Police Aviation News November 2010
Police Aviation News November 2010
Police Aviation News November 2010
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<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Aviation</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>November</strong> <strong>2010</strong> 22<br />
TEXAS: Travis County’s STAR Flight program has been selected to receive the fourth<br />
annual Vision Zero <strong>Aviation</strong> Safety Award. The operator was chosen for its investment and<br />
proactive accomplishments in training and safety initiatives throughout the organization. As<br />
part of the award, American Eurocopter presented representatives with a cheque for<br />
$10,000 to continue its efforts at the AMTC Community Awards Banquet.<br />
STAR Flight (Shock Trauma Air Rescue) began operation in 1985 to provide Advanced Life<br />
Support response and transport to the citizens in the outlying areas of Travis County. Soon<br />
after the program's inception the operation expanded into the more regional basis it is today.<br />
In 1993 they enhanced operations to include helicopter rescue, land/water rescue, wilderness/SAR<br />
(search and rescue), and fire suppression. Scene flights and hospital-tohospital<br />
transfers comprise over ninety percent of responses.<br />
FIRE<br />
AUSTRALIA<br />
VICTORIA: Two new faster and<br />
more flexible large fire bombing<br />
planes will be trialled as part of Victoria’s<br />
fire fighting arsenal which will<br />
also be boosted by the use of NVG<br />
and EO/IR technology.<br />
The Victorian Government is investing<br />
A$12M for two Convair 580 fire<br />
Australian Convair 580<br />
[File Photo via Wikimedia]<br />
bomber planes, a new Erikson Aircrane and four extra fixed-wing aircraft for the upcoming<br />
fire season. The new aircraft will join Erikson Aircranes Elvis and Elsie and bring Victoria’s<br />
aerial fire fighting arsenal to 48 with a further 170 aircraft on standby if required.<br />
The trial of the two 580’s will replace a trial last year of the DC-10 Very Large Air Tanker<br />
(VLAT) following an assessment by the National Bushfire Co-Operative Research Centre<br />
that its use was less effective in Victorian fire fighting terrain, in particular use around the<br />
urban interface. The sheer weight of water threatened both people and property.<br />
The Convair’s have the capacity to carry and drop 8,000 litres of water or fire retardant and<br />
will be deployed at airfields around the state wherever needed.<br />
The trial of new airborne infrared cameras attached to a number of the helicopters will replace<br />
outdated equipment and allow pinpoint hotspot mapping and real time video streaming<br />
in difficult conditions, such as thick smoke.<br />
The Convair 580s are expected to arrive in Victoria later this year and will be based at airports<br />
around Melbourne and throughout the state including Avalon, Mangalore, Sale and<br />
Mildura and if they need a service they can hop over to Bankstown [Ryan Baker]