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New Orleans Mi-8?

Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:59 pm

Is there an Mi-8 involved in New Orleans? This picture is frm The Onion (so it may be a joke, guess it's Photoshopped), but I'm not sure. Anyone know?

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/40305

NOLA MI-8

Fri Sep 09, 2005 5:23 pm

Yup, possibly part of the Mexican relief effort. Photo here...

www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/09/07/k ... mexico.ap/

Fri Sep 09, 2005 6:24 pm

The photo of the Mexicans does show what appears to be a Hip. The blue/green camo scheme on the Hip in the second link does not appear consistent with the blue "Marina" scheme in the 1st photo (or any other Mexican Hip color scheme I could find in a Google search).

Another option could be one of the USAF Special Operations helos that are based down at Hurlburt Field. They operate a number of ex-Soviet aircraft including a Hip.

Could also be one owned by one of the private securities companies like Blackwater.

Fri Sep 09, 2005 6:48 pm

Guys, I think that that group (The Onion) does a lot of satirical work on things... They pulled that on a news story I knew about locally and it was almost funny, except that the story I knew about was legitimate... and they were making a slanderous/blasphemous joke on it.

The picture may or may not be real, but the story with it is unpalatable to me...

Ryan

Fri Sep 09, 2005 7:24 pm

RyanShort1 wrote:The picture may or may not be real, but the story with it is unpalatable to me...


I'll second that remark.

NOLA Mi-8

Fri Sep 09, 2005 7:35 pm

Ya got me there Randy...noted the color difference, but didn't know how
many and who(FAM?) the Navy brought with them. Ass/u/me-ed. In the
meantime LAAHS guys have commented that the Navy brought 2 Mil-17
with them. True may be your solutions, or we've been spoofed.

Roger that, Ryan!

Fri Sep 09, 2005 8:40 pm

yes, i agree too. that onion spoof thing is not in good taste with all the suffering, death, destruction & anarchy present.

Sat Sep 10, 2005 1:10 am

Guys, as far as I know, the Mexican government sent an LST (Papaloapan) with two Mi-8s (or 16s, this is the export version) and 8 Ural trucks and some amphibian vehicles.

Last I have read, they were working in the Biloxi, MS area.

Saludos,


Tulio
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