Black helicopters
Encyclopedia
Black helicopters is a term which became popular in the United States militia movement
and its associated political circles in the 1990s as a symbol and warning sign of an alleged conspiratorial military takeover
of the United States, though it has also been associated with men in black
and similar conspiracies. Rumors circulated that, for instance, the United Nations
patrolled the US with unmarked black helicopters, or that federal agents used black helicopters to enforce wildlife laws. The concept springs from the basic truth that many government agencies and corporations do use helicopters, and that some of these helicopters are dark-colored or black. For instance, dark-colored military helicopters were deployed in the standoff at Ruby Ridge
. Earlier tales from the 1970s linked them with UFO conspiracy theories.
Metonymic
use of the term black helicopters sometimes occurs in reference to conspiracy theories
in general.
Stories of black helicopters first appeared in the 1970s, and were linked to reports of cattle mutilation
. The issue was first popularized in the early 1990s by Mark Koernke
, also known as "Mark from Michigan
", in appearances on Tom Valentine's radio show and in public speeches which were widely circulated on videocassette, and shortly thereafter by Linda Thompson
in her film America Under Siege. In Alex Jones' film Police State 2000
unmarked black helicopters are shown flying low in surprise urban warfare training missions with Delta Force
operators and foreign troops.
Jim Keith
wrote two books on the subject: Black Helicopters Over America: Strikeforce for the New World Order (1995), and Black Helicopters II : The End Game Strategy (1998).
Media attention to black helicopters increased in February 1995, when first-term Republican
northern
Idaho
Representative
Helen Chenoweth
charged that armed federal agents were landing black helicopters on Idaho ranchers' property to enforce the Endangered Species Act
. "I have never seen them," Chenoweth said in an interview in The New York Times
. "But enough people in my district have become concerned that I can't just ignore it. We do have some proof." Chenoweth made the charges at a press conference
without ever consulting with the Department of the Interior
.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
, which enforces the act, claims not to own any helicopters. The only green and black military helicopters known to be used in Idaho are used by the National Guard
. Black helicopters without FAA
-required running lights are regularly used by the drug interdiction office of the DEA
. In addition, most U.S. Army
helicopters (such as the Black Hawk) are finished in a very dark chocolate
or olive matte paint.
The black helicopters theory resonates well with the belief held by some in the militia movement that troops from the United Nations might invade the United States. The John Birch Society
published an article in The New American detailing how the existence of the covert aircraft was mostly the product of possible visual errors and a tendency towards overboard caution.
article on basketball refereeing, said: "In the wake of this scandal, every game will be in question, and not only by fans disposed to seeing black helicopters outside the arena."
, black helicopters pursue the escaped astronauts that will expose the faking of the Mars landing. The helicopters often act as if they were living beings rather than vehicles, often turning to face each other as if they were talking.
Robert Doherty
's 1997 novel, Area 51
, portrays Turcotte at the beginning of the book suiting up for a Black Ops mission in a black helicopter to cover up a cattle mutilation
.
In the 1998 video game Half-Life
, several black helicopters transport the soldiers tasked with eliminating the aliens entering through the dimensional rift at the Black Mesa research facility.
In the 2000 video game Deus Ex
, a black helicopter is the player's primary form of transportation for much of the game.
On the 1997 pilot episode
of the American television series South Park
, a local farmer asks about "CIA black Helicopters flying about" (as the episode's plot includes a UFO encounter) to which police officer
Barbrady replies "That was a pigeon" after three fly past behind him.
In episode 4 in the first season of the American television series King of the Hill
, Dale Gribble
claims a noise to be that of "one of those stealth helicopters with computerised noise-cancellation capability... they're still workin' the 'chings' out." When Bill Dauterive
asks him how he knows about stealth helicopters, Dale replies: "alt.conspiracy.black.helicopters".
In the 1997 movie Conspiracy Theory
, starring Mel Gibson
as a New York City cabdriver, out of whose many conspiracy theories one turns out to be true and he's chased by an obscure US Intelligence Agency; after one of his purchases of The Catcher in the Rye
, they pursue him using black helicopters.
In the Rooster Teeth Short
, Secret Door, Matt references "Black Helicopters" and to look it up on Google
after Gav accuses Burnie
, Geoff
and Gus
of hiding something.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc3KxTXp3Ss Black helicopters are also frequently referenced on Rooster Teeth's podcast
, The Drunk Tank.
Canadian singer Matthew Good
has a song called "Black Helicopter" on his 2007 album Hospital Music
. The song contains the lines "Fall on me, black helicopter/You're all I see."
In the CD of X-Files-inspired music, Songs in the Key of X
, the band Soul Coughing
has a song called "Unmarked Helicopters" which includes the lyrics "Here comes the super copter / Here comes the noise it makes / ... / It goes black black black black and blacker.../ Unmarked helicopters / Hovering / ... / They said it was a weather balloon."
In The Simpsons Movie
, the fugitive Simpson family are chased by black helicopters belonging to the EPA.
In episode 6 of the second season of Alias
, Sidney and Jack Bristow are picked up from the roof of a Geneva hospital by a black helicopter.
Underground Hip Hop group Non Phixion
have a track on their 2002 album release "The Future Is Now
" called "Black Helicopters"
In the Codename: Kids Next Door
episode "Operation: W.H.I.T.E.-H.O.U.S.E." Nigel Uno is being forced to sign a bill to make Kid's rights illegal. He is surrounded by tanks, whales, and hovering black unmarked helicopters.
In the 2007 film Transformers, the government agency Sector 7 used black helicopters to hunt down the robotic Autobots.
They appear unmarked frequently in the television series The X-Files
.
Militia movement (United States)
The militia movement is a political movement of paramilitary groups in the United States. Members of the movement typically refer to themselves as militia, "unorganized militia", and "constitutional militia"...
and its associated political circles in the 1990s as a symbol and warning sign of an alleged conspiratorial military takeover
Military rule
Military rule may mean:* Militarism or militarist ideology - the ideology of government as best served when under military control* Military occupation, when a country or area is occupied after invasion.** List of military occupations...
of the United States, though it has also been associated with men in black
Men in Black
Men in Black , in American popular culture and in UFO conspiracy theories, are men dressed in black suits who claim to be government agents who harass or threaten UFO witnesses to keep them quiet about what they have seen. It is sometimes implied that they may be aliens themselves...
and similar conspiracies. Rumors circulated that, for instance, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
patrolled the US with unmarked black helicopters, or that federal agents used black helicopters to enforce wildlife laws. The concept springs from the basic truth that many government agencies and corporations do use helicopters, and that some of these helicopters are dark-colored or black. For instance, dark-colored military helicopters were deployed in the standoff at Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge was the site of a violent confrontation and siege in northern Idaho in 1992. It involved Randy Weaver, his family, Weaver's friend Kevin Harris, and agents of the United States Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation...
. Earlier tales from the 1970s linked them with UFO conspiracy theories.
Metonymic
Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept...
use of the term black helicopters sometimes occurs in reference to conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
in general.
Overview
Cattle mutilation
Cattle mutilation is the apparent killing and mutilation of cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances...
. The issue was first popularized in the early 1990s by Mark Koernke
Mark Koernke
Mark Gregory Koernke , known as "Mark from Michigan," is a prominent militia activist and shortwave radio broadcaster. As an early proponent of the black helicopters, he was largely responsible for popularizing it in appearances on Tom Valentine's radio show and in public speeches which were widely...
, also known as "Mark from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
", in appearances on Tom Valentine's radio show and in public speeches which were widely circulated on videocassette, and shortly thereafter by Linda Thompson
Linda Thompson (attorney)
Linda Thompson is an American attorney, filmmaker, and the founder of the American Justice Federation. In 1993, she quit her job as a lawyer in Indianapolis, Indiana to start the American Justice Federation, according to Snopes.com...
in her film America Under Siege. In Alex Jones' film Police State 2000
Alex Jones (radio)
Alexander Emerick "Alex" Jones is an American talk radio host, actor and filmmaker. His syndicated news/talk show The Alex Jones Show, based in Austin, Texas, airs via the Genesis Communication Network over 60 AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations across the United States and on the Internet...
unmarked black helicopters are shown flying low in surprise urban warfare training missions with Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
operators and foreign troops.
Jim Keith
Jim Keith
Jim Keith . American author best known for the books "Black Helicopters Over America" and "The Octopus", co-written with Kenn Thomas, which details conspiracy theories around the death of reporter Danny Casolaro...
wrote two books on the subject: Black Helicopters Over America: Strikeforce for the New World Order (1995), and Black Helicopters II : The End Game Strategy (1998).
Media attention to black helicopters increased in February 1995, when first-term Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
northern
Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...
Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Helen Chenoweth
Helen Chenoweth-Hage
Helen P. Chenoweth-Hage, born Helen Margaret Palmer was a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Idaho, the first Republican woman to represent that state in the United States Congress....
charged that armed federal agents were landing black helicopters on Idaho ranchers' property to enforce the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
. "I have never seen them," Chenoweth said in an interview in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. "But enough people in my district have become concerned that I can't just ignore it. We do have some proof." Chenoweth made the charges at a press conference
News conference
A news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held between two or more talking sides.-Practice:...
without ever consulting with the Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
, which enforces the act, claims not to own any helicopters. The only green and black military helicopters known to be used in Idaho are used by the National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
. Black helicopters without FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
-required running lights are regularly used by the drug interdiction office of the DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
. In addition, most U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
helicopters (such as the Black Hawk) are finished in a very dark chocolate
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
or olive matte paint.
The black helicopters theory resonates well with the belief held by some in the militia movement that troops from the United Nations might invade the United States. The John Birch Society
John Birch Society
The John Birch Society is an American political advocacy group that supports anti-communism, limited government, a Constitutional Republic and personal freedom. It has been described as radical right-wing....
published an article in The New American detailing how the existence of the covert aircraft was mostly the product of possible visual errors and a tendency towards overboard caution.
Possible explanations
The following explanations have been provided by various organizations and experts, including government agencies, regarding the alleged black helicopters:- At least some sightings of black helicopters are very likely to have been helicopters on exercises and/or missions. Some of them are flown by units of the Army National GuardArmy National GuardEstablished under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
and are actually black (not dark olive or chocolate brown) when seen in ordinary light. The Department of Homeland Security operates a dozen black-and-gold UH-60 Blackhawk under the US Customs and Border Protection. The American militaryMilitary of the United StatesThe United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
does in fact operate helicopters painted in black or dark colors, particularly the Pave LowMH-53 Pave LowThe Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low series is a long-range combat search and rescue helicopter for the United States Air Force. The series was upgraded from the HH-53B/C, variants of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion. The HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant" was initially developed to replace the HH-3 "Jolly...
which was optimized for long-range stealthy insertion and extraction of personnel, including combat search and rescue.
- U.S. Army and National GuardUnited States National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
helicopters painted olive drab will appear to be black in the reddish light of dawnDawnDawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
or duskDuskDusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening, and occurs after twilight, when the sky generally remains bright and blue. Civil dusk is when the earth has rotated enough that the center of the sun is at 6° below the local horizon...
, or under other low light conditions during the day when their shadow side is viewed against the sky with the naked eyeNaked eyeThe naked eye is a figure of speech referring to human visual perception unaided by a magnifying or light-collecting optical device, such as a telescope or microscope. Vision corrected to normal acuity using corrective lenses is considered "naked"...
. The Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment use helicopters primarily painted black.
- In the early 1970s, the CIA operated a black Hughes 500P helicopter in Vietnam, in order to place phone taps. Test flights began at Culver City, California, in 1971. It was noted for its low noise emission, and given the nickname "The Quiet One." After the mission assigned to it had been completed, the helicopter was returned to California and had most of the special features stripped out by mechanics. It was transferred to the ownership of the Pacific Corporation of Washington, D.C.
- The U.S. Army regularly conducts both exercises and operational missions in American airspaceAirspaceAirspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
. Some of these exercises have taken place in densely populated cities, including Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Detroit, San Francisco, OaklandOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
and Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Most operational missions are tasked in narcotics interdiction in the American SouthwestSouthwestern United StatesThe Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and out of FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. By extensive use of IR, Radar, GPSGlobal Positioning SystemThe Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
and night vision devices, as well as other classified means, they are able to fly in zero visibilityVisibilityIn meteorology, visibility is a measure of the distance at which an object or light can be clearly discerned. It is reported within surface weather observations and METAR code either in meters or statute miles, depending upon the country. Visibility affects all forms of traffic: roads, sailing...
conditions with no running lights . At this high intensity level of operation, training is necessarily almost as dangerous to pilots, other air traffic, and the public as actual combat. Frequent practice is necessary to retain proficiency. Frequent practice results in frequent sightings by concerned members of the public.
- Many defense contractorDefense contractorA defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems...
s and helicopter manufacturers also conduct public flight testing of aircraft and components or fly aircraft in public view to test ranges or other corporate airfields for training or demonstrations. Occasionally, some of these aircraft will be made for military clients and are painted in black or dark colors.
- In the UK, police helicopters are required by the CAA to be marked in a standard 'high conspicuosity' paint scheme, to make them more visible and avoid the possibility of air proximity hazards with other low flying aircraft. This paint scheme, also used by UK military training helicopters, requires them to be black on the sides and underneath, and yellow on top. When seen from the ground, these helicopters are black but this is to make them more visible against the sky as a safety feature (and yellow against the ground when seen from above).
- Many US law enforcement agencies use black helicopters for surveillance, transportation, and patrol. Some of the agencies that use them are US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the US Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement AdministrationDrug Enforcement AdministrationThe Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Pejorative use
The term has also been used to ridicule other conspiracy theories or conspiracy theorists. For instance, a SlateSlate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
article on basketball refereeing, said: "In the wake of this scandal, every game will be in question, and not only by fans disposed to seeing black helicopters outside the arena."
In popular culture
In the 1978 conspiracy thriller Capricorn OneCapricorn One
Capricorn One is a 1977 science fiction thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J...
, black helicopters pursue the escaped astronauts that will expose the faking of the Mars landing. The helicopters often act as if they were living beings rather than vehicles, often turning to face each other as if they were talking.
Robert Doherty
Bob Mayer
Robert "Bob" Mayer is an author, writing instructor, and former Green Beret. He has written over 30 titles under his name and his four pen names . Mayer has applied the principles from his training in the special forces to his career as a writer and as a writing instructor...
's 1997 novel, Area 51
Area 51 novels
The Area 51 novels are a series of science fiction novels by American author Robert Mayer, under the pseudonym Robert Doherty.-Plot:In the opening book of the series, it is revealed that in the late 1940s, two flying saucers and a mile long spacecraft with an interstellar drive were discovered in...
, portrays Turcotte at the beginning of the book suiting up for a Black Ops mission in a black helicopter to cover up a cattle mutilation
Cattle mutilation
Cattle mutilation is the apparent killing and mutilation of cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances...
.
In the 1998 video game Half-Life
Half-Life
Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation, the company's debut product and the first in the Half-Life series. First released by Sierra Studios, the game was also released for the PlayStation 2. In Half-Life, players assume the role of Dr...
, several black helicopters transport the soldiers tasked with eliminating the aliens entering through the dimensional rift at the Black Mesa research facility.
In the 2000 video game Deus Ex
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role-playing video games...
, a black helicopter is the player's primary form of transportation for much of the game.
On the 1997 pilot episode
Cartman Gets an Anal Probe
"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" is the first episode of the animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 13, 1997...
of the American television series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, a local farmer asks about "CIA black Helicopters flying about" (as the episode's plot includes a UFO encounter) to which police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
Barbrady replies "That was a pigeon" after three fly past behind him.
In episode 4 in the first season of the American television series King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, Dale Gribble
Dale Gribble
Dale Alvin Gribble is a fictional character in the animated series King of the Hill. and is voiced by Johnny Hardwick . He is an exterminator, bounty hunter, smoker, gun fanatic, and paranoid believer of almost all conspiracy theories and urban legends...
claims a noise to be that of "one of those stealth helicopters with computerised noise-cancellation capability... they're still workin' the 'chings' out." When Bill Dauterive
Bill Dauterive
Bill Dauterive, born Gillaume Fontaine de la Tour D'Haute Rive is a fictional character on the Fox animated series King of the Hill...
asks him how he knows about stealth helicopters, Dale replies: "alt.conspiracy.black.helicopters".
In the 1997 movie Conspiracy Theory
Conspiracy Theory (film)
Conspiracy Theory is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Richard Donner.The original screenplay by Brian Helgeland centers on an eccentric taxi driver who believes many world events are triggered by government conspiracies, and the U.S...
, starring Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
as a New York City cabdriver, out of whose many conspiracy theories one turns out to be true and he's chased by an obscure US Intelligence Agency; after one of his purchases of The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...
, they pursue him using black helicopters.
In the Rooster Teeth Short
Rooster Teeth Productions
Rooster Teeth Productions is a production group from Austin, Texas that specializes in the creation of live action shorts, animated peices and machinima, or films created using real-time, interactive engines from computer and video games. The name Rooster Teeth is a euphemism for Cockbite, an...
, Secret Door, Matt references "Black Helicopters" and to look it up on Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
after Gav accuses Burnie
Burnie Burns
Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns is an independent filmmaker living in Texas. His best known contributions have been in machinima, although he has also worked with live-action. In April 2003, Burns, along with several of his friends, created the Internet machinima series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch...
, Geoff
Geoff Ramsey
Geoff Lazer Ramsey, born Geoff Fink before taking his stepfather's surname, is a machinima producer and voice actor for Rooster Teeth Productions. Ramsey often posts under the handle geoff and is known for having numerous tattoos all over his body; his Red vs. Blue character, Grif, even promotes...
and Gus
Gustavo Sorola
Gustavo "Gus" Sorola is a computer technichan for Rooster Teeth Productions, and is also a voice actor in their machinima series, including Red vs. Blue as Private Dick Simmons and in The Strangerhood as the Computer, a role he shared with Geoff Ramsey...
of hiding something.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc3KxTXp3Ss Black helicopters are also frequently referenced on Rooster Teeth's podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
, The Drunk Tank.
Canadian singer Matthew Good
Matthew Good
Matthew Frederick Robert Good is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer for the Matthew Good Band, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, before dissolving the band in 2002...
has a song called "Black Helicopter" on his 2007 album Hospital Music
Hospital Music
Hospital Music is the third solo album by Canadian musician Matthew Good. It was released on July 31, 2007 Good performed nearly all the instruments himself, with the exception of drums and a few guitar and bass parts...
. The song contains the lines "Fall on me, black helicopter/You're all I see."
In the CD of X-Files-inspired music, Songs in the Key of X
Songs in the Key of X
Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by The X-Files is a 1996 compilation album released in association with the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The album contained a mixture of songs that were either featured in the series, or shared thematic elements with it....
, the band Soul Coughing
Soul Coughing
Soul Coughing was a popular New York-based alternative rock band. The band found modest mainstream success during the mid-to-late 1990s. Soul Coughing developed a devout fanbase and have garnered largely positive response from critics. Steve Huey describes the band as "one of the most unusual cult...
has a song called "Unmarked Helicopters" which includes the lyrics "Here comes the super copter / Here comes the noise it makes / ... / It goes black black black black and blacker.../ Unmarked helicopters / Hovering / ... / They said it was a weather balloon."
In The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
, the fugitive Simpson family are chased by black helicopters belonging to the EPA.
In episode 6 of the second season of Alias
Alias (TV series)
Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
, Sidney and Jack Bristow are picked up from the roof of a Geneva hospital by a black helicopter.
Underground Hip Hop group Non Phixion
Non Phixion
Non Phixion was a New York-based hardcore hip-hop group.-History:In late 1994, MC Serch took his protege Sabac and teamed him up with DJ Eclipse and Ill Bill, thereby creating the group known as Non Phixion. Within six months Goretex, a childhood friend of Ill Bill, had joined the crew after...
have a track on their 2002 album release "The Future Is Now
The Future Is Now
The Future Is Now is the debut album from New York hip hop group Non Phixion, released in March 2002 on Uncle Howie Records. The album garnered acclaim among critics and fans, and is considered to be an underground classic...
" called "Black Helicopters"
In the Codename: Kids Next Door
Codename: Kids Next Door
Codename: Kids Next Door, also known as Kids Next Door or by its acronym KND, is an American animated television series created by Tom Warburton and produced by Curious Pictures in Santa Monica, California.. The series debuted on Cartoon Network on December 6, 2002 and aired its final episode on...
episode "Operation: W.H.I.T.E.-H.O.U.S.E." Nigel Uno is being forced to sign a bill to make Kid's rights illegal. He is surrounded by tanks, whales, and hovering black unmarked helicopters.
In the 2007 film Transformers, the government agency Sector 7 used black helicopters to hunt down the robotic Autobots.
They appear unmarked frequently in the television series The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
.