The first of two multi-role Bell 429 light twins delivered to the Fairfax (Virginia) County Police Department helicopter unit is already logging long hours with demonstrably better performance than the 407 it replaced, according to tactical flight officer (TFO) James Greeves, a 13-year veteran of the unit. “It really has been a game-changer for us,” he said. Compared with the 407, the 429 can insert into tighter landing zones and arrive on scene more quickly. Crews are seeing speeds of 144 to 146 knots despite the added drag of the external searchlight and camera.
Los Angeles Police Department
October 1, 2011 - 11:30pm
Later this year the Bell Helicopter Training Academy will begin offering a two-day tactical flight officer (TFO) or “spotter” training course for law enforcement officers. Bell announced the course at the Airborne Law Enforcement Association convention this past summer. “There’s been a lot of interest in the course,” said Trey Wade, director of Bell Training Academy.
December 28, 2007 - 5:44am
In addition to repairing its 10,000th rotor blade at its Grand Prairie, Texas shop, American Eurocopter announced that it will open its first regional service center, one of several it plans to launch within the U.S. The West Coast Regional Service Center is to be located at the Long Beach Airport in the Daugherty Skyharbor Complex.
October 9, 2007 - 8:53am
New York City has been granted $9.8 million in federal funds to buy and equip a hybrid “super-copter” equipped for response to a variety of emergency situations but specifically terrorist attacks. Making the announcement, U.S.
October 10, 2006 - 6:23am
Compared with the mass of modern Bells and Eurocopters that fly for the myriad law enforcement agencies protecting and serving Californians, the air unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) emerges as something of a one-off. In addition to a fleet of 12 AStar B2s, which provide day-to-day support to the officers in the black-and-whites, the largest sheriff’s flight department in the nation also fields four aging ex-U.S.
