5-Apr-2013Source: M Live
Michigan State Police 1st Lt. Chris McIntire, commander of the Rockford post, and Sgt. Jerry King, a pilot in the aviation unit, talk about the helicopter patrols over West Michigan (see full story).... Read more
5-Apr-2013Source: ABC6
Columbus police helicopters are grounded while they are inspected and maintenance records are checked. Police were ready to sell one of the choppers when they discovered “gaps” in the maintenance records (see full story).... Read more
1-Apr-2013
Precautionary landing in parking lot on night mission after warning light illuminated... Read more
30-Mar-2013
Impacted terrain while maneuvering during an SAR flight near Talkeetna, Alaska. The airline transport pilot, an Alaska state trooper serving as a flight observer for the pilot, and a stranded snowmobiler who had requested rescue were killed, and the helicopter was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire.... Read more
27-Mar-2013Source: Cobham
Cobham’s Brazilian subsidiary – has secured its first major contract in Brazil to equip State Police helicopters with High Definition (HD) video surveillance downlinks which will be used on helicopters in 12 cities during the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup. The contract was developed with a local integration partner following the opening... Read more
27-Mar-2013Source: HeliHub.com
Following a concerted public effort within the geographical area of Bardufoss, the Royal Norwegian Air Force have moved two Bell 412s to Bardufoss. This will meet the campaign’s target to provide a better spread of aviation resources throughout the country, particularly for emergency situations. Defence Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen has also said that these helicopters are... Read more
26-Mar-2013Source: Curtiss-Wright Controls
Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions (CWCDS), a business group of Curtiss-Wright Controls, has introduced the newest member of its Skyquest™ family of rugged mission displays for airborne platforms. The new feature rich 21.5” Skyquest™ AVDU5500 is the company’s largest high definition (HD) display to date. This next generation video display with touchscreen is designed for the... Read more
26-Mar-2013Source: Congressman Ed Markey
With tens of thousands of domestic commercial drone licenses expected to be handed out in the coming years, Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-Chair of the Bi-Partisan Congressional Privacy Caucus, today introduced updated legislation to ensure standards for informing the public and establish safeguards to protect the privacy of individuals from expanded use of drones.... Read more
26-Mar-2013
Blade struck tree during forced landing while on police operations. Sole-occupant pilot not injured. Photo set here on C News Live page on Facebook... Read more
25-Mar-2013Source: RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is a leading North American national police force, covering three Canadian territories, eight provinces, more than 190 municipalities, 184 Aboriginal communities, and three international airports. The “F” division is responsible for the Saskatchewan region and like other divisions, is always looking for new technology to improve their level of service... Read more
21-Mar-2013Source: WUFT
Gainesville Police Department launched its helicopter back in the air Tuesday after a 15-month hiatus.Helicopter (see full story). File photo... Read more
21-Mar-2013
Two helicopters collided in white-out conditions during a police exercise. An AS332L2 and a EC155 had landed and kicked up a lot of snow. The pilot of a second AS332 landing soon after then suffered white-out and landed too close to the EC155, killing the pilot. Three other injuries reported.... Read more
21-Mar-2013
Two helicopters collided in white-out conditions during a police exercise. An AS332L2 and a EC155 had landed and kicked up a lot of snow. The pilot of a second AS332 landing soon after then suffered white-out and landed too close to the EC155, killing the pilot. Three other injuries reported.... Read more
15-Mar-2013Source: Seymour Herald
Public Safety Aviation, a public private partnership, held a presentation conference to highlight the benefits of the Sevier County Sheriff’s Department new helicopter patrol Feb. 22 (see full story)... Read more
15-Mar-2013Source: Eurocopter
The acquisition of an EC145 by the Police Service of Northern Ireland will add another helicopter to this agency’s all-Eurocopter fleet, and reinforces the company’s impressive presence with law enforcement agencies in the British Isles. This latest rotary-wing aircraft is to be delivered in the first half of 2013, joining the Police Service of Northern... Read more
13-Mar-2013Source: Tennessee Highway Patrol
Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons joined Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Colonel Tracy Trott to announce the permanent assignment of a THP helicopter and pilot to assist with aviation support of law enforcement in west Tennessee. This permanent aviation support will enhance public safety by increasing response time to incidents or missions... Read more
12-Mar-2013Source: Bell
Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announced today an enhanced relationship with the Public Safety Aviation Accreditation Commission (PSAAC) a subsidiary of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA), as part of Bell Helicopter’s continued commitment to advancing safety in the rotorcraft industry. Bell Helicopter is the exclusive sponsor in the development of PSAAC’s... Read more
11-Mar-2013Source: Star Telegram
The Arlington Police Department recently won approval from the federal government to fly two remote-control helicopters for public safety purposes ( see full story)... Read more
7-Mar-2013Source: Power Sonix
Power Sonix, Inc. has been awarded a long-term contract with Korean Aerospace Industries of South Korea (KAI) to supply 900-watt PSAIR32A tactical public address systems for the Surion helicopters being made for the Korean National Police Agency program. The Surion helicopter is being designed, engineered and manufactured in South Korea by KAI in partnership with... Read more
7-Mar-2013Source: Power Sonix
Power Sonix, Inc. announces at HELI-EXPO in Las Vegas the release and availability of new aeodynamic speaker arrays for their industry-leading airborne public address systems. The new wing-shaped hexagon speaker enclosures offer a 30-40% reduction in the surface area of the speaker driver enclosures from their previous models. With these improvements, the new externally mounted... Read more
7-Mar-2013Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace are pleased to announce they have been awarded a contract by the Japan National Police Agency (JNPA) to supply two AW139 twin engine helicopters which will be operated in Hokkaido and Fukushima prefectures. This latest order brings the number of AW139 helicopters ordered by customers in Japan... Read more
7-Mar-2013Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Kanematsu Corporation are pleased to announce they have been awarded a contract by the Japan National Police Agency (JNPA) to supply a GrandNew law enforcement light twin helicopter which will be operated in Kawagawa prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The order brings to three the number... Read more
7-Mar-2013Source: MD Helicopters
MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI), a Lynn Tilton company and leading manufacturer of commercial, air-rescue, military and law enforcement helicopters, announced a new order for a MD 500E helicopter from the Polk County Florida Sheriff’s Office (PCSO). The new MD 500E is the first order in a program to replace an aging fleet of three military surplus OH58’s. “We are... Read more
6-Mar-2013Source: American Eurocopter
American Eurocopter continues to lead the U.S. airborne law enforcement market, maintaining a 55 percent market share over the last decade with a product line that has become the industry standard. With 280 Eurocopter aircraft operating in federal, state and local law enforcement units, operators cite reliability, versatility and cost effectiveness as key factors in... Read more
28-Feb-2013Source: Frederick News Post
Years after a multimillion-dollar contract to replace the state’s fleet of aged medevac helicopters caused controversy in Annapolis, two newly purchased aircraft arrived Tuesday at the aviation command of the Maryland State Police (see full story)... Read more
26-Feb-2013Source: The Raw Story
Officials in Texas announced on Thursday that State Troopers would no longer be allowed to open fire on suspects from helicopters after the recent killing of two immigrants (see full story)... Read more
25-Feb-2013Source: Bell
Four weeks ago, HeliHub.com ran two stories on Bell 429s being delivered into Nigeria Jan 23 –Nigerian Police receive a Bell 429 Jan 24 –First EMS Bell 429 arrives in Nigeria for NEMA And then on Friday February 22nd, Bell issued the following:- Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announced today the delivery... Read more
22-Feb-2013Source: Wired
Alameda County, just east of San Francisco, is closing in on becoming one of dozens of local law enforcement agencies nationwide to deploy the unmanned crafts. (see full story)... Read more
20-Feb-2013Source: Heli Aviation
[electronic translation] The police chief and the head of the provincial police force flying Liaoningun inspected with a delegation from the Heli Aviation TRAINING ACADEMY in Augsburg. Impressed by our forward-looking, equipped with state of the art technology flight school, training and expertise of the entire fleet of Heli Aviation teams audited executives the TRAINING... Read more
19-Feb-2013Source: HeliHub.com
Sources in Nigeria are saying that the Osun State Government has commenced a lease with OAS Helicopters for a Eurocopter AS355N – the one we reported here that they had recently bought from Sky Helicopters in Spain. In a statement, the state governor’s media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the helicopter is to support its... Read more
17-Feb-2013Source: HeliHub.com
The Belgian based website helispot.be has recently launched a new page, featuring the helicopter traffic which flies each day. For every tracked helicopter that flies in Belgium and Netherlands, you can see the first and last recorded track times each day [in UTC], along with the registration, type , serial number, operator, pressure altitude and... Read more
15-Feb-2013Source: Barista Net
Bloomfield Township Administrator Ted Ehrenburg reported that state officials had agreed to hold off on including a helipad as part of the construction of new State Police barracks on the Garden State Parkway. (see full story)... Read more
14-Feb-2013Source: RSG AeroDesign
RSG has successfully completed the design, manufacture and integration of advanced mission equipment package for the Fukui prefecture Police Department’s newly acquired EC-135 helicopter. The modular mission equipment design included dual, multi-spectral, electro-optical systems, a microwave digital data link system, stabilized high intensity search light system, and high powered external PA equipment. The Fukui PD... Read more
12-Feb-2013Source: HeliHub.com
Mayor Mike McGlinn issued the following brief statement “Today I spoke with Seattle Police Chief John Diaz and we agreed that it was time to end the unmanned aerial vehicle program, so that SPD can focus its resources on public safety and the community building work that is the department’s priority. The vehicles will be... Read more
6-Feb-2013
DeSoto County Sheriff is buying a 1976-build Bell Jet Ranger helicopter from the Georgia State Highway Patrol (see full story) File photo... Read more
6-Feb-2013Source: CBC
According to police, AIR1 responded to 3,445 incidents in 2012, resulting in 185 arrests by ground patrol units. (see full story)... Read more
4-Feb-2013Source: SkyTrac
During the recent presidential campaign, local law enforcement agencies and other departments needed to be aware of the temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) in place to accommodate the presidential candidates’ movements across the country. LA County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) made extensive use of SkyWeb, SkyTrac’s asset management program to ensure aircraft avoided TFRs, and to identify... Read more
3-Feb-2013Source: Topeka Capital-Journal
Kansas Supreme Court upholds the decision of a lower court to invalidate a 2008 contract for Topeka Police to buy an R44 after the down payment of $74,000 had been paid. (see full story here – and the documentation from the court here)... Read more
1-Feb-2013Source: Eurocopter
Eurocopter Japan delivered a brand new EC135 T2 to the National Police Agency (NPA) on 30 January 2013. It will be the first EC135 to be deployed to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for law enforcement missions in the Tokyo prefecture. The NPA and its police departments across Japan currently owns a fleet of 28... Read more
30-Jan-2013
Helicopter blown onto its side by high winds... Read more
28-Jan-2013Source: National Post
“It’s starting to catch on more and more. Eventually, I think you’ll see (unmanned aerial vehicles) in almost all the provinces,” said RCMP Staff Sgt. Dave Domoney (see full story)... Read more
27-Jan-2013
A letter sent from the Texas Department of Public Safety to the state Attorney General on Wednesday confirms that the FBI is investigating a state trooper’s fatal shooting which lead to the death of two Guatemalan immigrants. (see full story) This is an update to a story we first ran on 1st January – Texas... Read more
25-Jan-2013Source: Orange County Sheriff
We are currently in a test phase of this Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (UAS) platform and will not be using this UAS until we have appropriate permissions and have implemented training and guidelines. The OCSO has no intention of using this technology to spy on the citizens of Orange County, but to have it as a... Read more
23-Jan-2013Source: IMT
Integrated Microwave Technologies, LLC (IMT), a Business Unit within the Vitec Group’s Videocom Division, and a leader in advanced digital microwave systems for the MAG (Military, Aerospace & Government) markets, has been awarded a Technical Investigative Surveillance (TechOps) contract by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). TechOps Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), presented by the... Read more
23-Jan-2013Source: HeliHub.com
The first Bell 429 arrived in Nigeria last Thursday, marked up in the colours of the Nigerian Police. Still lacking blades, boom and with plenty of packaging still in place, the helicopter was photographed out in the open at Lagos Airport pending a short land trip to the Police hangar read for preparation and test... Read more
22-Jan-2013Source: 3AW
Metro Trains Melbourne has started using a helicopter with infrared cameras in an attempt to reduce theft of copper – which has led to significant cancellation and delays to rail services (see full story)... Read more
16-Jan-2013Source: HeliHub.com
Bolivian Government Minister Carlos Romero is reported in local press as announcing that the the national law enforcement agency “Policía Boliviana” will receive two Robinson R44s later this month. Due to the altitudes involved in Bolivia, the pair will not be able to fly around the capital La Paz, which lies between 10,650 and 13,250... Read more
15-Jan-2013Source: HeliHub.com
The Peruvian Ministry of the Interior have ordered four Eurocopter EC145s from local distributor Eurocopter Cono Sur (located in Chile). Contract value is 93,718,765 Nuevo Sol (approx $36.8M), and the contract requires all four to be delivered by 20th December 2013. The helicopters will be used to provide a range of law enforcement roles in... Read more
10-Jan-2013
Emergency landing in field off Espinoza Road... Read more
9-Jan-2013Source: Monroe News
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has added a second military helicopter to its aviation unit – a no-cost aircraft from the Kansas City Police Department (see full story) File photo... Read more
7-Jan-2013Source: West Midlands Police
MORE than 500 people were arrested in 2012 – who would otherwise have got away had it not been for the West Midlands Police helicopter. The helicopter, known to officers on the street by its call sign ‘Alpha Oscar 1’, has taken off 1,362 times this year and has been involved in 3,698 incidents. Using a... Read more
7-Jan-2013Source: www.flyatnight.info
Night flights are challenging. Visual information about the flight environment is greatly reduced as compared to daytime flying and is largely dependent on the amount of celestial illumination encountered throughout the flight. It is therefore of significant importance for the night pilot to know exactly when darkness falls, and if some level of illumination in... Read more
7-Jan-2013Source: Becker Avionics
Becker Avionics announced today that Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in California, selected the Becker DVCS6100 digital airborne audio control panel system to upgrade their four Eurocopter AS350 multi-mission helicopters and single Cessna 182P surveillance fixed wing platform. During the next few months the Riverside Air Unit aircraft will undergo avionics upgrades, to include Becker’s Digital... Read more
6-Jan-2013Source: Kitchener Aero
Kitchener Aero Avionics (KAAV) – one of Canada’s premiere avionics and special missions modifiers – is pleased to announce another STC “first” with the completion of a “Glass-Cockpit” upgrade for the Eurocopter EC-120 helicopter. The heart of this mod is the Garmin G500H Flight Display system with Helicopter Synthetic Vision (HSVT), an Altitude Heading Reference... Read more
4-Jan-2013Source: BBC
Tactical flight officer PC Paul Gridley said: “When we are approaching a scene, usually at 1000ft, we tend to use the blue lights of emergency vehicles as one way of guiding us into the scene” (see full story)... Read more
3-Jan-2013Source: NJ.com
An arbitrator has ruled against the township in a battle over who should pay for helicopter flying lessons taken by two police officers, but an appeal is already under way, officials said. (see full story)... Read more
2-Jan-2013Source: HeliHub.com
As we launch into 2013, HeliHub.com is proud to announce that we filed no fewer than 3,432 news stories in 2012. This averages around 14 stories per working day, and with the rate increasing towards the end of the year, the total for 2013 is expected to be a step-change higher. We are already clear... Read more
1-Jan-2013Source: ACLU of Texas
The ACLU of Texas Tuesday asked Attorney General Greg Abbott to compel the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to comply with open records requests about a DPS shooting of unarmed persons last October 25 that resulted in two fatalities. A sharpshooter fired several shots from a helicopter while in pursuit of a moving vehicle.... Read more
28-Dec-2012
“Guardian One” Helicopter fell off side of ground handling trolley during run up, causing tail to contact the ground... Read more
21-Dec-2012Source: HeliHub.com
The team at HeliHub.com would like to wish all our readers a very Happy Christmas and a financially secure 2013. This is the time of the year we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and we trust many of our readers will take time to consider what that means to the world, perhaps through attending a... Read more
21-Dec-2012Source: Eurocopter
The Finnish Border Guard is to expand its Eurocopter fleet with the acquisition of two additional AS332 L1 Super Puma helicopters fully equipped for maritime search and rescue missions in the country’s challenging conditions. With deliveries scheduled for 2015, the rotorcraft will be configured as the AS332 L1e version, incorporating the integrated advanced cockpit and... Read more
20-Dec-2012Source: Florida Times Union
The heroism of two Jacksonville Police officers earned them a Medal of Merit and a Medal of Valor for their May 26 mission during Tropical Storm Beryl. One of the pair received a second medal after a July 23 rescue of a woman in the Intracoastal Waterway. (see full story)... Read more
19-Dec-2012Source: Russian Helicopters
Russian Helicopters, part of Russian state defence holding Oboronprom and a leading global designer and manufacturer of helicopters, this month delivered two multirole Mi-8AMThelicopters built by Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant to the Republic of Tatarstan Interior Ministry. The contract was signed in August 2012 and Russian Helicopters delivered on the helicopters schedule. The Mi-8AMTs will fly missions... Read more
18-Dec-2012
Bird strike – turkey vulture broke windshield and injured pilot – the only person on board. Safe landing in a parking lot... Read more
17-Dec-2012Source: Helibras
[Electronic translation from local language] Helibras has held the official handover of another helicopter for Public Security of the Government of Bahia, when the aircraft was presented to the people soteropolitano. This is the first EC145 marketed in the country by the company to operate in that state police missions. ‘s contract acquisition of new... Read more
12-Dec-2012
Commissioned into service Monday at Santa Ynez Airport, state-of-the-art Copter 3 is able to provide law enforcement functions as well as aerial firefighting, search and rescue, air ambulance service, and the transport of Special Enforcement Team (SET) members. (see full story) File photo... Read more
11-Dec-2012Source: European Helicopter Show
European Helicopter Show is pleased to announce the patronage of Mr Přemysl Sobotka, Vice-President of the Senate of Parliament, Czech Republic. The political career of Mr Přemysl Sobotka started in the Velvet Revolution in 1989, where he was a member of the “for-all” Civic Forum and joined the right-wing Civic Democratic Party after its foundation... Read more
11-Dec-2012Source: Grand Forks County
On November 27, 2012 the Federal Aviation Administration issued the Grand Forks County (North Dakota) Sheriff’s Department a Certificate of Authorization (COA) permitting the operation of a Draganflyer X6 small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) within the 16 counties located in northeastern North Dakota. The counties include: Grand Forks, Rolette, Towner, Cavalier, Pembina, Pierce, Benson, Ramsey,... Read more
30-Nov-2012Source: Helibras
[Electronic translation] The Helibras handed, on Wednesday (28), an AS350 helicopter B3e for the Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul – the first aircraft to be operated by the corporation in the State. She was delivered by Government Market Manager, Mauro Ayres, and was received in Porto Alegre, the governor Genro. The acquisition is due... Read more
30-Nov-2012
In addition to a new mobile equipment storage truck and armored vehicle, the St. Louis County Police Department has purchased a new helicopter for its Metro Air Support Division. (see full story) file photo... Read more
