Lots of Helicopters tonight

[Peace]

Anybody else in Nashville/West Nashville hearing an unusually high volume of military helicopters tonight? Weird weather to be out and about.

[TrickyNicky]

Anybody else in Nashville/West Nashville hearing an unusually high volume of military helicopters tonight? Weird weather to be out and about.

Wierd weather is probably perfect for when you want to train in... wierd weather.

[Fourtyfive]

i've seen a bunch of unusual passes tonight , but I think it's just Vandy's Death Moth , that's what the employees call their helicopter that does blood runs and emergency calls.

[2.ooohhh]

The air ambulances were on and off the pads a lot this evening, I'm guessing it's b/c of the combination of weather and people traveling. Didn't see a single military chopper on our pads yet this week, but we had some new military pilots testing out , most of one afternoon last week.

[partypilot1]

I don't think "vandy's death moth" is an appropriate term to use. I don't think you would like that when we have your family member aboard.

[partypilot1]

If you want to sound technical we call it "Critical Care Transport" (The current slang is "MedEvac") "air ambulance" is an old term we would use to file FAA flight plans to get priority over air traffic, now its medevac

[Mechanic_X]

A few over Hendersonville last night.

[QuietDan]

If you want to sound technical we call it "Critical Care Transport" (The current slang is "MedEvac") "air ambulance" is an old term we would use to file FAA flight plans to get priority over air traffic, now its medevac

 

God Bless you guys who fly the domestic med-evac mission. 

 

You all get a kiss on the forehead, especially the Vandy folks, from Country Music:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmxaY_OVvWA  

(Vandy at 2:55, helo at 3:40)

 

Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Keith Urban, "Highway Don't Care"

[Peace]

They all sounded pretty heavy last night. I only looked out once (the fourth time we heard them going over), and it was a blackhawk.

Partypilot, are you aircrew for Vandy's medevac?

[bersaguy]

I heard them a night or so ago here in Gallatin at night. You can tell the difference between the Medivac choppers and Black Hawks just by the sound. I actually thought a bout a week ago about 2300 hrs. I heard what sounded like 2 or 3 Chinooks pass over my house.

[Dustbuster]

The helos have been running 24/7 spraying everyone with anti turkey mist... the liberals are afraid of a turkey shortage so congress just allocated 26 trillion dollars to use psych ops and chemicals on turkey carnivores in TN....This is a serious issue.

[Peace]

:). FYI - no tinfoil needed here, I just love aviation and was curious.

Happy Thanksgiving all-

[Fourtyfive]

I don't think "vandy's death moth" is an appropriate term to use. I don't think you would like that when we have your family member aboard.

 

Hey , I didn't name it , don't take it personaly. Sorry if it offended you.

[McGarrett]

Were they "black" helicopters? 

[craglawnmanor]

They all sounded pretty heavy last night. I only looked out once (the fourth time we heard them going over), and it was a blackhawk.

 

 

 Yep, we heard them, also. We live near the 70//100 split, & a couple of my kids and I started wondering if something big was happening.

They were beating a path over our house...

[partypilot1]

I didn't take anything personally, I just thought it should be made clear that no one "in" the business uses that term. Medcrew and Pilots are all aware that we carry peoples dads, moms, brothers, sisters, children and usually someones friends uncle, etc..we give these people the same respect as if it were our family member.
As for working at VUMC, none of the pilots,( fixed and rotor) actually are employed by Vanderbilt there's a company, or in this case companies, that supply pilots, aircrafts, and equipment as needed per contract.

[jwinter]

Hey , I didn't name it , don't take it personaly. Sorry if it offended you.

The one here in Knoxville was/is named Life Star. It is affectionately known as the Death Star. Morbid yes, but the name fits, because it is never good when seen or needed. Usually someone is in bad shape when they need to be air lifted. When ever I see it fly over I think to myself that I hope that person will be ok and then usually ask God to look over them.

[QuietDan]

In Baghdad, we worked under the flight path of the Med-Evac Blackhawks heading to the CSH Hospital. When the Red-Cross marked birds would fly overhead, a lot of folks would pause for a moment, and a lot of folks would make a Sign of the Cross. They just did. You were sorry that someone needed the emergency flight, glad that they were getting the support, and you knew they'd be there for you if you needed it.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Must have been road conditions causing some wrecks up on the plateau. I didn't hear anything like that in Clarksville.

[mike_f]

The helicopters made several passes over my house Tuesday night.  Last pass was about 11:00PM. 

 

I saw 2 Blackhawks flying together and then single Blackhawks.  3 passes of a pair, and then 2 passes of singles.  Our dogs go nuts every time they approach.

 

I guessed that they were flying in the bad weather over urban areas on purpose. 

[mike_f]

A local resident in our neighborhood listserv group posted the letter below as being supplied by Rep. Jim Cooper's office about the helicopters:

 

 

 

I would have included the posted response letter from Rep. Cooper, but it was divided up into about 6 different files and I couldn't figure out how to put it together.

 

The posted Cooper letter pointed out that the dates in the SOCOM letter don't match the dates of the overflights, but opined that the SOCOM notification "looks like a generic notification". 

 

Cooper's letter  also stated that although his office was notified in advance they were specifically asked not to release the SOCOM letter to the press prior to the exercise.