Man comes across one of the wildest barn finds ever, uncovering an abandoned helicopter
- This barn find is as bizarre as it gets
- It’s not a classic car, but a military helicopter
- The ‘barn’ includes 100+ aircraft collected over 40 years
Published on Jan 01, 2025 at 1:13 PM (UTC+4)
by Siddharth Dudeja
Last updated on Jan 02, 2025 at 9:47 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Nalin Rawat
This is probably one of the wildest barn finds ever because you’re not going to see a classic or muscle car, but instead a military helicopter and airplane collection hiding in a strange location in Nevada.
YouTuber Dave Sparks from the channel HeavyDSparks got a tip about this ‘barn find’ from a friend, so he flew to Reno, Nevada, to check it out in person.
The collection blew his mind.
Hiding in an all-but-abandoned warehouse in Nevada, it had all types of aircraft just sitting there waiting to be given a second lease of life.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
One of the wildest barn finds ever includes a helicopter
The owner of this bizarre troupe was Rick, who spent over 40 years collecting more than 100 military planes, helicopters, and Humvees.
He got them all from government and private auctions, direct sellers, and even some secret sources.
In a video Dave Sparks posted recently, he showed the historic gems hiding in the middle of nowhere.
Most aircraft and military vehicles shown were once a part of the US Marine Corps (USMC) and the US Air Force (USAF) history.
That means most of these are now retired because they’ve been replaced by something newer.
Although some aircraft cannot fly anymore because of certain legalities, others would only need someone to renew their documentation and make them fit for flying.
As for what this legendary collection holds, it’s a lot.
The baby Chinook, CH-46 Sea Knight
The star of this arena is undoubtedly a baby Chinook — a CH-46 Sea Knight military transport helicopter.
It’s a baby Chinook because the actual title goes to the CH-47, which is a larger aircraft — but it has quite a lot in common with the CH-46.
It was one of the greatest assets in the Marines’ arsenal and can outshine many modern helicopters even today.
That, however, doesn’t mean modern helicopters aren’t capable — because only recently, a new Airbus helicopter smashed a speed record.
Other interesting aircraft was the OV-10 Bronco and an HU-16 Albatross seaplane.
Since Rick was downsizing, the YouTuber was tempted to buy this baby Chinook for himself — because why not?
While he didn’t end up purchasing it that day, it would make for one of the most bizarre barn-find projects ever.
We’ve seen our fair share of excellent barn finds — and these are the best five barn finds from 2024.
