The CH-47A, first delivered for use in Vietnam in 1962, is a tandem-rotor medium transport helicopter." from http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/h-47.htm

Also they had a plane or some older aircraft drop "fuel tanks" and blow up into a fireball. I thought they used another type of bomb, besides isn't a bomb, more blunt force and less fiery dramatics?

Uh, ever heard of Napalm? We used a lot of it in from WWII to Vietnam... now I don't know if they got the CG for it correct, but that's what it was supposed to be.

Also they give a code word "Broken Arrow" in the movie out as like some command for an all out airstrike, I think A-4s launched and were within the strike zone in less than 30 seconds...kinda akward, i thought flights would take alot longer, it was a good plot but coulda used more feasible actions.

Don't discount time compression in movies.

Check out the book though, the battle at LZ X-Ray (the movie) was bad. The battle at LZ Albany was worse... by a lot. That's a rough book to read.

 

[Gatordev]

@KBay:

If you watch 24, one of the first episodes this season actually showed that Jack couldn't get the helo started in time. As a result, several henchman paid the price. I dare say Jack Bauer could give Chuck a run for his money.

Firebirds was a failed attempt to make a helo Top Gun. However, there hasn't been another "Top Gun" since Top Gun, either.

I disagree. There was one movie that was another Top Gun after Top Gun. That movie: Days of Thunder. Think about the plot. It's almost scene for scene the same as Top Gun, except more redneck. Of course, that doesn't make it good.

I would add Blackhawk Down in with We Were Soldiers as a pretty decent helo movie.

Agreed, BHD was impressive.

 

[AllAmerican75]

Uh, ever heard of Napalm? We used a lot of it in from WWII to Vietnam... now I don't know if they got the CG for it correct, but that's what it was supposed to be.

On a side note. Back in the day, when my uncle was still flying F-4s, they used to use old Napalm tanks to carry their sea bags and luggage around when they went on X-Country flights and whatnot. Do y'all still do that or is there space in say the F/A-18 or EA-6 for sea bags and luggage?

 

[Gatordev]

On a side note. Back in the day, when my uncle was still flying F-4s, they used to use old Napalm tanks to carry their sea bags and luggage around when they went on X-Country flights and whatnot. Do y'all still do that or is there space in say the F/A-18 or EA-6 for sea bags and luggage?

I know the F-14 guys would use them to haul lobster back from Maine. I also knew a F-16 driver saying they used the Napalm canisters for luggage as well.

 

[mules83]

Talking about stuffing stuff into an airplane, my dad told me this good story once. Back in the day when he was flying -14's, the ship had pulled into syndey. So......the squadron wanted to get some girls to a party so they stuffed leaflets talking about the party into the speedbreaks of 4 -14's. They then flew over downtown sydney in formation and opened up the speedbreaks. He said it was a crowded party.....

The squadron CO was pissed aparently, but he just said dont do it again.....

 

[KBayDog]

@KBay:

If you watch 24, one of the first episodes this season actually showed that Jack couldn't get the helo started in time. As a result, several henchman paid the price.

I'll remind you that I am a lowly SNA - and, therefore, do not rate time to get into soap operas, whether they be of the FOX variety, or the more traditional CBS style. I do not have the free time afforded to the mighty, might IPs Therefore, I stand by my cliches!

(Of course, since I am not technically training at the moment, I have no excuses - other than I am catching up for lost time at McGuire's...)

 

[A4sForever]

...... my dad told .....Back in the day when he was flying -14's.....

Fly, mules, gator, "all75" .... they are called "BLIVETS" .... not former napalm tanks. The term originated in WW2 and was the modern day equivalent of .... "5 pounds of "manure" in a 1 pound bag". In other words, we called 'em blivets because ..... we would cram anything and everything into them to assist us in going from point A to point B and back again. I.e., everything the discerning Naval Aviator needed on a weekend cross-country. Skis, golf clubs, extra clothes, gee-dunk, trinkets for the natives, beads for the Indians ... you get the picture. Just tryin' to help ...

"WE" went on a x-country from NUW to NHZ for the wedding of one of our guys. Great sword arch (thanks, blivets), choker white, lots of giggling boys and girls (not us, of course ) and 450 Maine lobsters in the blivets of the 4-plane on the return trip. Great all-hands squadron party a day after our arrival --- we even pulled the CB's for the blivets on take-off .............. if we lost an engine, we were going to jettison the fuel tanks to stay airborne ...... but not the lobsters in the blivets. We would rather ride the A/C in and die than loose $1200-1500 worth of crustaceans. Times were tough back-in-the-day ....

It just hurts so much when mules refers to his Dad and says .... "back-in-the-day when he was flying -14's..." Ouch. That makes me eligible to be mules' Grandpa .... :sleep_125

 

[highlyrandom]

Yeah and "older aircraft" doesn't really do Skyraiders justice. Those are kickass planes, and though I didn't get them because they're retired, they were my first pick out of Primary.

 

[Fly Navy]

Fly, mules, gator, "all75" .... they are called "BLIVETS"

Oh I know, we have blivets for the T-45. They dropped napalm in We Were Soldiers.

 

[AllAmerican75]

So, is it against regulations to carry Lobster and whatever else you feel like hauling in them thar "blivets" or is it, whatever fits in there is good to go? I ask because it seems like you haul many expensive bottles of various beverages and many other items in there that may be frowned upon by "the man," much like flying under a bridge at 500 KIA.

 

[A4sForever]

So, is it against regulations to carry Lobster and whatever else you feel like hauling in them thar "blivets" or is it, whatever fits in there is good to go?.

CORRECT ... NOTHING is agains regs in a Blivet .... at least that's the way it used to be. Nothing is prohibited in Blivets .... except for Filipino bar girls and something that might explode .... and cans of beer don't count ....

 

[A4sForever]

Oh I know, we have blivets for the T-45.

Right .... but I suspect the Goshawk "blivets" aren't former napalm tanks. Tanks a lot ....