"Air America’s Black Helicopter" Topic
8 Posts
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Tango01 | 07 Dec 2020 10:38 p.m. PST |
"BLACK HELICOPTERS ARE A FAVORITE FANTASY when conspiracy theorists and movie directors conjure a government gone bad, but in fact, the last vehicle a secret organization would choose for a stealthy mission is a helicopter. A helicopter is a one-man band, its turbine exhaust blaring a piercing whine, the fuselage skin's vibration rumbling like a drum, the tail rotor rasping like a buzzsaw. In the last dark nights of the Vietnam War, however, a secret government organization did use a helicopter for a single, sneaky mission. But it was no ordinary aircraft. The helicopter, a limited-edition model from the Aircraft Division of Hughes Tool Company, was modified to be stealthy. It was called the Quiet One—also known as the Hughes 500P, the "P" standing for Penetrator. Just how quiet was the Quiet One? "It was absolutely amazing just how quiet those copters were," recalls Don Stephens, who managed the Quiet One's secret base in Laos for the CIA. "I'd stand on the [landing pad] and try to figure out the first time I could hear it and which direction it was coming from. I couldn't place it until it was one or two hundred yards away." Says Rod Taylor, who served as project engineer for Hughes, "There is no helicopter today that is as quiet."…"
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Amicalement Armand
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Bunkermeister | 07 Dec 2020 11:48 p.m. PST |
That's pretty cool. Never heard of that, but it was quiet. Mike Bunkermeister Creek Bunker Talk blog |
Oberlindes Sol LIC | 08 Dec 2020 3:13 a.m. PST |
Very interesting! How loud were the stealth Blackhawks used on the bin Laden raid compared to this one? |
Legion 4 | 08 Dec 2020 7:47 a.m. PST |
I'm pretty sure much of that is classified … Having flown in UH1s, UH60s, CH47s and OH58s many when in the 101. I can tell you they make a whole lot of noise ! |
Garryowen | 08 Dec 2020 8:18 a.m. PST |
Great find Tango. Reading the whole article is well worth it. You can skim some of the development. But keep going to get to the mission itself to tap the North Vietnamese communist command phone line. Tom |
Tango01 | 08 Dec 2020 12:05 p.m. PST |
Happy you enjoyed it my friends! (smile) Amicalement Armand |
Raynman | 08 Dec 2020 12:21 p.m. PST |
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Tango01 | 09 Dec 2020 12:18 p.m. PST |
Glad you enjoyed it too my friend! (smile) Amicalement Armand |
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