Authorities: Helicopter crashes at Xe campus in NC

[FarCenter]

Source: Money Central

MOYOCK, N.C. (AP) - Authorities in northeastern North Carolina say a helicopter has crashed on the campus of private security contractor Xe (zee).

Currituck County Sheriff Susan Johnson said the crash occurred near the company's administrative building Tuesday afternoon. She did not know any other details about the incident.

Xe is the security and training company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide. A company spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Xe's campus is in Moyock, a tiny community about 30 minutes south of Norfolk, Va.



Read more: http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20090224&id=9639428

[get the red out]

1. Theocratic mercenary army

had a mishap. I wonder what they are training for now?

[no limit]

2. Blackwater changed their name? When did that happen?

I guess changing your name is much easier than changing policies.

[apnu]

3. A couple of weeks ago. They're trying to rebrand themselves. (nt)

[demigoddess]

8. we should always refer to them as Xe/Blackwater.

we should not let the rebrand go through

[apnu]

13. Yup, most are doing it. Also the media frequently mentions the name change...

... in unrelated news articles such as this.

[tanyev]

26. or "the company formerly known as...."

an echo of Prince's disastrous name change

[uppityperson]

20. Musing on branding and tattoos by mercenaries.

I wonder if they changed their logo also. Wonder if they are truly "rebranded" or tat's changed.

[apnu]

22. LOL, I'd love to see Xe's (Blackwater's) tattoo bill for that one.

I wonder if its covered under worker's comp?

[SpiralHawk]

23. Xe: a profit-driven, so-called 'christian' war machine by any other name

would be just as EVIL, just as beholden to the Dark Side of Death and Materialism, and just as diametrically opposed to the actual teachings of Christ,,,

[high density]

4. What an excellent way to advertise that Xe = Blackwater

What a stupid name.

[kestrel91316]

5. Corporations don't have "campuses". Colleges and universities do.

Campuses are the grounds and facilities of educational institutions, not hired mercenary corporations.

[Posteritatis]

17. Schools don't have a monopoly on the term, and haven't for decades (nt)

[kestrel91316]

24. Corporations coopted the term a while back in a blatant attempt to

brainwash people into thinking they were as respectable as universities.

"Campus", my ass.

[Posteritatis]

25. Yeah, they went back in time and stole the word from the Romans (nt)

[jmowreader]

28. Blackwater is kind of a college

They teach all sorts of courses in things like defensive driving, extraordinary rendition and thuggery, so calling their operation a campus isn't all that far off.

[GentryDixon]

6. Update from WRAL.com. One death

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4602549/

[FarCenter]

18. Hot day, high altitude model

Wonder where they would use that? Probably not NC.

[98Beatsies]

7. Bad omen for Blackwater

[mitchum]

9. I guess you could PAY me to have sympathy...

since they are goddamn MERCENARIES

[shadowknows69]

14. Word

[DinahMoeHum]

10. "Blackwater by any other name would still smell like shit"

- ZP Heller, editorial director of Brave New Films

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zp-heller/blackwater-by-any-other-n_b_166947.html

[seafan]

11. Helicopter crashes at N.C. training center, the former Blackwater Worldwide

Helicopter crashes at N.C. training center, former Blackwater

By Jeff Hampton and Louis Hansen
The Virginian-Pilot

February 24, 2009

MOYOCK, N.C.

A Hughes 369-F helicopter crashed at the U.S. Training Center, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, in Moyock at 1:50 p.m. today, seriously injuring the pilot, according to federal officials.

The helicopter was conducting a training mission with an instructor pilot and a student when the helicopter skid caught on an object and flipped the aircraft over, said Kathleen Bergen, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Authority. The second passenger was walking after the crash and did not appear to be seriously injured, she said.

No names have been released. FAA observers were at the Moyock site and observed the accident, she said.

The aircraft was owned by Presidential Airways, a subsidiary of military contractor Xe. Blackwater Worldwide changed its name this month.

.....

"Presidential Airways"??, owned by a subsidiary of the former Blackwater Worldwide... Creepy.


This murderous paramilitary operation needs to be shut down.

Wonder how the prosecution of Blackwater for murdering 17 Iraqi civilians in cold blood in 2007 is going...

[TygrBright]

12. Ahhhh... The Creepy Shithead Mercenary Crooks formerly known as Blackwater.

I hope they don't think that calling themselves something unpronounceable is going to make people stop talking about what creepy shitheaded mercenary crooks (CSMCs)they are.

I hope no one was hurt in the crash. Not even any CSMC execs.

But I wouldn't be upset if they got scared enough to need fresh undies.

vindictively,
Bright

[Sultana]

15. Won't they get for sued for their name change?

I mean there is already xe.com (the currency converter)

[Algorem]

16. Erik the douchebag Prince has a nervous breakdown,starts calling

his murder company "Xe",now crashing helicopters.time to throw a net on Erik the Dik and make him talk about Bush Cheney Rumsfeld?

[AzDar]

19. Ooooohhhh, Xe Humanity!

[Politicalboi]

21. America'a Taliban

Too bad it didn't take out there terror traning course.

[bemildred]

27. Shoulda changed the name to "Whitewater".

Or was that already taken?

[nc4bo]

29. There was a bit more from the locals.....

http://www.nencnews.com/2009/02/24/helicopter-crash-reported-in-camden/

Xe / Blackwater also flies a larger Bell - 214ST, which has been seen recently flying around the Currituck Regional Airport in Maple. According to airport manager, Wayne Leary, the larger helicopter usually takes on 100 - 350 gallons of Jet A fuel during recent flights into the airport. Leary could not recall the smaller helicopters visiting the facility.

And the one lone comment on the story was curious (to me anyway):

Wonder if the larger helo is the one I’m seeing around the sound the past few months. I saw one near the airport last week also. I was curious about all the helo traffic in the area, unusual, and flying similar routes on repetitive basis … like a training route.

What are they up to I wonder?

[mmonk]

30. Blackwater or Xe, they still seem like Die Schutz-Staffel to me.

Whose guard are they now?

[conscious evolution]

31. Same here

I never thought I would see the day that the United States had its own version of the SS.

I hope they died slowly in screaming agony.