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ROTORCRAFT RIDE ALONG


BY RON WHITNEY PHOTOS: DANA MAXFIELD / SARAH KRITNER


THE BEGINNING “Gentlemen, if I have made a mistake, I shall soon correct it,” said


Alabama Governor Bibb “The Little Colonel” Graves, on January 10, 1936. That was the day Governor Graves signed the Executive Order, which


A authorized the formation of formation of the Aviation Unit. the Alabama Highway Patrol.


Beginning operations with a cadre of seventy-four officers, the troopers were charged with enforcing the law throughout Alabama’s 52,423 square miles, divided into sixty-seven counties. Much has changed in 75 years.


One of the many changes that occurred over the years was the In 1975, citing a growing need for air-


borne law enforcement, then Director Eldred C. Dothard authorized the Aviation Unit to begin operations.


Starting out with four surplus U.S.


Army TH-13 Sioux training helicopters and one Cessna 182, the unit was charged with conducting traffic control, aerial surveillance and search operations.


FAST FORWARD Today the Alabama State Troopers are a force nearly 1,400 strong,


with around half of them being “boots on the ground” officers. The


Aviation Unit staff is currently eight State Trooper Pilots, one Tactical Flight Officer/Homeland Security Liaison, four aircraft mechanics and a unit secretary. The fleet has grown to two designated Rescue Helicopters (a Bell 206L and Bell 407), seven OH-58 helicopters, three Cessna 182’s, a Piper Navaho and King Air 200. The unit flies approx- imately 3,500 flight hours per year in support of state, county and local law enforcement operations. The unit’s mission has evolved as well. On any given day the


unit can be found conducting searches for missing citizens, manhunts for fugitives, marijuana eradication, surveillance flights, aerial photography of crime scenes, prisoner transport flights, tactical flight operations, long line insertions, rescue hoist operations and aerial firefighting. The unit is also tasked with providing executive transportation, primarily the


ROTORCRAFTPRO.COM


n invitation to visit with the Alabama Department of Public Safety (Alabama State Troopers) Aviation Unit and observe training in the field is not something you pass up.


rare opportunity - one in which you get a first hand look at the unique capabilities and value of such a unit. Little did I know exactly how capable these folks really are.


This is a


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