HANGAR TALK
LA County Sheriff’s Department Utilizes SkyWeb to Navigate Presidential Temporary Flight Restrictions
During a recent presidential cam
U.S. Helicopters’ new rotary-wing aircraft joins a fleet that already includes AS350-series helicopters, similuar to this AS350 B2.
U.S. Helicopters Takes Delivery of an American Eurocopter AS350 B2
American Eurocopter recently
announced delivery of a new AS350 B2 AStar aircraft to U.S. Helicopters, Inc. U.S. Helicopters, Inc. based in
Marshville, N.C., is one of the largest operators of electronic news gathering helicopters in the country. The compa ny has served dozens of major televi sion stations located in cities in most of the lower 48 states. Over half of U.S. Helicopters, Inc.
fleet consists of American Eurocopter AS350 series aircraft. The first was pur chased in 1995, after a meeting between the former president of American Eurocopter, David O. Smith, and U.S. Helicopters, Inc. President Cress Horne. That first AS350BA was delivered to a station in the Tampa area by Horne and Judd Chapin, the compa ny’s first AS350 pilot, where it is still in service today. The new AS350B2 is part of an ongo
ing fleet modernization program by U.S. Helicopters, Inc. It will replace an AS350BA operated in support of a Chicagoarea television station since 2001.
“Our plan is to continue to upgrade 20 March 2013
our current fleet and add even more AS350B2’s as we move forward,” said Horne, founder and CEO of U.S. Helicopters, Inc. “We are grateful for the continued
business from U.S. Helicopters, Inc.,” said Treg Manning, American Eurocopter Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing. “Even though helicopter services are generally the first to go when television stations cut budgets, U.S. Helicopters, Inc. has remained a loyal customer. They have found that the AS350 meets their needs by providing high perform ance, extended range, flexibility and reliability.” The AS350 is a workhorse single
engine helicopter with the best perform ance in its category. Built and certified in the United States, this costeffective hel icopter accommodates five to six pas sengers, all in forwardfacing seats. Its high performance, enhanced maneuver ability and reduced pilot workload make the American Eurocopter AS350 the pre ferred rotarywing aircraft in the indus try for a growing number of civilian users, air medical services and law enforcement agencies. This fine aircraft became even better in 2011, with the introduction of the AS350 B3e, which offers numerous improvements includ ing 30 minute takeoff power, longer time between engine overhauls and lower direct maintenance costs.
the restrictions. When new
TFRs were a n n o u n c e d , LASD were able to set up geofences so they could be notified if any of their aircraft flew into or near a restricted area. LASD was also easily able to identify if an aircraft belonged to them when questioned by other groups monitoring the TFRs. “Having an ISAT installed on our air craft made navigating the TFRs a much simpler process. At a glance we were able to redirect our aircraft if needed,”
paign, local law enforcement agencies and other departments needed to be aware of the temporary flight restric tions (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 manage ment program to ensure aircraft avoid ed TFRs, and to identify and respond to questions about aircraft flying during
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