asino, I mean no harm to you, I just want to clear up some things that were not entirely correct.
:-)

[quoted from asino]
"a helicopter:

"-a helicopter doesn't come with 24 blades "

>DEBUNK: No, but the rotors move at a rate that is in the hundreds of MPH. So depending on the rate of rotor turn & the time of exposure allowed for the picture, it can appear that there are more rotor blades than is what is usually seen. Also, rotor blades have to be "tracked", in other words they have to be "tuned" so that they follow in each others' "track"much like timing the engine of a vehicle. The sound you sometimes hear of "whup , whup", is blades either "out of track" or being forced "out of track" by the flight controls/manuevering of the aircraft, & air conditions". When the blades are in "track" they do not make as much noise as they follow each other in the vacuum created by the previous ones' track. ( They have to follow each other as closely as possible in their turning plane, so that they do not disrupt each others "plane of attack" thru the air.)

"-helicopter blades don't have lights on their end"

>DEBUNK: Yes they do. It is an integral part of every helo I have every worked on, including military. Some even have "de-icer" circuits like many aircraft.

"-much less a bright light above the rotor axis"

>Not sure of what your statement means, so I will not comment on this.

"-usually helicopters don't land or takeoff from a runway, or use a taxiway"

>DEBUNK: yes they do, it is part of the training of most helo pilots.but not necessarily required. "Touch & Go's" are another part of helo pilot training.

"just sayin'..."

^ you shouldn't.
;-)

{Just to give the qualifications for my reply here, I spent most of my time in the U.S.M.C. as a mechanic & crew chief/airman on CH-46 SeaKnight helicopters. I was trained to do the mechanics fore & aft/top to bottom, including Flight control system R&R , In-flight troubleshooting( including "tracking of the rotor blades", Corrosion Control, Quality Assurance, Aircrew duties ( In-flight control of the aircraft & crew, Aerial gunnery, etc. As part of those duties I could "order" the higher ranked pilots to "ground" the aircraft, even during/in flight , regardless of their rank being higher than mine.) I also attended A & P school. ( Airframes & Powerplant) in order to work on any aircraft, anywhere in the world at that time. I only point this info out to "back up" my information source., Not to "sound off/blow my trumpet". I just dis-like disinformation.}

I cannot fix any mistakes I made typing , but I think this comment is good enuff.

Enjoy!
:-)

Here's another link showing Erickson's Sky crane fighting the 'Big Meadow' fire in Yosemite National Park. Note the orange paint job. [Link]

From your comment, " No, there are no lights on the ends of a helicopter's rotor blades. "

You are incorrect.

Here is a picture:

[Link]

Thanks for the anal reply. Some aircraft might use them. But there are no lights on the end of a Sikorsky Sky Crane's rotors.

Besides, the Google image was taken in broad daylight from a satellite. A cute little fingertip sized light is most certainly not bright enough to be visible in the daytime from space. But painting the outermost 5 feet of the rotor white is.

Also MnSportsman ,

The DOD and the U.S. Office of Naval Research only awarded a phase-one Small Business Innovation Research contract to design and build a nighttime lightweight rotor blade tip lighting system that could be modulated to provide red, green, and white navigation lights in 2010.

Helicopter rotor blade tip safety lighting systems are still experimental. And are most certainly not a common feature on production aircraft yet.

"anal" reply?
Grow up...

Taken (verbatim) from the 1980 NavAir 0-250HDC-1 NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL(Navy Model) CH-46E
page 1-111

Rotor Blade Tip Lights

A tiplight is install on each rotor blade to enable night formation flight. Intensity of all 6 tip lights is controlled by six-position rotary switch, marked BLADE TIP LT- OFF-1-2-3-4-BRT, located with thr formation light controls on the overhead console.

& so on...
There is more to that particular section, but my point is made.
---------------------------------------------
"Anal" you say.

I say you need to do some more studying to further your knowledge.
Have a nice day.

Thanks for that. People do sometimes get their knicks in a twist over nothing do they not.

Redman Did you even bother to look at the improved Hi Resolution satellite image I provided of that location? [Link]It's not a UFO or helicopter. It's only a graphic pattern that's painted on the taxiway..

. . . look at the linked pic . . .