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G-MPSA is one of three Eurocopter EC145s that came into
service with London's Met Police in July 2007. Based at Lippits Hill,
Essex, they replace white Twin Squirrel helicopters. The registrations of
the other Eurocopters are G-MPSB and G-MPSC. |
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G-CHSU is a Eurocopter EC135T which is operated by Chiltern Air
Support Unit. |
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This is a photograph of G-NEAU, one of the two police
helicopters used in North East England covering the Northumbria, Durham
and Cleveland forces. This Eurocopter 135 is based at Durham Tees Valley
Airport. It carries a Nite-Sun searchlight, daylight and thermal imaging
video camera and a stretcher. |
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G-PSNI is the police air support helicopter for
Northern Ireland. |
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G-CAMB is Cambridgeshire Police's helicopter. |
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Here we have a G-WPAS, the Wiltshire Police Air Support
Unit. The MD Explorer helicopter is jointly operated with Wiltshire Ambulance
Service as an air
ambulance. |
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The helicopter lifts off. You can see the gyrostabilised camera mounted
below the nose of the helicopter and the night-sun spotlight mounted at
the end of the port skid. |
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G-WPAS is not equipped with a
tail rotor. Instead, hot air is ducted out of the rear of the boom
providing stability. This makes the aircraft quieter to operate and easier
to control when landing in confined places. It also makes it safer for
persons moving around the exterior of the aircraft when its engines are
running. |
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| G-WCAO is the air support unit
of Western Counties Air Operations Unit. This Eurocopter EC 135 T1 was
built in 2001. |
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| The same aircraft in
flight. |
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| This is the West Yorkshire Police Air Support Unit, a MD902
Explorer. Its police callsign is Xray-99 and the CAA callsign is G-YPOL. West
Yorks got a Messerchmitt Bolkow Blohm B0105 DBS4, registration G-WYPA, in
December 1989 and this helicopter replaced it in February 2001. |
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| The Explorer was built in Phoenix, Arizona by MD
Helicopters Inc. and cost in the region of £3.2m. Equipment carried includes loudhailer,
cameras, video equipment, night vision cameras, stabilised binoculars,
searchlight, and tracker unit for stolen vehicles. |
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| The helicopter is able to reach anywhere in West Yorkshire
within 12 minutes. It has a maximum range of 238 miles, and a top speed of
143 mph. The Explorer has no tail rotor, making the helicopter much
quieter and safer on the ground. |
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Above is the first type of police helicopter to be used in the North East of England: a Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm Bo 105DBS/4.
(G-PASD) |
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The second helicopter, the Aerospatiale AS 355F-1 Twin Squirrel.
(G-PASF) |
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This is the front shot of G-PASF, a helicopter once shared by Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland police forces. |
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Below that is the next chopper, the Eurocopter EC135T (G-NESV). All of them have been based at Newcastle Airport. |
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The side view. |
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The cockpit. |
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Below is G-NESU, the North East Spotter Unit.
This is a Britten-Norman BN-2B-20 Islander. |
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| The North East police helicopter (G-NESV) with the Great North
Air Ambulance (G-NAAS) in the background and a Durham Honda motorbike in the
foreground. |
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| The North East police helicopter (G-NESV) with one of its
pilots. |
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Here are a few pictures of the the Eurocopter EC135T (G-NESV) as it takes off.
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