Police Aviation News April 2011
Police Aviation News April 2011
Police Aviation News April 2011
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<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Aviation</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2011</strong> 14<br />
Ed: Quite where the project is going remains fairly unclear,<br />
there have been numerous trials in the past using<br />
the BK117 ... London and West Sussex in the mid-<br />
1990’s spring to mind. The question to be asked is<br />
what, after 15 years, is new and why are the trials apparently<br />
being repeated?<br />
UNITED STATES<br />
FEDERAL: Newly devised US Forest Service standards<br />
for some firefighting helicopters could require<br />
contractors to spend as much as $50,000 per helicopter<br />
in airframe upgrades.<br />
The high cost of upgrades could reduce the number of<br />
helicopters available come fire season but at the moment<br />
the Forest Service say it is too soon to determine<br />
the effect of the new regulations on the available fleet.<br />
Helicopters that transport people will now be required<br />
to be equipped with wire-cutting kits designed to help<br />
protect the aircraft if it runs into power lines. Other requirements,<br />
including strobe lights, a heated defroster<br />
unit and a specific cargo hook, are either for safety<br />
reasons, to increase efficiency or to comply with FAA<br />
regulations.<br />
SEARCH & RESCUE<br />
FRANCE<br />
SECURITE CIVILE: Zephyr International LLC in conjunction with Capital Logistic Services<br />
Inc. has delivered thirty Manual Rescue Hoist Ground Support Equipment (RHGSE)<br />
tools to the French Civil Security Helicopter Group in 2010.<br />
Zephyr provided a system for the French Civil Security Helicopter Group to evaluate over a<br />
seven-month period, which included testing in the various climatic regions in France. The<br />
evaluation report included design improvements that were requested after the field trials,<br />
and Zephyr incorporated the requested modifications and the new improved manually powered<br />
RHGSE version was the result. The new version adapts to the EC-145 which can have<br />
the hoist mounted on either side of the aircraft and several other significant improvements<br />
such as load indicating system and manual handle disengagement mechanism.<br />
Zephyr has now delivered over 142 hydraulic and manually powered RHGSE within the last<br />
five years.
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