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Relatives of Navy SEALs who died when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan in August 2011 spoke at a press conference Thursday to condemn the Obama administration and claim that the U.S. military presented a Muslim cleric at the dead SEALs’ funeral who disparaged “sinners and infidels who are fodder for the hell fire.” FreedomWatch president Larry Klayman, the attorney representing the families, claimed at the press conference, which Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota and former Florida Republican Rep. Allen West also attended, that the U.S. military presented an anti-American speaker at the SEALs’ 2011 funeral.

VIDEO OF SEAL TEAM 6 FAMILY PRESS CONFERENCE 5-9-2013 OVER 2 HOURS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqtJrJ40Cio

Vice President Joe Biden blasted the NRA for engaging in a "disinformation" campaign meant to "scare people" from supporting background checks. “Kinda scary man, the black helicopter crowd is really upset,” Biden said about the NRA´s concern with the creation of a federal government gun registry. Biden was speaking at the White House with Attorney General Eric Holder on reducing gun violence and was joined by law enforcement officials

HELI-EXPO: Chinese WZ-10 attack helicopter based on Kamov design The Changhe Aircraft WZ-10 attack helicopter is based on a Russian design commissioned by the Chinese, Kamov's chief design engineer says. In 1995, Kamov developed a preliminary design in the 6t weight class under a contract with the Chinese government, says Sergey Mikheev, Kamov's chief design engineer, speaking at the Heli-Expo trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Due to understandable reasons, this information was kept secret," he says. Dave Majumdar/Flightglobal The Project 941 design was not based on any Soviet-era attack helicopter project and was strictly designed for China's unique requirements,...

Helicopter pilot spots a model plane stuck in trees. What he does next makes one little boy's day.

Despite the relative quiet in northern Israel in recent years, the threat posed by Hizbullah remains, Minister Yaalon said Wednesday evening. Yaalon spoke at a memorial for the 73 soldiers killed in a helicopter crash over Kibbutz Dafna 16 years ago. “The 73 fallen sons embody the complexity of our lives here,” Yaalon said, “and our struggle, which, sadly, is not yet over.” “We are a people that loves peace,” he continued. “That is how we raise our sons and daughters.” Addressing bereaved families at the event, he said, “That is how you raised your children who fell while on...

An Indiana, Pa., man was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles while working on a military-themed reality show for the Discovery Channel. Michael Donatelli, 45, was one of three people, including the pilot, who were killed in the crash, according to Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Jason Brandenburg. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The crash occurred about 3:45 a.m. on the Polsa Rosa Ranch in Acton, north of Los Angeles. Officials at the ranch declined to comment. Mr. Donatelli served four tours of duty in Iraq, worked as a Washington, D.C.,...

See the Video on YouTube Does this make you feel safe? 6 heavily armed officers of the state - overpaid, and awaiting fat pensions - circle and harass a sweet lady out in the desert collecting rocks. The use of a $5-8million helicopter that costs about $2000 per hour to fly, the six overpaid donut munchers inside and the illegal search of an innocent, harmless lady out collecting rocks is a travesty of justice and the American way. What have they done to our country? Do you feel safe now?

Justice Dept. chopper used for football drop at HS homecoming • State agents investigate apparent unauthorized use of police helicopter SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —California taxpayers shelled out hundreds of dollars for the apparent unauthorized use of a police helicopter at a high school football game. The helicopter incident involved a high school homecoming event that top law enforcement supervisors at the Department of Justice knew nothing about, KCRA 3 has learned. The incident took place last November, when a DOJ helicopter hovered over El Dorado Hills for a homecoming game at Oak Ridge High School. In a video later uploaded...

A helicopter has crashed into a crane in Vauxhall, south London, plummeting into the ground. The crash involved two cars and an unknown number of people, London Fire Service said. Sky sources said one person was aboard the aircraft, which is believed to be an Augusta 109.

President Obama praised the resilient New York attitude and the efforts of rescue workers during his talk after touring areas of Queens and Staten Island that were ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.‘I´m very proud of you, New York. You guys are tough you bounce back,’ he said while visiting New Dorp Beach in Staten Island. After a brief helicopter tour of Queens- passing over particularly devastated areas like Rockaway Beach and Breezy Point- they arrived in Staten Island where they examined the damage by foot.

Citing cuts in the federal defense budget and a continuing weakness in its military helicopter business, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced Monday it will close its military completions center in Big Flats at the end of the year.

Link to Bernanke's announcement today So... For the 150 million people in the workforce, that's $567 dollars per person per month. For the 75 million people who pay income taxes to the Federal Government, that's $1,133 per person per month. For the 23 million people looking for full-time employment, that's $3,696 dollars per person month. For the 4 million people the administration says are looking for work, that's. $21,250 dollars per person per month. The bureau of labor statistics says there are currently 3.7 million job openings. Obama's economic team had projected that 4 million more people would be working...

Musings of a helo driver... Anything that screws its way into the sky flies according to unnatural principals. You never want to sneak up behind an old, high-time helicopter pilot and clap your hands. He will instantly dive for cover and most likely whimper...then get up and smack you. There are no old helicopters laying around airports like you see old airplanes. There is a reason for this. Come to think of it, there are not many old, high-time helicopter pilots hanging around airports either so the first issue is problematic. You can always tell a helicopter pilot in anything...

NEW DELHI: India is getting ready to order 22 heavy-duty Apache helicopters for around $1.4 billion, in what will be yet another big defence deal to be bagged by the US. The US has already made military sales worth over $8 billion to India over the last few years, despite it having lost out to France in the almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to supply 126 fighters to IAF, which is in the final commercial negotiations stage. In the battle for the attack helicopters, Boeing's AH-64D Apache Longbow met all ASQRs (air staff qualitative requirements) during...

August 16, 2012: Seven American soldiers were killed Thursday when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan, U.S. officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter, although the insurgency often exaggerates its victories and is quick to claim responsibility for any incident involving foreign troop deaths. The area where the helicopter went down is an insurgent hotbed and supply route, lying north of Kandahar city near volatile Zabul and Uruzgan provinces. This story is still developing. R.I.P.

(CNN)– A NATO helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan Thursday killed at least 11 people, including three Americans, the alliance’s International Security Assistance Force said. The Associated Press is reporting that the Taliban is claiming that insurgents are responsible for the attack. ISAF said three were U.S. Forces-Afghanistan service members. The others include four ISAF service members, but it is not clear what their nationalities are. Three members of the Afghan National Security Forces and an Afghan civilian interpreter also died. The cause of the crash is under investigation, ISAF said in a news release.

HONOLULU — The Marine Corps will base two squadrons of its latest transport aircraft, the Osprey, and one light attack helicopter squadron at Kaneohe Bay, the Department of the Navy said Wednesday. The MV-22 Osprey takes off like a helicopter and flies like an airplane. The Marine base will have 24 Osprey aircraft in total. The Marines won't use Ospreys to train at Kalaupapa on Molokai as earlier proposed, out of concern the aircraft could affect archaeological resources next to the airport, the Navy said in the document announcing the decision. The Navy made the decision after issuing an environmental...

At least five people, including three Russians, were killed in a helicopter crash in Turkey Thursday, according to Russian Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia. The Kamov Ka-32 helicopter hit a mountainous slope before it crashed into a valley during a firefighting mission, killing all five people on board, Xinhua quoted a spokesperson for Rosaviatsia as saying. The other two killed were Turkish citizens, the spokesperson said. The accident would be investigated by Turkish authorities with assistance from Rosaviatsia and Interstate Aviation Committee, an organisation authorized to oversee the use and management of civil aviation in the Commonwealth of Independent States,...

Ospreys to stay grounded for now Pentagon chief bans test flights until Japan OKs aircraft's safety WASHINGTON — The United States will suspend all flight operations by MV-22 Ospreys in Japan until Tokyo confirms the tilt-rotor aircraft's safety, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said.

Kamov vs. Mil: prospects for Russian chopper fleet By the end of this year, Russia’s Far East air base of Chernigovka will be fully reequipped with new Mi-8AMTSh and Ka-52 attack choppers that will replace the obsolete Mi-8s and Mi-24s. Designed as a special forces' support helicopter, the Ka-52 is gradually growing to become the army’s main attack gunship. Plans to launch Ka-52 batch production were announced as early as in 2006. Under the modernization initiative, Ka-52s were to make up only a small portion of the 300 attack helicopters – just several squadrons of 70 to 80 choppers –...

Birmingham's Southern Museum of Flight gets Soviet helicopter (slideshow, video) BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The hull of one of the most feared helicopters in history arrived at the Southern Museum of Flight Tuesday, riding on the back of a trailer 186 miles from the Fort Rucker U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence. It was a camouflage-painted, Mi-24 Hind. The Hind was a flying gunship that became the iconic image of the Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan in the 1980s. It was also a metaphor for the unequal struggle between an advanced technology super-power and a lightly armed guerrilla force on the...

Seven Marines died when their helicopter collided in midair Wednesday night...

Marines Killed in Helicopter Collision The Cobra and Huey helicopters were conducting a training exercise at the time of the crash according to defense officials By R. Stickney | Thursday, Feb 23, 2012 | Updated 6:13 AM PST Seven U.S. Marines died when two helicopters collided last night near Yuma, Arizona. Defense officials said the Marines were from the 3rd Marine Airwing based at MCAS Miramar near San Diego. There were no survivors. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The identities of the seven killed have not been released pending formal notification of next of kin. Check back...

Royal Navy's Next Helicopter Completes Trials on HMS Iron Duke 08:36 GMT, February 20, 2012 The Royal Navy's next generation helicopter, Wildcat, has completed 20 days of demanding trials aboard HMS Iron Duke, laying the groundwork for future operations. Wildcat landed nearly 400 times on the frigate's flight deck by day and night in various weather conditions as the ship sailed off the coasts of southern England and northern Scotland. The Portsmouth-based frigate sought the most challenging weather conditions around the UK as she took the Wildcat - successor to the long-serving Lynx - to sea to help write the...

India to Buy 71 More Russian Helicopters The Indian Air Force (IAF) is planning to procure 71 more Mi-17 V5 helicopters, including 12 for the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Business Standard daily reported on Monday. These would be in addition to the 80 already ordered from Russia. Of the 71 helicopters to be ordered, 59 would be provided to the IAF for replacing its old Mi-8 and Mi-17IV choppers and six would go to the Border Security Force. The remaining six would be distributed among the other central armed police forces, IAF officials said. On Thursday the IAF put...

A NATO helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing six members of the international military force, the U.S.-led coalition said.

In Afghanistan, supply convoys have been a favorite target of insurgent fighters, not only because they make warfighting possible for troops at forward operating bases but also because they are so very vulnerable to ambushes and IEDs. But on Saturday, NATO logisticians hit a major milestone in Afghanistan, reaching out and touching one of the holy grails of robotic warfare when an unmanned K-MAX helicopter successfully delivered a sling-load of beans, bullets, and band-aids to an unspecified base for the first time.

Pakistani officials say NATO forces knew they were opening fire on Pakistani forces, and even apologised to Pakistani officers, throughout the friendly fire incident on a military checkpoint that killed 24 troops near the Afghan border in November. Pakistani officials on Thursday briefed reporters in Washington on their findings, drawn from interviews with survivors and local residents in the remote, mountainous area. Results of NATO's official investigation are due next week. Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said it could be an attempt by Pakistani officials to shape public opinion before the NATO report is released. “The Pakistanis...

KHAR, Pakistan — Pakistani officials say seven army soldiers were killed when NATO helicopters fired on a checkpoint in the country's northwest near the Afghan border.

An experienced pilot was lucky to escape with his life when his helicopter clipped a wire while erecting a Christmas tree and slammed into Auckland's popular Viaduct wharf. Greg Gribble walked away virtually unscathed after his aircraft spun out of control and crashed on the waterfront promenade during a live-streamed event on Wednesday morning to put up the 26-metre tall Telecom Christmas tree. The helicopter had been hovering just metres from the ground when the blades caught a wire, breaking off the tail and sending the chopper to the ground. Dramatic footage of the incident, carried live on the TVNZ...

Gunship offer hard to refuse for Seoul ÜMİT ENGİNSOY ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News Friday, November 4, 2011 Turkey’s TAI and Italy’s AgustaWestland have a good chance of winning a bid to jointly produce 30 helicopters for South Korea, an official tells the Daily News A team of Turkish and Italian companies is seeking to win a South Korean contract for 30 attack helicopters worth $1 billion with the group’s T-129 gunship, a senior Turkish procurement official said Nov. 2. “South Korea’s competition is a major one for at least 30 gunships and the T-129 has been shortlisted among a...

AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Chongqing Helicopter Investment Corporation Limited (CQHIC) have signed a Statement of Intent on Sept 21, 2011 in Beijing to explore potential collaboration in the helicopter field to satisfy the market requirements of China. Both parties plan to set up a joint venture in Liangjiang New Area of Chongqing, and carry out the test-fly of helicopter assembled by this joint venture at end of next year. AgustaWestland is committed to offering the best commercial rotorcraft solutions to meet the requirements of the rapidly expanding Chinese market and this cooperation further develops its collaboration with preeminent Chinese...

Not Even Fog and War Can Ground Ka-52 Helicopter 06 September 2011 By Irina Filatova ARSENYEV, Primorye Region — A holiday atmosphere filled the air as people carrying red, white and yellow balloons filled tidy streets in Arsenyev, a small town in the Primorye region, ignoring a thick fog covering the five-story Soviet-era apartment buildings. Yury Denisenko, managing director of Progress, the local helicopter plant, knew that even the fog was unlikely to spoil the day. His plant, one of 10 units of state-owned defense contractor Russian Helicopters, was celebrating its 75th anniversary with a demonstration flight of its latest...

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 30 servicemembers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed: Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La., Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif., Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark., Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare...

Market watchers and technical analysts have often pointed out that financial markets often turn-around, in one direction or the other, on Tuesdays, specifically at about 10:15am. So, if history repeats itself and the pattern holds true, perhaps we will see a bounce tomorrow and a rally to a lower high in the stock market (a short-term high that is lower than the high in stock prices set back in July, hence a lower high). Technical analysts look at the cycles, trends and movement of markets in price and time, which is different from fundamental analysis which focuses on the underlying...

U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, secure the area after existing a Chinoonk helicopter, Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, in this Sunday, June 18, 2006 file photo. Insurgents apparently shot down a U.S. military helicopter Saturday Aug. 6, 2011 similar to this one shown during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite Navy SEALs unit that killed Usama bin Laden, as well as seven Afghan commandos, U.S. officials said. An Afghan official says there is fighting in the area where a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter was apparently...

A US helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan has killed 31 US special forces and seven Afghan soldiers, President Hamid Karzai's office says. US media reports that many of those killed were from the elite Navy SEALs. Neither the US nor Nato have confirmed the cause, but witnesses, officials and the Taliban say it was shot down. The incident is believed to be the biggest single loss of life for US forces in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001. The Chinook helicopter went down overnight in Wardak province, the statement from President Karzai's office said. It was returning from an operation...

KABUL, Afghanistan — Insurgents shot down a NATO Chinook helicopter during an overnight operation in eastern Afghanistan, killing 37 people on board, a military official said on Saturday.

Clark Gable's Grandson Accused Of Shining Laser At Chopper Gable Faces Felony Charge By Michael Martinez CNN POSTED: 4:24 pm EDT July 30, 2011 UPDATED: 7:32 am EDT July 31, 2011 LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Clark James Gable, 22, the only grandson of legendary actor Clark Gable, was playing with a laser when police arrested him, charging him with a felony this week, his manager told CNN Saturday.

Helicopters can be deployed to war zone, experts declare Defence Writer Ian McPhedran From:The Advertiser July 22, 201112:00AM THE Federal Government and military chiefs are under pressure to send new attack choppers to Afghanistan. High-level war games proved the army's Tiger attack helicopters were ready to fight. The Tigers are not fully accepted into operational service, but they have performed so well at the huge biennial military exercise with US forces at Shoalwater Bay that one senior officer has pronounced them "ready for war". The key sticking point remains the controversial issue of night-vision equipment - the choppers are more...

Seahawk deal ditches Europeans Brendan Nicholson, Defence editor From:The Australian June 17, 2011 THE Gillard government has gone for a no-risk option by buying 24 Seahawk naval combat helicopters for $3 billion "off the shelf" from the US, instead of the rival European NATO frigate helicopter still under development. The decision is causing consternation among European manufacturers who had invested heavily in Australia in the expectation of winning long-term manufacturing and maintenance contracts for the Australian Defence Force's substantial helicopter fleet. "This will be read in the boardrooms of Europe as a clear warning not to invest in Australia," a...

Troops round up protesters in border regions as anti-Assad rallies spread from Damascus to Daraa; thousands of refugees flee to Turkey; UN says Assad refusing to take phone calls from Ban Ki-Moon. AMMAN - Syrian helicopter gunships fired machine guns to disperse a large pro-democracy protest in the town of Maarat al-Numaan on Friday, witnesses said, a dangerous escalation of force at the end of a day in which 32 civilians were reported killed by Assad's forces across the country. The gunship use was the first reported use of air power to quell protests in Syria's uprising. The Syrian Observatory...

Rosvertol seeks Algeria Mi-28 export deal Russia's Rosvertol attack helicopter producer said on Monday it is in talks with Algeria over exports of its Mi-28NE for delivery from 2012-2017. "A commercial proposal has already been sent [to Algiers] and discussions will begin this year," Rosvertol General Director Boris Slyusar said. "We hope to sign a contract for delivery in 2012-2017." Rosvertol is the attack helicopter arm of the state-owned Russian Helicopters holding company. If successful, the deal will be the second export sale of the night-capable Mi-28NE, which is currently being introduced to the Russian armed forces. Venezuela ordered 10...

When it comes to controlling the spread of feral pigs in San Diego County, the public hunting effort isn’t doing the job. That has led federal agencies to launch an ambitious program that will use cage traps, corral traps, federal hunters with guns and dogs and even shooting from helicopters to exterminate the area’s population of wild swine. Officials see the pigs as a threat to fragile ecosystems and public health and safety. Environmentalists worry about the damage wild pigs will do to the county’s sensitive habitat, much of it rebounding from Southern California’s catastrophic wildfires of the last decade.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Pakistan has returned the wreckage of a US helicopter used in the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden early this month, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. "The wreckage of the helicopter destroyed in the bin Laden operation was returned over the weekend and is now back in the United States," Colonel Dave Lapan told AFP. The helicopter was damaged in a hard landing at bin Laden's compound and US special forces deliberately blew it up after gunning down the Al-Qaeda leader in the May 1-2 raid, officials have said. Photographs of the tail of the wrecked...

After 25 years, fully operational Rooivalk attack helicopter has been delivered. Could it herald a rebirth? By: Keith Campbell 20th May 2011 It has taken some 25 years, but South Africa’s attack helicopter programme has finally delivered a fully operational aircraft to the South African Air Force (SAAF). On April 1, five upgraded Denel Rooivalk helicopters were formally handed over to the Chief of the SAAF, Lieutenant-General (Lt-Gen) Carlo Gagiano, at a ceremony at the Denel Aviation facility next to OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg. Six more will follow by the end of this year....

Pakistan to Return U.S. Chopper Tail By TOM WRIGHT and MATTHEW ROSENBERG ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has agreed to return the tail section of a U.S. helicopter used in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden earlier this month. Sen. John Kerry, who met Monday with senior Pakistani civilian and military officials in Islamabad, said the gesture was among a number of steps both countries had agreed to take to rebuild shattered relations. Pakistan is angered over the unilateral raid that targeted bin Laden in Abbottabad, a military garrison town 40 miles from Islamabad.

During the daring Navy SEAL mission to kill bin Laden a never before seen highly modified stealth Blackhawk MH-60 crashed in his compound. The Special Forces unit had to destroy the helicopter before leaving the scene, but unfortunately the tail boom remained intact and had to be left behind. Photos of the remaining parts were posted on the internet and this was the first time the public saw evidence of one of America’s best kept secrets Design The design of the Stealthy Blackhawk MH-60 is the product of a joint effort between the U.S. Special Operations Command and the Lockheed-Martin...

The (Stealth) Blackhawk Crash The reason a stealthy version of the MH-60 Blackhawk crashed during the May 1 raid that killed Osama bin Laden includes the vortex ring state phenomenon, according to officials, but helicopter crashes in the Middle East are far from uncommon. Hot air close to the ground and the aircraft's proximity to the high walls of the compound could have caused that thin, hot air to be driven by propwash up the walls and then down through the rotor, causing the vortex ring state. With those conditions, the helicopter would have lost lift and settled with power,...