Fri, Sep 30, 2011
PCSO Re-Defining Helicopter Mission With New Aircraft
The Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) in Tucson, Arizona
has recently placed an order for its first helicopter from American
Eurocopter – an AS350 B3e (AStar).
File Photo
After a tragic accident earlier this year, Lt. Bob Kimmins and
Capt. Don Kester were tasked with redefining the Department's
helicopter mission and identifying the appropriate aircraft for
that mission. For many years, the Pima County Sheriff's Department
maintained aircraft for border crime enforcement and tactical
insertion missions, while the Arizona Department of Public Safety
(AZ DPS) was the primary helicopter provider for the Sheriff's
search and rescue missions. However, recent budget cutbacks by AZ
DPS increased the need for PCSD to have search and rescue
capability. So, the Sheriff's Department needed a helicopter
capable of supporting all three missions.
"We traveled coast-to-coast meeting with law enforcement
agencies with experience flying American Eurocopter, Bell and MD
products," says Kimmins, who is the Department’s Tactical
Response Commander. "By almost unanimous consent the law
enforcement officers we spoke with said that the AS350 was the best
aircraft for our missions. The others didn't meet the criteria for
everything we needed to do." The aircraft is powered by a new
Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine and equipped with a new FADEC and Engine
Data Recorder, which enhance performance and system management.
With a population of over 980,000, Pima County covers over 9,000
square miles. "One day we may be doing a rescue in the desert where
it's 112 degrees, and the next day we could be in a much colder
mountain climate at an altitude of over 10,000 feet," notes
Kimmins.
The PCSO expects to take delivery of its AS350 B3e early
2012.
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