Blue Thunder (helicopter)
| Blue Thunder (fictional info) | |
|---|---|
| Role | armed police helicopter |
| First flight | 1983 |
| Primary user | LAPD |
| Number built | 1 |
Blue Thunder is the title character in the 1980s American film and television series of the same name. The aircraft itself was a converted Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopter.
Aérospatiale Gazelle
The actual Blue Thunder helicopter was a French-made Aérospatiale SA-341G Gazelle. Blue Thunder used two SA-341Gs, serial numbers 1066 and 1075, that were both produced in 1973. After the film was made, both helicopters were sold to Michael E. Grube, an aviation salvage collector in Clovis, New Mexico. Grube then leased s/n 1066 (ex-N51BT[1]) to a film company that was shooting Amerika, an ABC television mini-series about Soviet occupation of the USA; the helicopters were painted black, and the surveillance microphones were removed. After Grube got it back, it was dismantled and sold for parts.[2]
The second, s/n 1075 (ex-N52BT[3]), was scrapped during 1988.[2] There was a third static display model built for close-up shots with the actors.[2]
Blue Thunder helicopter
For the movie SA-341G Gazelles were modified with bolt-on parts and a canopy patterned after the AH-64 Apache. Two helicopters were used in the filming of the movie, one for the actual stunts (a "stunt mule"), one as a backup in case the other was grounded for maintenance. Stunts were flown by Jim Gavin.[2]
The helicopters were purchased by Columbia Pictures and flown to Cinema Air in Carlsbad, California, where they were heavily modified for the film. These alterations made the helicopters so heavy that various tricks had to be employed to make it look fast and agile in the film. For instance, the 360° loop maneuver at the end of the film was carried out by a 1/6-scale radio controlled model.[2] (This aircraft was built and flown by modeller and RC helicopter manufacturer John Simone Jr.)[2]
Film description
Described in the film as having 1 in (25 mm) "no-lock metal armor",[4] Blue Thunder had a chin turret with an "electric" 20 mm (0.79 in) six-barrel Gatling gun able to deliver 4,000 rounds per minute.[5] Surveillance used twin cheek-mounted Nitesun spotlights,[5] infrared thermograph, and airborne TV camera with 100:1 zoom and night-vision capability.[5] The cameras fed 3⁄4 in (19 mm) videotape, with a locker in the belly of the aircraft. External audio pickups were capable of hearing "a mouse fart at two thousand feet".[5] A "whisper mode" granted her the ability to operate in silence. (They resembled sound absorbers used on Jolly Greens in Vietnam.)
Blue Thunder's cannon was controlled by a Harrison helmet[5] in conjunction with a "Harrison Fire Control System" (which is named after one of the special effects prop designers and not an existing fire control system). The project cost was described as US$5 million.[5]
Specifications
Blue Thunder v. Gazelle
| Gazelle | Blue Thunder | |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 (pilot & copilot) | 2 (pilot & weapons technician) |
| Passengers | 5–6 | 1-2 (non-crew may use the copilot seat and/or a seat behind the technician's seat) |
| Length | 49.54 ft (15.1 m) | |
| Height | 11.68 ft (3.56 m) | |
| Weight | 4,555 lb (2,066 kg) | unspecified |
| Speed | 149 mph (240 km/h) | |
| Range | 373 mi (600 km) | |
| Ceiling | 12,800 ft (3,901 m) | |
| Power (x2) | 618 hp (461 kW) | unspecified |
Miscellaneous equipment
- The helmet-controlled gun turret and Target Acquisition and Designation System (TADS) was inspired by the AH-64 Apache, which uses an "Integrated Helmet And Display Sight System" (IHADSS), wherein the nose-mounted sensors and the 30 mm chain gun are linked to the gunner's helmet.
- The bolt-on cockpit of the original helicopter used to be visible on the backlot tour of MGM Studios in Florida. It has not been present in the 'bone yard' since at least 2005.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "FAA Registry (N51BT)". Federal Aviation Administration.
- ^ a b c d e f Blue Thunder, the helicopter: movie information. GregDonner.org
- ^ "FAA Registry (N52BT)". Federal Aviation Administration.
- ^ "Blue Thunder" DVD caption track.
- ^ a b c d e f Blue Thunder DVD.
- ^ Blue Thunder Movie Covers. GregDonner.org
- ^ Backlot photo of BlueThunder. GregDonner.org
