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JAFO

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I remember as a kid thinking how cool the helmet-aiming device and gatling gun were. Was that really in use at the time or was it just fictitous gadgetry that coincidentally evolved? I know, I know I don't know shit about helicopters but I am wondering basically if all that shit was real at the time or not.

The helicopter used for Blue Thunder was a French-made Aérospatiale SA-341G Gazelle modified with bolt-on parts and an Apache-style canopy. Two helicopters were used in the filming of the movie in case one was grounded for maintenance issues. The helicopters were purchased by Columbia Pictures and flown to Cinema Air in Carlsbad, CA 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 radio controlled model.

The two SA-341Gs were S/N 1066 (ex-N51BT) and S/N 1075 (ex-N52BT) and were produced in 1973. After the film was made, the helicopter was sold to Mike Groovy, an aviation salvage collector in Clovis, New Mexico. Groovy then leased it out to a film company that was filming the made for TV movie Amerika (an ABC mini-series about Soviet occupation of the USA; the helicopters were painted black, and the surveillance microphones were missing). After he got it back it was dismantled and sold for parts.[3]

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I watched this video the other night. It brings back lots of memories of Germany.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_vHXkV4jXE

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That had to be taken when they were first deployed to Germany, around '81 maybe?  

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Firebirds > Blue Thunder

Source: this scene