March 2006

Airborne Law Enforcement Association, Inc.

ALEA  E-Newsletter

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Maryland State Police Aircrew Rescues Three from Burning Smoke Stack

Three workers clung to life atop a 1,000-foot-tall burning smokestack at the Kammer-Mitchell power plant south of Moundsville, Maryland, about 68 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. The three were working on a scaffold inside the stack when the fire started. An expeditious aerial rescue was their only hope for survival.

The MSP Eurocopter AS365 flew about 100 miles from Cumberland, Maryland, to attempt the rescue. Using the aircraft's hoist, Trooper Paramedics Alexander Kelly and Larry Levasseur were able to lower a basket down to the imperiled men, who were huddled on a 10-square-foot platform. Pilot David Cooper held the aircraft over the blazing structure, as one-by-one the victims were raised up and into the hovering helicopter. The entire rescue took less than 13 minutes. All three men were in good condition with no life-threatening injuries. A fourth worker was later found dead in the structure.

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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This month marks the start of business at ALEA's new headquarters in Frederick, Maryland. Operations Manager Nicole Gentile and Accountant Susan Burroughs are already hard at work setting up our phone lines and computer systems. Steve Ingley, ALEA's new Executive Director, starts his duties on March 20th.

The new office is located in the AOPA building at 411 Aviation Way, Suite 200, Frederick, MD 21701. You can reach our staff at (301) 631-2406.

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Starting this month, the Sacramento (CA) Police Department will use its FLIR-equipped Eurocopter EC120s to help guard against breaches in area levees. Unit officers will be looking for infrared anomalies that may indicate water leakages in the Sacramento River and American River levees. Aircrews will downlink the infrared images in real time to engineers on the ground. Officials are hopeful that early detection of small leaks will allow for repairs to be made before an actual failure of the levee system which could lead to widespread flooding.

Source: The Sacramento Bee

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Vancouver Area Police Have New Air Asset

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have a new Eurocopter EC120B Colibri on its roster this month. Serving over 17 municipalities in the Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, area, the first traffic-enforcement helicopter will concentrate on pursuits, street racing, impaired driving and other high risk criminal offenses. According to B.C. Solicitor General John Les, accidents and hit-and-runs kill more British Columbians annually than all violent crimes combined. Similar programs in Calgary and Edmonton nab about 350 people each year who would likely have gotten away without the air support. The program, dubbed "Air One," will be funded by the B.C. government with some help from the federal government.

Source: MyTELUS

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Tulsa Police Net Suspect While Training with New Infrared Unit

The Tulsa (OK) Police Air Support Unit recently equipped its 2003 Bell LongRanger with a new FLIR Systems Ultra8000. The new sensor proved invaluable on one of the very first training missions.

Pilot Richard Green and TFO Tim Smith were dispatched to Okmulgee County to assist deputies who were involved in a shooting. The suspect had escaped into a rural area full of heavy brush. Using the new FLIR, with no prior formal training, Officer Smith located the hiding suspect and was able to direct ground units in for the arrest.

Source: Tulsa Police Air Support Unit

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MD Helicopters Makes Safety Equipment Standard on All Aircraft

MD Helicopters announced that it is taking bold steps to support the safety recommendations of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST). Beginning with 2007 aircraft deliveries, all MDHI products will include wire strikes kits, cockpit voice and video recorders, health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS), and terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS). Additionally, a "Fly Safely Training" package will be added to MDHI's Training Program.

IHST was formed to gather data and draft strategies to reduce helicopter accidents globally by 80 percent by 2015. The effort is modeled on the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST), which has achieved a significant reduction in the commercial fatal accident rate in the United States. ALEA is a member of IHST, as are other major helicopter safety organizations, helicopter manufacturers, the FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency, Transport Canada and the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Source: MD Helicopters

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The National Transportation Safety Board has called on the Federal Aviation Administration to require all U.S.-registered, turbine-powered helicopters, certificated to carry at least 6 passengers, to be equipped with a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS). The recommendation is one of five contained in the final report of a fatal helicopter accident in the Gulf of Mexico.

On March 23, 2004, an Era Aviation Sikorsky S-76A++ helicopter crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, 70 nautical miles south-southeast of Galveston, Texas. Although visual meteorological conditions existed, it was a dark night with very few external visual cues. The aircraft was transporting eight oil service personnel to the Transocean drilling ship Discoverer Spirit.  All aboard perished in the crash.

The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure to identify and arrest the helicopter's descent for undetermined reasons, which resulted in controlled flight into the water.

"A terrain warning system would have given the pilots enough time to arrest their descent and save the lives of all aboard," NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said. "It is well past time for the benefits from these standard safety devices to be made available to passengers on helicopter transports, as they are on fixed wing planes."

The NTSB noted that when the FAA required TAWS for airplanes having 6 or more passengers in 2000, the technology had not been developed for the unique characteristics of helicopter flight. However, TAWS technology is now available for helicopter flight and should be required, the Board said.

Source: National Transportation Safety Board

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Monroe County Sheriff to Replace Huey with Sikorsky S-76A++

After retiring his 1967 Huey in August of 2005, Monroe County (FL) Sheriff Rick Roth has his sights on a used Sikorsky S-76A++. With $3.74 million dollars of support from the County Commission, the Sheriff's new contact with Sikorsky is said to be in the final stages.

The retired Huey was purchased for $325,000 and had been in service with the County since 2000 as part of its "TraumaStar" service. The aircraft was used to transport critically-injured victims from the Middle and Lower Keys to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.

After the County's five pilots have received transition training, the new aircraft is expected to be in service by late April.

Source: Redorbit

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U.S. Government Orders 10 Eurocopter EC120s for Customs/Border Duties

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection has placed an order for 10 American Eurocopter EC120 helicopters. This acquisition is the first order for the "Light Sign Cutter" EC120s in a DHS contract that could involve as many as 55 helicopters, with a potential total value of up to $75 million.

The new EC120 "Light Sign Cutter" aircraft will be used by the DHS Customs and Border Protection primarily to monitor movements of illegal aliens and potential terrorist suspects along U.S. borders. The "Light Sign Cutter" designation refers to the lightweight class of rotary-wing aircraft earmarked for this mission, and also is in recognition of the expert trackers known as "sign cutters."

The DHS should receive its first EC120 in June for deployment on America's southwest border with Mexico.

Source: Rotorhub

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Bell Helicopter Unveils New 417

Bell Helicopter recently revealed a mock-up of the new 417 in a law enforcement configuration. The Bell 417 will include a modern Chelton "glass cockpit" and the new Honeywell HTS900 turbine engine delivering more than 970 SHP. The aircraft is on track for customer deliveries in 2008.

The new 417 is expected to include a cockpit that can accommodate a 95th-percentile male wearing a helmet with NVG equipment stowed, an integrated Chelton avionics package and a new FADEC system equipped with dual electronic control units (ECU), offering dual channel reliability.

Source: Bell Helicopter Textron

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Texas DPS Air Unit Buys First "Made in USA" AStar B2

The Texas Department of Public Safety is the proud purchaser of the first entirely "Made in America" AStar AS350B2 helicopter. The single-engine rotorcraft was built at American Eurocopter's state-of-the-art facility in Columbus, Mississippi. This plant has also received FAA approval to build the AStar AS350B3.

The first domestically-built B2 joins eight other Eurocopters in the Texas DPS Air Unit. The new B2 is being posted to the TDPS' new helicopter base in San Antonio, Texas. This base was established following a concerted campaign by local citizens, law enforcement and government officials to provide the "Alamo City" with a rapid- response helicopter presence.

Source: American Eurocopter

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Phoenix Police Department Takes Delivery of Their First A119 Koala

The Phoenix Police Air Support Unit has taken delivery of the first of three A119 Koalas configured with new high-tech, mission-specific electronic equipment for its law enforcement role. The new A119s will allow the unit to expand its mission capabilities. This first delivery took place just a few months after the Phoenix Police and Fire Departments took delivery of their multi-role twin engine A109 Power helicopter.

Source: AgustaWestland

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Baltimore County Police Buy Three Eurocopter AS3503s

The Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) is purchasing three Eurocopter AS350B3 helicopters. The B3s will replace three Bell OH-58s, which were obtained through the Defense Logistics Agency as military surplus in 1996.

The Baltimore County Police Department is the nation's 23rd-largest police department, with an authorized strength of 2,545 sworn and non-sworn employees. Baltimore County has a population of more than 770,000 residents, covering an area of 612 square miles, with 210 miles of waterfront.

Source: American Eurocopter

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Robinson Delivers R44 Police Model to Silver State Helicopters

Silver State Helicopters has taken delivery of a Robinson R44 Raven II Police Helicopter. The company will deploy the aircraft as part of its Sheriff Airborne Law Enforcement (SABLE) Program. The non-profit program helps smaller law enforcement agencies that have no air units. After two years of service, the SABLE program assists 19 agencies in the U.S. and will begin a similar service in the Caribbean this month.

Source: Aero-News

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Miami Police Re-launch Aviation Unit With New EC120

Twelve years after its aviation unit was decommissioned due to a city budget crisis, the Miami Police Department is back in the air with a brand new EC120.

"The Miami Police are at the core of critical public safety infrastructure for South Florida," Sgt. Jim Billberry explains. "We're rated 8th on Homeland Security's list of 50 urban areas subject to terrorist attack, which is why we received $17 million in preparedness grants in 2004, some of which paid for the EC120."

Source: American Eurocopter

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London Metropolitan Police Authority Orders Three EC145s

Eurocopter and its UK distributor, McAlpine Helicopters Limited, confirmed orders for three new Eurocopter EC145 helicopters by the London Metropolitan Police Authority. The "Met" will be the first UK customer to operate the EC145 in the police role and, following an extensive completion phase at McAlpine's Oxford facility, these helicopters are scheduled to enter service between late 2006 and early 2007.

Source: American Eurocopter

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Cambridgeshire Police to Soon Take Delivery of New MD Explorer

The Cambridgeshire Police Force (UK) has purchased a new MD902 Explorer to replace its current 1997 Eurocopter AS355F2. The new £3.9 million helicopter will be the first operational aircraft in the world equipped with Pratt and Whitney 207E engines.

Air support unit executive Geoff Rogers said the force will benefit greatly from the WESCAM™ MX-15, a new state-of-the-art navigation system and the quiet NOTAR technology. Delivery is slated for sometime in May.

Source: PeterBorough Today

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Keystone to Customize Two New 412s for LA County Fire Department

Keystone Helicopter Corporation has been selected by the Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County to transform two new Bell 412EP helicopters into well-equipped, multi-mission performers.

The estimated cost to customize both aircraft is $2.3 million, and all work, including design and engineering approvals, will be performed at Keystone's completion facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Keystone expects to receive the helicopters in March and deliver them sometime mid-year.

In addition to various on-board firefighting and medical equipment, both helicopters will feature electric hoists and rappelling equipment, searchlights, night vision goggle-compatible lighting and an array of specialized avionics, including global positioning systems, cameras, digital recorders and more.

Source: Keystone Helicopter

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ALEA’s Monthly E-Newsletters are designed to help keep you informed on the very latest information in the airborne law enforcement industry.  Our E-Newsletters are distributed by email, as an additional benefit to our membership. Anyone may join our mailing list.
 

This newsletter is published monthly by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA), a public benefit, non-profit California corporation. The ALEA is comprised of air crew and air support personnel in law enforcement and others who support, promote and advance the safe and effective use of aircraft by law enforcement agencies.

© Copyright 2006 by the Airborne Law Enforcement Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this newsletter in whole or in part without written permission from the Editor is prohibited. Product and corporate names mentioned in this newsletter are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ALEA.

Airborne Law Enforcement Association, Inc.
411 Aviation Way
Suite 200
Frederick, MD 21701
Phone (301) 631-2406
Fax (301) 631-2466