The Single Most Important Thing a Helicopter Ever Did

Рет қаралды 103,217

Ай бұрын

Amid the relentless crescendo of the Vietnam War, the deep, rhythmic drone of a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter-better known as a Huey-cuts through the dense canopy of Laos's jungles, signaling its approach to the covert US radar base, Lima Site 85. Laden with crucial military provisions, the helicopter weaves over the rugged terrain.
As the Huey nears its destination, the serenity of its mission shatters. The crew, a pilot and his co-pilot spot a quartet of North Vietnamese Antonov An-2 biplanes. These enemy aircraft, rudimentary yet lethal, are already unleashing a barrage of bombs on the hidden installation.
With no weapons on board and facing the sparse defenses of the base, the crew is under immense pressure. The destruction of Lima Site 85’s radar would be a severe blow to US operations. Amidst the chaos, a spark of ingenuity strikes the Huey's mechanic. Tucked among the crates of supplies are several AK-47 assault rifles. The fight was on.
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As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

Пікірлер: 136

@ChrisMiranda 6 сағат бұрын

Brought me back every time and there were missions I didn't think we would walk away from. A lifesaver, a workhorse, a legend . . .The Huey

@banzaibill4290 Ай бұрын

Lol.. talking about a Huey while showing video of a Blackhawk.. Stop the helicopter racism!.. all helicopters do not look the same.

@Rotorhead1651 Ай бұрын

So, we're just gonna ignore the CH-54 Tarhe near the beginning.

@Menstral Ай бұрын

It's black, there's an obsession with diversity

@user-ex4si2md6r 10 күн бұрын

@@Rotorhead1651 Nessesity is the Mother of invention,....

@slidey1788 8 күн бұрын

All rotors are equal!!!!

@wilfdarr 3 күн бұрын

@@Rotorhead1651RIGHT?! I thought it was a 54, but when I looked again the inside was closed up, so I was thinking 53? If it's a 54, do you know what it's carrying? Unfortunately it's not clear enough for me to make heads or tails of.

@ottonormalverbrauch3794 Ай бұрын

'The helicopter that shot down a cropduster' would have been a more suitable title.

@bill5982 Ай бұрын

An AN-2 is in no way, shape or form a fighter aircraft. It is like saying that a beech craft is a bomber. The Huey in the pictures somehow morphed into a Blackhawk.

@Bandog23 Ай бұрын

It's clickbait, he already made an video about this.

@deepmaze1 Ай бұрын

There were no civilian machinery in USSR which had only civilian purposes. This plane has all the necessary hardware to become a close support platform and the descent delivery in the same tile. Moreover, MI24 helicopter has a specific task to take the AN2 attack and delivery roles to the next level. Cause AN2 is notoriously bad in those attack missions. However, AN2 had been used in an attack role in late 1980s during local conflict at Caucasus. Even Donetsk insurgents tried to use it, but were grounded before any of those AN2 got converted (google ДНР АН-2).

@MrSpringheel Ай бұрын

"all is possible in the Twilight Zone"😊

@The67wheelman 28 күн бұрын

Theoretically you strap a gun on a Cessna and you can call it a fighter aircraft regardless how shitty it is lol

@LongWalkerActual 25 күн бұрын

Define what a "fighter aircraft" is. Were the biplanes of WWI fighters?

@308driver Ай бұрын

If those were fighter planes, I'm a fucking ninja!😂😅😮

@jeffreypinder9398 24 күн бұрын

Cut my teeth as a crewchief on the Huey in the early 80's. 42 years of aviation experience.

@davidrivero7943 Ай бұрын

This guy would call a 0-1 Bird dog a fighter plane for a like. Castro missing one of these contraptions , which crashed days after arriving in S. Fla. Maybe they were stealing their "Fighter Plane" back .

@LittleManFlying 16 күн бұрын

Pretty sure Austin just reads what he's given. The writers are wrong, often intentionally, I think, to drive what passes for engagement from folks like you and me

@michaelroberts1420 5 күн бұрын

I hardly believe there were civilian pilots flying the UH1.

@neilestenson6595 2 күн бұрын

CIA

@Inertia888 7 сағат бұрын

Civilians don't leave a long paper trail, like an active duty service member.

@farts6499 Ай бұрын

The An-2 is not a "fighter plane" in any sense of the word.

@urbancraft2372 Ай бұрын

Maybe they thought it would crop dust them! 😂

@christophergraves5687 Ай бұрын

I strongly dislike such mis leadings. Thank you for pointing it out

@billm4138 Ай бұрын

Yupp..But it made us watch the video....But the AN 2 is still the largest single engine biplane in history..

@christophergraves5687 Ай бұрын

True. I've heard that the USAF & I assume the Army as well, did tests with helicopters vs fighters. And surprisingly to me; the choppers won a lot of the mock battles.

@henrikfloege6159 Ай бұрын

For sure it is! It fights gravity the whole flight.

@johnmcgregor3671 Ай бұрын

The colt is a fighter in the same sense that the huey is a stealth helicopter and it took me a few min to understand what engine he was talking about

@gregdolan7801 3 күн бұрын

Moore and Woods are heroes.

@bobbybabsonjr787 Ай бұрын

Wow, a Blackhawk in Vietnam,? must've been the very early prototype 🤔😆

@jimmyjames_yt Ай бұрын

They always do this crap. Little effort and they expect me to like it.

@Mr2greys 28 күн бұрын

@@jimmyjames_yt No they expect you to comment stating that it is wrong. The more the comments the more promotion of the video through the algorithm. Guess what it worked.

@user-iz2ub9st6k 22 күн бұрын

@@Mr2greysit worked on you and me 2 bud.

@viceadmiralq90 7 күн бұрын

Maybe it's from the metal gear universe.

@RustyPilot73H 3 күн бұрын

UTTAS started in 1972, so maybe they took one of the stealth one over

@usernames344 29 күн бұрын

Despite the video illustration mistakes,it's still a hella interesting story I'd read bout this somewhere before but it's cool that I've been reminded of this unusual event

@flanker27k61 Ай бұрын

well... interestening topic but still title seems to be clickbite :)

@jb6027 4 сағат бұрын

Dark Skies wouldn't know a Huey if it crashed onto his house.

@davidcook3101 8 күн бұрын

"As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible."

@brettwilson7155 Ай бұрын

Gordon Beaver Shaw shot down an Islander as a door gunner/ helo mechanic during the Rhodesian Bush War.

@Bandog23 Ай бұрын

Really?

@seanmitchell504 18 күн бұрын

@@Bandog23 Yes Beaver was the gunner in an Allouette 3 “K-Car” gunship armed with a 20mm cannon. The Islander was from the Botswana Defence Force.

@anthonymanson4855 Күн бұрын

...blissfully unaware of the mayhem that awaited them...

@somaday2595 8 сағат бұрын

Interesting account. That crew deserved some sort of high level accommodation. So that Huey became a FH-1, or Fuey?

@auro1986 Ай бұрын

possible only if and when conditions are right

@joshjones3408 29 күн бұрын

Moore an woods...bad ass

@pylon500 Ай бұрын

With the hours of footage that must be available of Hueys, it (wasn't really) surprising to see so much footage of Blackhawks and Jolly Greens. The aerobatic Chipmunk was fun to watch. Still, a story worth telling,

@FrankRuiz66 Ай бұрын

Thumbs down.. The An 2 Annie isn't a fighter at all.. It's basically a Cessna or an Otter

@timtaormino5833 Күн бұрын

I love your videos, but I can't understand why you would intersperse images of a UH-60 Blackhawk into this.

@wjadam815 Күн бұрын

The Single Most Important Thing a Helicopter Ever Did That We Know of So Far...

@Foxonian Ай бұрын

Ironic that a Soviet plane would be shot down by a Soviet rifle.

@bearguysanmightyquinn2081 Ай бұрын

it was more about the radar station

@sundragon7703 29 күн бұрын

There are several privately owned An-2s in the western US/Canada. I have been in two of those massive single-engine biplanes. Both had wooden floors like a treehouse deck. Fighter-no. Transport for hauls from Costco-yes.

@davidelzinga9757 6 күн бұрын

2 crappy bombers slapped out of the sky with AKs. That’s pretty sad

@bearguysanmightyquinn2081 Ай бұрын

i read a book about this i think it was called the longest day.

@gallowsongs 4 күн бұрын

What happened to the soldiers at the base? How many were killed, injured or captured?

@danielcotts8673 2 күн бұрын

Seems to be several videos here on YT about Lima 85. See also the book "One Day Too Long: Top Secret Site 85 and the Bombing of North Vietnam"

@AeroGuy07 Ай бұрын

"Civilians" Riiiight....

@TheKabukiBiff 27 күн бұрын

To many video and text errors

@aeromtb2468 27 күн бұрын

why are you showing footage of blackhawks

@jonathanstott5122 17 күн бұрын

Why dont u make the video then

@kchortu 8 күн бұрын

So then it wasnt the most important thing a helicopter ever did

@pinkyellowblue007 Ай бұрын

This would have been an excellent story and video if it weren't ruined by the misinformation.

@j.lyonslonglivethefighters7495 Ай бұрын

An an2 is a fighter? Dark skies is getting stupider by the day. Geez.

@janlindtner305 Ай бұрын

Ok👍👍👍

@mkdrfeelgood44 22 күн бұрын

Why did you show the Blackhawk multiple times. So much bad info. What happened to quality control?

@FoulOwl2112 Ай бұрын

Really digging the three bladed rotor on the Huey in the thumbnail. It's even facing the wrong direction. Also how the horizontal stabilizer is just kinda floating under the tail boom... Just like in real life. Great attention to detail! God l hate all the 100% AI generated schlock dominating KZfaq these days!

@goingbork1522 Ай бұрын

(pilot knocked out)

@chrisweidner4768 4 күн бұрын

Was rescue infantrymen.

@72tadrian65 Ай бұрын

These Martinair? These Cambodian tribesman were our best friends in the Vietnam war it seems like!

@NEOSCISSORSJAGUARPRIME Ай бұрын

BLUE THUNDER

@daystatesniper01 29 күн бұрын

Good video but a An2 is NO WAY a fighter

@maddogroam Ай бұрын

The destruction of Lima Site 85 by North Vietnamese Commandos was a disaster for the Americans. The shootdown of the AN-2 Colts was nothing in the context of the loss of such an important facility.

@donholiday4942 Ай бұрын

While not a jet fighters . That aircraft was definitely an armed attack plane . Attacking the aircraft with a helicopter took initiative and bravery .

@purplespeckledappleeater8738 Ай бұрын

Very much a disaster for Laos and Cambodia that were being invaded by communist forces, which resulted in genocide.

@bobpitt1261 Ай бұрын

The aerial foot you showed was of monoplanes and the AN2 is a biplane. The story is about HEUYs but you included footage of Blackhawk helicopters. But let's not be concerned by the facts.

@jonflanagin6682 Ай бұрын

Clickbait. You keep showing a Blackhawk.

@GeorgeMurphreejr-xp1yd Ай бұрын

It was a kill

@richardhart9204 Ай бұрын

Clickbait much? Thumb down!

@xxxlonewolf49 Ай бұрын

Very click bait title that the actual video prove to be a blatant lie.

@CoconutPalmPictures 19 сағат бұрын

It would be so nice if KZfaq videos didn’t use that ‘fake dirty film’ digital effect.

@Philip-KA4KOE 3 күн бұрын

This video is mis-choppering! Not good!

@jamesragus1577 Ай бұрын

Complimentary algorithm enhancement comment!😊

@lancerevell5979 Ай бұрын

A classic example of underestimating one's enemy. We should have learned ftom the French disaster of Dien Bien Fu in 1954. They too thought they didn't need a strong defense system. They got spanked. 😮

@user-og1ux8nr3i Ай бұрын

Farmers can’t fight. lol

@user-og1ux8nr3i Ай бұрын

@@josedorsaith5261 -- just another case of non professional solders beating professionals. Fighting for your country is quite the incentive.

@billturner4427 25 күн бұрын

I would call this video "Fake News". Why show a Huey shooting an M-60 machine gun when the subject Huey only used an AK-47? Why show other helicopters other than a Huey?

@deathlarsen7502 Ай бұрын

Fighter plane 😆 like in Top Gun

@acs9787 Ай бұрын

Do better… 1. The AN is about as much a fighter as a tractor is to a race car. 2. With all the footage out there why in the f are you including footage of black hawks and even worse a sky crane? Shame on you for putting together a half assed video.

@colinelliott5629 29 күн бұрын

Interesting story, but it's a shame that most of the video was irrelevant and therefore distracting.

@OldManPaxusYT Ай бұрын

come on Dark Skies! Didn't u already do this? and what's with the Blackhawk...?... i quit this channel... pffft

@starvinmarvin4038 20 күн бұрын

There’s a movie with Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. air America

@user-og1ux8nr3i Ай бұрын

It appears a lot of arm chair historians have nothing better to do than nick pick.

@purplespeckledappleeater8738 Ай бұрын

I like hearing the veterans talk about their stories.

@jamesscully7108 Ай бұрын

:-)

@Edgyshortsguy 29 күн бұрын

First

@davidm7016 28 күн бұрын

Why is it that most of the military disasters of the Vietnam war or under LBJ watch

@harryoldman2171 28 күн бұрын

Đây có phải là moron nói về sự thất bại Của Yankees ở nước ta ngày nay? Tôi thực sự không hiểu mục đích của video bạo lực này vào năm 2024

@MichaelP-ns Ай бұрын

Agree with the rest of the commenters, this is a terrible video

@thomaswaldorf9141 19 сағат бұрын

I'm gone this is filled with BS and ignorance.

@markbishop6540 25 күн бұрын

I loved the Piper Cub heavy bomber varient the best.🥸

@gasad01374 Күн бұрын

This channel does 0 research, makes up half the shit in the video and overall just gets tons of incredibly basic information completely wrong. I don’t even understand how

@flamezealous 24 күн бұрын

Worse than WIKIPEDIA 😂 I keep on unsubscribing and resubcribing to your channel 😤

@em1osmurf Ай бұрын

after all we did, iwould say that viet cong had a "clear and significant victory" overall. i lost friends there. we were kids. the hate i developed for our democrat dictators lives in my heart today.

@gunningopher 6 күн бұрын

Interesting story but hardly the single most important thing a helicopter ever did. Click bait. I thought Dark Skies was better than that. Pretty bad image selection as well, Seems a bit like an AI production, to be honest. Thumbs down and all the 'Dark' channels just took a hit in my book.