Helicopters

dsmythy

A French man came up with the word for helicopter based on the Greek "helicos" meaning helix and "pteron" meaning wing. He arrived at the French name Helicoptere. The last 'e' was removed from the English version of the word.

My question is what are peoples' obsession with helicopters? In these forums and many others, especially more local based forums, whenever a helicopter flies somewhere low or hangs around for more than a few seconds people are in wondering "Anybody else see the helicopter?" or "What was the helicopter doing last night?". If it's the garda helicopter even better!

I don't get it. Who cares?

Krsnik87

o_0

biko

I don't.
The curiosity of people astounds me sometimes.

source

People tend to be nosey buggers who like to know things they either shouldn't know nor need to know.

javaboy

Did anyone see that helicopter that crashed to the ground last night in Dublin. I took a picture:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2390/2216697893_c278987b06.jpg?v=0

Steve_o

They always seems to be watching something or someone, maybe you... or me?? :eek:... there's something dodgy about them.

FunkZ

Errr. I couldn't give a ripped off monkeys arse tbh.

I remember drinking when I was 16 in the park in Swords and a 'copter flew over and we all really thought they were looking for us!

myself69

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zA1hyqA6UTY

dsmythy

Helicopter threads on boards.ie.

Nowhere's immune...

Balbriggan
Cork City
Rush
Sligo Bay
Raheny
Dublin City
Southside Dublin
After Hours
Cork City again
Dublin Bay
Northside Dublin
Waterford

No more nosy helicopter threads please. Unless you're in dire need of one or have an interest in them in general.

Sherifu

I saw three army helicopters at lunch on Wednesday, I was looking up. And i'd do it again.

ejmaztec

It's to do with the natives and "Look - silver bird in sky." (points with alarm):eek:

biko

dsmythy wrote: »

Southside Dublin

Snapshot from chopper here

javaboy

biko wrote: »

Snapshot from chopper here

Well the ones on the bottom right and top left certainly have enough orange fake tan on to be from South Dublin but the spears and lack of blonde highlights make me sceptical.

biko

A tribe member identified here
Maybe not SoDub after all?

BaconZombie

I know somebody who is terrified of Helicopters, she screams and hides whenever one flies over. It quite funny to watch.... One weird phobia.

dsmythy

BOFH_139 wrote: »

I know somebody who is terrified of Helicopters, she screams and hides whenever one flies over. It quite funny to watch.... One weird phobia.

Memories of 'nam live on for some.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

javaboy

Solitaryman666 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

People go out to the old airport road and watch airplanes take off. The guy in the house behind mine stands in his garden with a pair of binoculars everytime one goes overhead and he usually looks bewildered.

Besides helicopters are way more interesting than planes. They can hover and go backwards and they make a cool chiva-chiva-chiva sound whereas planes make a more boring nyaommmmmmm sound.

dave.omeara

Maybe it's to do with when we were all younger and things in the sky were amazing and magical (or whatever) and we all stood there wondering how it stayed up there.
Now, thanks to the wonder that is the Discovery Channel and physics in school, we all know how they work (don't ask me though as I failed physics), but there is still the youthful amazement in peoples subconscious that this thing is able to stay in the sky.

Heres something to do though when your bored someday and want to see how nosy people are. Stand in your workplace or on the street and look up at a building/wall/ something and see how many people either stop and ask you what you're looking at or see how many people start looking at the same thing as you.

Experiment time. Yippee.

FruitLover

It's pretty simple: helicopters are cool.

dave.omeara wrote: »

Heres something to do though when your bored someday and want to see how nosy people are. Stand in your workplace or on the street and look up at a building/wall/ something and see how many people either stop and ask you what you're looking at or see how many people start looking at the same thing as you.

Then, when a big enough crowd has gathered, open up a stall selling binoculars...

dave.omeara

Because what you're looking for is a super secret helicopter that can only been seen through these special binoculars.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

javaboy

dave.omeara wrote: »

Heres something to do though when your bored someday and want to see how nosy people are. Stand in your workplace or on the street and look up at a building/wall/ something and see how many people either stop and ask you what you're looking at or see how many people start looking at the same thing as you.

Experiment time. Yippee.

Make sure you've nothing valuable in your pockets if you try this in a city street. You've got to pick a pocket or two.

Lobster

Usually something wrong if you see the coast guard helicopter hovering. Last time I seen one I checked my phone and find out I should have been on a lost diver search, so its not a bad thing to be nosy.

taidghbaby

i personally blame airwolf for this helicopter obsession!!

Terry

biko wrote: »

A tribe member identified here
Maybe not SoDub after all?

Guidos are funny.

dave.omeara

taidghbaby wrote: »

i personally blame airwolf for this helicopter obsession!!

Does anyone else hear the theme music when a helicopter goes over head?

electric69

Solitaryman666 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

LIES! Planks are stupid and boring

The reason you all love helicopters is cus the pilots are just so cool.like me:p

If you've never been in a helicopter i would definately recommend taking a trip in one. You will love it.Probably get the flying bug too and want to start flying yourself! There is much more skill involved in flying a helicopter than a fixed wing and they are much more fun to fly in too!

Steyr

javaboy wrote: »

People go out to the old airport road and watch airplanes take off. The guy in the house behind mine stands in his garden with a pair of binoculars everytime one goes overhead and he usually looks bewildered.

Besides helicopters are way more interesting than planes. They can hover and go backwards and they make a cool chiva-chiva-chiva sound whereas planes make a more boring nyaommmmmmm sound.

You mean Spotters, nothing different to people who go watch car rallying or whatever. Me i like both Rotary ( Helicopters ) and Fixed Wing ( thats Planes to you ), the fascination with both fixed wing and rotary is the fact they are versatile machines and can do amazing things.

I dont look up if i can hear a Robinson R22 or R44 as they are common as muck in Galway but if its something else il always look up, they are amazing, especially the Sikorsky S61N's of the Irish Coast Guard Fleet they go out in all sorts to save peoples lives.

javaboy

Steyr wrote: »

You mean Spotters, nothing different to people who go watch car rallying or whatever. Me i like both Rotary ( Helicopters ) and Fixed Wing ( thats Planes to you ), the fascination with both fixed wing and rotary is the fact they are versatile machines and can do amazing things.

I dont look up if i can hear a Robinson R22 or R44 as they are common as muck in Galway but if its something else il always look up, they are amazing, especially the Sikorsky S61N's of the Irish Coast Guard Fleet they go out in all sorts to save peoples lives.

Yeah spotters and don't worry I know what fixed wing means thanks.

I wasn't trying to put down spotters like at the airport btw I was just pointing out that there are people fascinated by planes as well as helicopters.

My neighbour though shouldn't be confused with your regular spotter. He also spots the girls from the local school as they walk by. He actually has built up a platform to stand on so he can watch them over his back wall as they go by.

Phlann

I don't know why but that first post made me laugh.

Best helicopter vid ever:

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyisg9-Mwjw


Look at the rotors. Cool.

javaboy

Phlann wrote: »

I don't know why but that first post made me laugh.

Best helicopter vid ever:

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyisg9-Mwjw


Look at the rotors. Cool.

Is that just an aliasing trick where the frame rate is synced with the rotor speed? Very cool video.


EDIT: Just read the video description. Now I feel like a smartass

Thrill

javaboy wrote: »

Is that just an aliasing trick where the frame rate is synced with the rotor speed? Very cool video.


EDIT: Just read the video description. Now I feel like a smartass

Roflcopter.

Steyr

javaboy wrote: »

I wasn't trying to put down spotters like at the airport btw I was just pointing out that there are people fascinated by planes as well as helicopters.

No problem Sir.

javaboy wrote: »

My neighbour though shouldn't be confused with your regular spotter. He also spots the girls from the local school as they walk by. He actually has built up a platform to stand on so he can watch them over his back wall as they go by.

Sick dude..

Steyr

If your wondering.. This is my all time favourite Aircraft, the B1 Lancer or "Bone",

Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jvjqHHdaHXI&feature=related
You might want to lower the speakers for that:eek:

Everything about her is brilliant, bigger than an average airliner yet only seats 4 and is as close to agile for its size as a figther jet, has variable-sweep wings, is worth about US$283.1 million EACH, Its maximum speed at altitude is Mach 1.25 (about 950 mph or 1,530 km/h),but its low-level speed is Mach 0.92 (700 mph, 1,130 km/h) and has a ceiling height of 60,000 ft.



And they say Concorde is dead..:pac:

Go to an Airshow with a B1 or F15E present if you like loud noise, forget your Heavy Metal gigs this is real Heavy Metal:D

Eoin

electric69 wrote: »

LIES! Planks are stupid and boring

The reason you all love helicopters is cus the pilots are just so cool.like me:p

That reminds me of the old joke

Q: how do you spot the pilot in the room?
A: they'll tell you they're a pilot

biko wrote: »

I don't.
The curiosity of people astounds me sometimes.

Being astounded by someone's curiosity is curious.

javaboy

eoin_s wrote: »

That reminds me of the old joke

Q: how do you spot the pilot in the room?
A: they'll tell you they're a pilot

I always knew that joke as "How do you know a guitarist at a party?"

The funny thing is it's true. I worked with 2 qualified pilots in a non-aviation job and they told absolutely everyone they were pilots within a minute of meeting them.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

marcsignal

was home recently for a few weeks, and noticed a distinct lack of choppers flying above the house since last summer, when they were buzzing by every 10 minutes.

big business going elsewhere ?

vektarman

dsmythy wrote: »

A French man came up with the word for helicopter based on the Greek "helicos" meaning helix and "pteron" meaning wing. He arrived at the French name Helicoptere. The last 'e' was removed from the English version of the word.

My question is what are peoples' obsession with helicopters? In these forums and many others, especially more local based forums, whenever a helicopter flies somewhere low or hangs around for more than a few seconds people are in wondering "Anybody else see the helicopter?" or "What was the helicopter doing last night?". If it's the garda helicopter even better!

I don't get it. Who cares?

Interest in helicopters is obviously a phallic symbol thing, have people noticed how often they're called choppers.

javaboy

javaboy wrote: »

Is that just an aliasing trick where the frame rate is synced with the rotor speed? Very cool video.


EDIT: Just read the video description. Now I feel like a smartass

You've just gotta love some of the comments attached to the youtube video, some people... :rolleyes:

dsmythy

Lobster wrote: »

Usually something wrong if you see the coast guard helicopter hovering. Last time I seen one I checked my phone and find out I should have been on a lost diver search, so its not a bad thing to be nosy.

Well i'll let people away with coastguard helicopters if they're in a boat or by the sea.

dsmythy

I wasn't criticising people who are into their aviation. Just the nosy people who must know what a helicopter is doing if they see one.

electric69

marcsignal wrote: »

was home recently for a few weeks, and noticed a distinct lack of choppers flying above the house since last summer, when they were buzzing by every 10 minutes.

big business going elsewhere ?

economy stinks at the moment, thus lack of money and people being able to afford the price of gas and pilots. Like everything else it will swing back around but there is a big decreased in the amount of corporate flights in Ireland as of late.

Steyr

Solitaryman666 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Oh it is, i once flew from EINN ( Shannon ) to EICM ( Carnmore, Galway ) in a Robinson R44, and the best part by far was when the pilot put her into a hover!:D Class.

dsmythy

dsmythy wrote: »

Helicopter threads on boards.ie.

Nowhere's immune...

Balbriggan
Cork City
Rush
Sligo Bay
Raheny
Dublin City
Southside Dublin
After Hours
Cork City again
Dublin Bay
Northside Dublin
Waterford

No more nosy helicopter threads please. Unless you're in dire need of one or have an interest in them in general.

Added to my list

After Hours at present

Moved from After Hours to Wicklow forum recently

Why don't people listen to my strange anti-helicopter thread thread. No more!

electric69

dsmythy wrote: »

Why don't people listen to my strange anti-helicopter thread thread. No more!

Down with that sort of thing! Where would we be with helicopters?!