Helicopter Visit

euclid · Apr 5, 2009

Last night, at about 11 pm, a helicopter arrived and positioned itself directly over my house. This was not a small helicopter, but something like a Dauphin judging by its length and the sound of its engine. It was too dark to see.

It hovered there in the dark. It seemed to be taking photographs, as there was a bright light that flashed every couple seconds.

It was loud enough so we had difficulty hearing the TV.

After 30 minutes, hovering there, in the dark, maybe taking pictures, it flew off to the north.

Should I be afraid?

scarletpeaches · Apr 5, 2009

Beware.

Soon the mothership will arrive to take you home.

Pagey's_Girl · Apr 5, 2009

Oh man, I would have called 911...

Gehanna · Apr 5, 2009

http://biblical-illustrations.com/pages/image_joe_maniscalco_076.jpg.php

Helicopter. If you take out the "i", add an "l" and drop the "ter" you get hell cop!

Panic!! Run away...

Gehanna

euclid · Apr 5, 2009

I wanted to call someone, but who you gonna call? We don't have ghostbusters over here and it was hardly an emergency. I believe there is an aviation authority that gives clearance for all flights, but I've no idea where they're at, and if they would tell me anything. Probably not.

Mr Flibble · Apr 5, 2009

We sometimes get low flying copters flying about. Normally because some lowlife is scarpering from the scene of a crime and they use it to find the scrote.

Sure it wasn't a police helicopter? If they think they've found him they often hang about for a bit.

Next time, ring for pizza and doughnuts and ask if they want any

BradyH1861 · Apr 5, 2009

Was it a black helicopter?

Wayne K · Apr 5, 2009

After a minute or two I would have confronted the damn thing myself. Who the hell thinks they can do that? I would have confronted them 100% legally armed and asked them to move it along. Nobody has the right to do that to you. If they're police they have to announce themselves, and even they don't have the jurisdiction.

Pagey's_Girl · Apr 5, 2009

I live in between a military airport and a Level 1 trauma center, so I see a fair number of army and Medivac choppers. Not to mention the occasional C5A.

CACTUSWENDY · Apr 5, 2009

I have some extra tin foil, send me your addy and I will get it out to you. You know, just in case.........(have instructions on how to form the correct type of head covering to bounce any rays that might come your way.)

Matera the Mad · Apr 5, 2009

Just what ARE your neighbors up to?

Chumplet · Apr 5, 2009

I would've called the local police - not 911 because I don't want to tie up the lines - and asked why a helicopter is taking pictures of my house.

We get search copters circling our area all the time whenever a senior wanders off or there was a nearby altercation, because there's a conservation area right across the street. It's annoying. It shakes the windows.

euclid · Apr 6, 2009

1. It was too dark to see, so I have no idea what colour it was.
2. It didn't seem to have a searchlight. If it was the police I would have expected a searchlight.
3. It was too high to confront (although I was legally armed with my camera).
4. Helicopters are quite rare around here. I live in a small (but growing) town of about 13,000 people. We do see them flying across the sky from time to time, en route to other places.
5. What's a C5A?

kristie911 · Apr 6, 2009

If it happens again, call your local police dispatch...but like Chumplet said, preferably not 911. Tell them it's happened before and maybe they'll have an idea of why.

Mr Flibble · Apr 6, 2009

Wayne, I'm not sure it's possible to confront someone legally armed in Ireland.

You could ring up the rozzers now and ask if they know anything about it. A town that small, I bet they know.

MattW · Apr 6, 2009

It's the helicopters you don't hear that should worry you.

Snowstorm · Apr 6, 2009

It is possible it was not taking pictures of your house, but your neighbors? I believe (well, based on watching TV, real events or staged) that a copter is not directly over their target but off to the side. I'm trying to recall exactly, but I believe the copter is positioned to the side, and the spotlight and camera's target would be, basically, next door.

Pagey's_Girl · Apr 6, 2009

C5A's are HUGE military transport planes - the college I went to was even closer to the airfield (five minutes as opposed to over an hour for where I lived then) and they used to come right over the campus on final approach. It was rather like that scene in Star Wars when the Millennium Falcon is shown coming overhead - and coming - and coming - and coming....

ETA - when I worked at IBM, there were several prints up of "Hudson River School" paintings - of the region where I live, but done back in the 1700's. One day, I was waiting for a friend to get off the phone so we could head out for lunch and found myself looking closely at one of the prints. It was a painting of what's now the area around Storm King Mountain and West Point. I was admiring it, thinking, "Oh, and it's so detailed. There's even a C5A taking off from Stewart. And it's so realistic."

Waaaaaaait a minute.....

Someone had found a small picture of a C5A in flight and stuck it up there in the sky. Took me a moment to realize it wan't part of the original painting....

Wayne K · Apr 6, 2009

IdiotsRUs said:
Wayne, I'm not sure it's possible to confront someone legally armed in Ireland.

You could ring up the rozzers now and ask if they know anything about it. A town that small, I bet they know.

I despise guns because I've seen too much violence in my life, but I don't think I could ever feel safe without one.

Mr Flibble · Apr 6, 2009

It's easy. Because most people have no guns...so no need to feel unsafe. Supposedly

But it does make gun crime a lot less.

Besides, I collect swords.

Although I'm not allowed to brandish them in public lol.

Euclid, maybe the paparazzi got you mixed up with Brad Pitt?

Cyjon · Apr 6, 2009

My guess would be a news helicopter. I've had two occasions where they have parked over my house, both times to film some house fire blocks away. They don't hover directly over the scene because they can't get a good angle. Not sure about the flashing, but pictures doesn't seem likely because flashes don't work very far. If it was regular flashing it might have been the running lights.

dpaterso · Apr 6, 2009

Too funny. Police helicopters are equipped with infra red surveillance systems, they don't shine a light and stick their heads out the window any more. The flashing would be navigation lights, politely asking other aircraft not to fly into them. Tell me, was anyone on the toilet at the time?

-Derek

cray · Apr 6, 2009

euclid said:
Last night, at about 11 pm, a helicopter arrived and positioned itself directly over my house. This was not a small helicopter, but something like a Dauphin judging by its length and the sound of its engine. It was too dark to see.

It hovered there in the dark. It seemed to be taking photographs, as there was a bright light that flashed every couple seconds.

It was loud enough so we had difficulty hearing the TV.

After 30 minutes, hovering there, in the dark, maybe taking pictures, it flew off to the north.

Should I be afraid?

do you live anywhere near joe?
..it might explain everything.

Chumplet · Apr 6, 2009

dpaterso said:
Too funny. Police helicopters are equipped with infra red surveillance systems, they don't shine a light and stick their heads out the window any more. The flashing would be navigation lights, politely asking other aircraft not to fly into them. Tell me, was anyone on the toilet at the time?

-Derek

Our search helis have honkin' big searchlights, sometimes sweeping over the house. Maybe the Canadian government is too cheap for infrared.

euclid · Apr 6, 2009

IdiotsRUs said:
It's easy. Because most people have no guns...so no need to feel unsafe. Supposedly But it does make gun crime a lot less.

Everybody over here seems to carry a knife nowadays. I'm not sure that's any better than guns.

Euclid, maybe the paparazzi got you mixed up with Brad Pitt?

Now that is a possibility. Yes, I think that explains it.

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