• ThePantser@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    127
    ·
    8 days ago

    Today someone would just watch a YouTube video and then steal the helicopter. Nobody wants to put the work in anymore.

    • psud@aussie.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      8 days ago

      The last attempted helicopter prison escape in the Wikipedia list is from 2020

      Hijinks are harder now than they were in the '80s but not extinct; though even in the '80s success rarely lasted more than a few months for helicopter escapees

  • Amanduh@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    59
    ·
    8 days ago

    How can you post this and not let us know if they got away or not?

  • CrayonRosary@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    56
    ·
    edit-2
    8 days ago

    Fun fact: People abbreviate it “heli” or “copter”, when in fact the two parts of the word are “helico” and “pter”. (Think: helical or pterodactyl)

    Try pronouncing it helico-pter, and pronounce the P and make it rhyme with “tare” as in pterodactyl. You’ll sound like you have a French accent, or something.

    • In Mexico it is not illegal to attempt or succeed in escaping prison. You will not get additional charges or time for attempting an escape or succeeding and then getting caught.

      It is written into their constitution that the desire for freedom is a human right.

      • Cort@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        8 days ago

        Same in Germany I think. But you will get extra charges if anything or anyone is damaged in your attempt

        • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          8 days ago

          My understanding is that the act of attempting/succeeding at escaping is not illegal, but any illegal acts committed during the process are, so basically if someone leaves the door wide open and you walk out that’s not illegal but it’s next to impossible to otherwise achieve

  • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    7 days ago

    My old office was near Strangeways m and one day we saw a drone very conspicuously hovering high over the prison yard. Turns out that drones smuggling in contraband has become a major problem in the last few years.

  • SpiceDealer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    edit-2
    7 days ago

    Here’s a another tale of a helicopter-related prison break:

    During the 1970s, Ireland (specifically Northern Ireland northern province of Ulster) entered a period of conflict known as ‘The Troubles.’ The conflict was mostly concentrated in the north but occasionally would spill into the rest of Ireland. One notable (and devastating) example was the dual car bombings in Dublin and Monaghan in 1973. But the funniest episode of ‘The Troubles’ would also happen in the Republic that same year.

    Because of the violence in the north, the Irish government took steps to stop activity related to Republican (not the American GOP kind) paramilitaries such as the Provisional IRA and their smaller and more openly communist rival INLA. This was in spite of a sympathetic population. The party Fine Gael came to power with an anti-crime promise (sound familiar?) and another promise to put a stop to all paramilitary activity in the country.

    On the morning of Halloween, 1973, the IRA hijacked a helicopter and told its pilot to fly towards a prison on the outskirts of Dublin called Mountjoy. The helicopter landed in the prison yard and, despite the commotion, were able to secure the IRA members that were intended for the escape. This led to a large a manhunt involving both the police and the military. Two of the men were recaptured not long after but one of them wouldn’t be recaptured until 1977 - a whole 5 years later!

    • MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      7 days ago

      I wish someone would go through the effort of learning how to pilot a helicopter just so I can be free…

  • Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    8 days ago

    I remember the first time I heard of helicopter prison breaks. What is so incredible is how common they actually where and the countermeasures developed against them.