Tail #'s used in films

Aviation Notable Activity
1

I was recently watching Broken Arrow, starring John Travolta. In one scene, a helicopter with the tail# of N502RP was destroyed. I happened to have Flight Aware up at the time, and that tail# came up for a GULFSTREAM G150, not a helicopter. I wanted to know what type of helicopter was used in the film. Is there any way to see any possible historical records on the tail#?

Having that knowledge, I’d also be able to identify what type of aircraft was used in other, sometimes much older movies and TV shows.

Please let me know…

2

N502RP Agusta 109A Hirundo

3

According to FAA Registration Data, the Certificate Issue Date for the G150 was 11/17/2007.

Broken Arrow was released in 1996.

The FAA records sometimes show information of aircraft that previously held a registration (see N39RJ for example), but I guess maybe not after 11 years.

I guess they really destroyed a real helicopter rather than use movie-making-magic :open_mouth:

Here’s a useless piece of aviation movie trivia: The Baron used in the air-to-air shots of the movie Airport '75, N9750Y, was involved in a fatal mid-air collision with a Cessna 180 in August 1989!

4

The Cessna 182 that Aunt Bee learned to fly in is a local bird, N5955B.

Episode 243 (242): Aunt Bee’s Big Moment (C)
Aunt Bee decides to learn to fly.
Written by: Dick Bensfield
and Perry Grant
Directed by: Lee Phillips
Cast:
Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor
Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee Taylor
Ronny Howard as Opie Taylor
Paul Hartman as Emmett Clark
Jack Dodson as Howard Sprague
Aneta Corsaut as Helen Crump
George Lindsey as Goober Pyle
John McLiam as Mr. MacDonald

5

I saw that episode. Loved it that Mayberry NC all of suddenly had California like landscape.

6

You could tell it wasn’t NC. The camera lens wasn’t fogging up.