The 1983 motion picture "Blue Thunder" starring Roy Scheider was an excellent drama featuring a high-tech helicopter equipped with cutting-edge cameras, surveillance equipment and the latest in helicopter advances. A caption at the beginning of the movie states that all the helicopter's high-tech-equipment features are real and were actually used by the military at the time. It seems as though Hollywood took some dramatic license with that statement or, if some of that equipment does exist, almost 25 years later, it remains a military secret and has yet to make it to the mainstream helicopter market. The helicopter is indeed a life-saving machine. Its capabilities and usefulness continues to grow, yet Hollywood has certainly left its mark on both the public's and police officer's perceptions of these machines.
The Helicopter "Whisper Mode"
In one scene in Blue Thunder, the police officers flying the helicopter want to conduct some discreet surveillance. In an attempt to become as inconspicuous as possible, they turn on a switch labeled "whisper mode" and suddenly the helicopter becomes almost silent.
One of the most pressing problems in the entire helicopter industry today is noise. As the growth and popularity of helicopters continues to rise, so does the complaints of noise pollution caused by these machines. To give you an idea of the scope and seriousness of the problem, legislators in New York at the local, state and federal level have all threatened to introduce legislation and ordinances restricting helicopters. In some cities, the "anti helicopter noise" community has succeeded in closing heliports. The issue is so serious that the leading helicopter industry association, Helicopter Association International (HAI), spends considerable time and resources helping to address the issue. HAI has a formal program known as "fly neighborly" to educate pilots in flying routes and altitudes designed to minimize the helicopter's noise footprint. And, helicopter manufacturers are constantly looking at ways to reduce helicopter noise. Some marketing materials will even refer to decibel levels and reduced noise as a selling point of a particular model.
In short, if the problem was as simple as a "whisper mode" switch, the industry would gladly and enthusiastically embrace it and quickly eliminate a problem that seriously threatens the growth and development of the helicopter.
In other scenes, pilots start their machines and are flying within seconds, forgetting the various safety and performance checks required to safely fly a helicopter. The helicopter seems part Superman, part Spiderman and a dash of a few other super-heroes thrown in.
Cameras and Microphones
There is no doubt that helicopters equipped with cameras have made dramatic advances in the past few years. Not only has the electronic news gathering (ENG) helicopter seen incredible growth, as every major television station gets their own helicopter, most police agencies include cameras, infra-red and down-linking capabilities as standard equipment. The cameras are indeed impressive with incredible stability, quality of picture and the ability to zoom in from long distances. However, there is no camera or microphone possessing the ability to see through walls and listen to conversations inside buildings. In one dramatic scene in "Blue Thunder," the pilots listen in on a conversation being held within an office building in which they learn the true nefarious purpose of their new machine. Once again, Hollywood, taking dramatic license, overstates the capability of this equipment.
In numerous motion pictures and television shows, the helicopter is shown on one hand as a machine with no limits to its capabilities that can perform incredible feats defying the laws of aerodynamics, and on the other hand as a machine that will suffer dire consequences as the result of a gust of wind. Of course, the truth lies somewhere in-between.
The Impact of Hollywood?
More than one police aviation commander has heard the dreaded words spoken by upper management when the sentence begins with, "I saw in the movie 'Black Hawk Down …' or "On television last night a police helicopter did … " Yes, upper management watches television and goes to the movies like the rest of us. Sometimes they form their thoughts, opinions and ideas on the latest aerial stunt in Hollywood. They forget that a particular scene has been thoroughly rehearsed by numerous professionals including very experienced film pilots, stunt persons and safety personnel. Throw in some computer-generated special effects or other editing magic and the scene defies belief. Now the brass wants the same results from their own aviation unit. More than one aviation manager has had to explain that although Hollywood makes it seem easy and possible, real life tends to be a bit more difficult.
The Reality
Most police aviators love to fly and will push themselves and their machines to their safe limits to accomplish almost any mission. Fortunately, most police aviators approach their jobs with a very high degree of professionalism focused on safety. The police aviator takes great pride in supporting ground officers and helping them do their jobs safely and effectively. However, Hollywood notwithstanding, there are limitations to both man and machine.
So next time that noisy helicopter is overhead, keep in mind that "whisper mode" is not yet a manufacturer's option and police helicopters still cannot look through walls and listen into buildings.
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Lt. Kenneth J. Solosky retired after 21 years of service with the New York City Police Department and had been assigned to patrol, patrol sergeant, Lieutenant- patrol platoon commander, the Warrant Division and police academy instructor. He retired as the Chief Pilot/Director of Training in the NYPD Aviation Unit. Solosky recently was appointed the Chief Pilot for the Newark, New Jersey, Police Aviation Unit. Solosky has a bachelor's degree in Public Administration from St. John's University and is pursuing his master's degree in Criminal Justice from the City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He holds FAA Airline Transport Pilot ratings in both airplanes and helicopters, is a certified flight instructor and a member of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA). He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]
