Blue Thunder

[Squawk7777]

Hello Rotorheads,

this is my first posting here, I am one of those "fixed wing" pilots. I saw the movie "Blue Thunder" (from 1984 or so) a week ago and wonder on what heli-type this is. Do you folks know anything about it?

Just curious.

7 7 7 7

[NickLappos]

It was a Gazelle that had been cosmetically modified to look very 1980's modern.

[vorticey]

this question always bugged me,why diddnt they just leave it in silent mode?:mad:

[Ascend Charlie]

And why did their department persist in flying a Jet Ranger, that had an engine vibrating so much that it loosened the nut on the linear actuator and it fell off???

This movie was essential training for us when I was flying police ops. We even had our own caps made up with JAFO* on them for our crews. But we didn't have Whisper Mode. But we did have gyro-stabilised binoculars, and the Observers did see some very interesting things through them.



*JAFO = Just Another F***** Observer

[BigMike]

What happened to the helicopter from the movie? Is it still around?

Cheers BigMike

[Edna Cloud]

In fact I believe there were three Gazelles involved in the original filming, although I think only two flew - one spares.
Whilst in the US some three years ago ( when I was looking to buy a Gazelle) I saw a machine advertised in the Florida area. It was described as the surviving machine from the film albeit without all the square or faceted add - ons . I did not get to see the machine, but requested the usual documents etc. It was not expensive, but there was little in the way of evidence it had been correctly maintained so would have been a fasle economy to buy it. I believe several others from the UK Gazelle "fraternity" looked at it, but don't know what happened in the end.

Edna

[md 600 driver]

SA.341G; S/N 1066; Prod. Yr. 1973; temporary regd. F-WKQD to SNIAS; regd. 31/7/74 N57936 to Vought Helicopter Co.; regd. 2/10/74 N37LR to L.T. Ruth Coal Co.; sold to Kentucky Gem Coal Co. Inc. 10/10/74; purchased to Continental Flying Service, Inc. 19/11/76; regd. 17/12/76 same reg. to Continental Flying Service Inc.; 20/12/76 purchased to L.T. Ruth Coal Co.; reg. N37LR reserved 10/76; regd. 11/1/77 N37LR to L.T. Ruth Coal Co.; purchased 19/8/81 to Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.; allocated experimental reg. 28/11/83 N51BT to Columbia Pictures; purchased 25/10/84 to Mr. Michael E. Grube; w/o 23/6/94; dismantled for parts; NOTES: a) during 1981 modified for movie requirements on 1704.7 total hours done by R.W. Martin, Inc. (Cinema Air); b) used as mod for film "Blue Thunder" and "Amerika" TV miniserial (pilot: Jim Gavin)
SA.341G; S/N 1075; Prod. Yr. 1973; regd. 7/8/73 N94494 to G. D. Turner (Vought Helicopters Co.); re-regd. 25/9/73 N94494 to N777GH Holley & Beck; regd. 2/3/77 to F.R.B.C. Leasing Co.; leased 14/3/77 to Mocomb Contracting Corp.; leased 29/9/80 to P. Bosco & Sons, Inc. (fmr. Mocomb Contr.); 17/8/81 purchased by F.R.B.C. Leasing Co. to Moceri Management Co.; purchased 19/8/81 to Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.; allocated experimental reg. 16/11/81 N52BT to Columbia Pictures Inc.; regd. 21/3/86 same reg. to Mr. Michael E. Grube; Cof Reg. cancelled 16/8/88; dismantled (scrapped) for parts, w/o; NOTE: a) during 1981 modified as movie requirements by R.W. Martin, Inc. (Cinema Air) Prototype 02, "Blue Thunder", was constructed out of a French single-turbine light utility helicopter manufactured by Aerospatiale, which now forms part of the highly expansive Eurocopter group. The model SA340, named the "Gazelle", was put into production in 1971 as the SA341. It was the first helicopter to use Aerospatiale's highly innovative Fenestron tail rotor design.

Through the '70s the Gazelle went through several refinements and upgrades to eventually settle as the SA342J, by which time it was having a highly successfull career as a utility and training helicopter in the UK, France and other European defence forces.

Before Blue Thunder was nearing its ill-fated final days, not much was known. Rumours were that as a standard Gazelle it had been taken under by the American Hughes helicopter company, who were busy working with their Apache attack chopper to another government military specification, and was refitted into what we know as Blue Thunder. Hughes have since been swallowed by the McDonnell Douglas group who have now become a part of Boeing.

A standard Aerospatiale SA342 Gazelle featured the following specifications:


640kW Turboméca Astazou single turboshaft engine
3 x blade fully-articulated main rotor system
Shrouded tail rotor system (fenestron)
146 knot maximum continuous standard speed
5-place cabin
The details revealed about Blue Thunder are vague, but we do know the following was incorporated into the Gazelle:


Twin turbine-boost generators
200 mph enhanced cruise speed
30 million candlepower spotlights
1 inch think armor plated Nordoc NATO fuselage
Moveable 6 x barrel 20mm minigun (4,000 rounds per minute)
Harrison Fire Control Helmet with minigun head movement aiming authority
Digital visual target aquiring system
Quiet flight mode ("whisper mode")
Zooming and thermograph-capable video surveillance
High-sensitive directional microphones
Central broadcast-quality video / audio recording center
4-place cabin (1 x pilot, 2 x observers, 1 x passenger)
Mobile microwave-linked computer access to government databases
Crew-monitoring devices


steve

[DBChopper]

Squawk 7777

Well you did bloody ask!

:\

[offshoreigor]

I understand the one they used in the movie was so nose heavy, they needed quite a bit of ballast in the tailboom. I also understand that the final mocked up version for filming had a Vne of about 40kts.

I liked the shots of the 500D, the aerial work would make John Schultz Proud!

Cheers, :eek: OffshoreIgor :eek: