Fletch
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 278
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 7:15 pm

Helicopter mounted PA/Loudspeaker

Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:12 am

In many films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind or Invasion U.S.A., Hollywood portrays helicopter mounted P.A. systems as reality.

Do such things exist? Seems like a work of fiction as the noise of a helicopter would likely drown out any helicopter mounted voice capable P.A. plus the added weight on a helicopter doesn't seem feasible.

User avatar
Bijay
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 201
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 9:08 pm
YouTube Username: 5ijay

Re: Helicopter mounted PA/Loudspeaker

Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:37 am

According to this small article : https://www.powersonix.com/helicopter.php

They exist.

In short, this article pretty much supports the brand and model, (Power Sonix's helicopter-mounted speakers). Earlier in the article, Kev (the consumer), rants about how their old speakers sounded horrid and how it also made it incredibly risky for the pilot to give PA instructions clearly (as the pilot had to fly low at 200ft and a slower speed at 20knts), but now that they got these new speakers, they can easily give PA instructions clearly as the pilot can fly at a safe 800ft above the land while going 50knts.

In the bottom you can find a little table going over the specifications (dbc, effective range) of the speaker models you can obtain.

Overall this is an interesting creation that exists and gets the job done according to Kev who ironically used to/still works with San Diego's Police Aviation Unit.
Holler!
Bijay/chefiBG
Your unlocal PNW resident!

Email : [email protected]

User avatar
Brendan W
Supporter
Supporter
Posts: 2305
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 12:51 am
Real Name: Brendan Williamson
YouTube Username: Brendan Williamson
Discord: Brendan W.#7026
Location: Gwinnett County, GA
Contact: Website Facebook Skype Twitter YouTube

Re: Helicopter mounted PA/Loudspeaker

Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:22 pm

I know the U.S. Army had them during Vietnam. They were famously, or rather infamously used for Operation Wandering Soul which was basically a PsyOps campaign to encourage defection of NVA and VC forces via tapes played through loudspeakers on said helos. You can read more about it online.
24, and not dead yet.
Registered Skywarn spotter as of 4/29/18
Formerly TboltFan[/i]

User avatar
championsiren
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 768
Joined: Wed Nov 13, 2019 11:08 pm
Real Name: Magnus
YouTube Username: Position Light Productions
Discord: Same as my YT #6187
Location: Harford County, MD

Re: Helicopter mounted PA/Loudspeaker

Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:07 pm

Brendan W wrote:
Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:22 pm
I know the U.S. Army had them during Vietnam. They were famously, or rather infamously used for Operation Wandering Soul which was basically a PsyOps campaign to encourage defection of NVA and VC forces via tapes played through loudspeakers on said helos. You can read more about it online.
That's quite interesting.
"Someday soon we'll stop to ponder what on earth's this spell we're under...
We made the grade and still we wonder who the hell we are..."
-Styx, from The Grand Illusion

Fletch
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 278
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 7:15 pm

Re: Helicopter mounted PA/Loudspeaker

Sat Mar 27, 2021 7:08 pm

chefiBG wrote:
Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:37 am
According to this small article : https://www.powersonix.com/helicopter.php

They exist.

In short, this article pretty much supports the brand and model, (Power Sonix's helicopter-mounted speakers). Earlier in the article, Kev (the consumer), rants about how their old speakers sounded horrid and how it also made it incredibly risky for the pilot to give PA instructions clearly (as the pilot had to fly low at 200ft and a slower speed at 20knts), but now that they got these new speakers, they can easily give PA instructions clearly as the pilot can fly at a safe 800ft above the land while going 50knts.

In the bottom you can find a little table going over the specifications (dbc, effective range) of the speaker models you can obtain.

Overall this is an interesting creation that exists and gets the job done according to Kev who ironically used to/still works with San Diego's Police Aviation Unit.
Thank you for the info! Thought they were a total Hollywood creation. :D

Return to “Other Warning Systems - Indoor, Outdoor and Vehicular”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests