Hilico : lmao excellent comment. Still sniggering an hour later.

...which all goes to show that?.........

Just as a correction, the F-5E is known as the Tiger II, the F-5G(F-20) is the one known as the Tigershark...


By the way, nobody mentioned Harold the Helicopter from Thomas the tank engine, and Budgie the helicopter, and of course Fergie, the author of said "publication"


I hear that there was some hefty aerial action in the movie Firebirds, where actor Nicholas Cage screams "I am the greatest" in the sim. (I always wanted to try that, but I think it would scare the students...)

Pope Palpatine is also a rotorhead (recent article here). Is the Papal helicopter still an SH-3F? If so, impressive.

...though Rich Uncle Pennybags won't be flying a helicopter anytime soon.

I/C

Ian: You can read a wee bit about Il Volo Papale (The Papal Flight) on page 5 of the Nostalgia Thread.

As far as I know the SH-3D's are still at Roma-Ciampino (operated by the Aeronautica Militare) but .. are being phased-out and replaced by the AW139 the first of which .. so I believe, is pictured below:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7...idini%2529.jpg
Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) AW139 MM81807 (assigned, afaik, to the [non-exclusive] duties of Il Volo Papale - The Papal Flight) as seen at Rome's Ciampino airport on 10th September 2012 (Photo: Aldo Bidini)

Sav,

Thanks for the backstory. Having the Pontiff in the left hand seat is as close as it gets to having God as your copilot. :E

I/C

Yes it is interesting although I'm not quite sure how it works but .. as it is a military aircraft I assume that there may be provision for some degree of 'popetic' licence!

Indeed. I do wonder however if his virtue of Papal Infallibility is 'transferable' to non-ecclesial duties. If so one would imagine that this would make him an exceptional [sky] pilot.

I must be careful in what I say! ;)

Ah well Ian, he is now resigning.

Papa Benedetto XVI si dimette il 28 febbraio, troppo fragile per guidare chiesa | Prima Pagina | Reuters

.. and then there was the proposal by Sikorsky to replace the Holy See King with an S76 and which resulted in their offer of airborne support towards the work of the medical 'flying' nuns:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b.../s902/S76N.jpg