The R66 Police Helicopter replaces the fleet of MD 500s, with advanced features including a fully certified NVG cockpit
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit in Florida has taken delivery of its third R66 Police Helicopter, replacing its aging MD 500 fleet.
The Aviation Unit’s fleet now has three R66 Police Helicopters and one Cessna 182T.
Each of the white-and-green trimmed helicopters is equipped with a fully certified NVG cockpit, an AeroComputers moving map system, a Genesys HeliSAS autopilot, a Technisonic tactical radio and a Wescam MX-10 HD camera system.
PCSO operates three helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft
The unit carries out a range of missions, with its helicopter fleet – two Robinson R66 helicopters and an MD500 – largely being used for tactical and preventative patrol missions. The aircraft are equipped with stability augmentation systems (SAS), autopilot systems, as well as the L3 Harris WESCAM MX-10 imaging system.
“Tactical patrol missions normally consist of area searches for offenders and missing persons, pursuit management and search and rescue. Preventative patrol missions respond to specific crime trends, such as vehicle burglaries … or environmental crimes such as unlawful dumping,” Wright explained.
Meanwhile, the Aviation Unit’s fixed-wing aircraft, a Cessna 182T, is primarily used for the transport of cargo, personnel, and passengers, as well as for aerial surveillance. Wright says the unit is currently considering the possibility of provisioning the aircraft with ‘imaging and mapping systems’ to expand the aircraft’s functional capabilities.
The aircraft are maintained by Dixie Jet and Rotor Service, a local maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) firm based at Lakeland Linder International Airport in the west of the county. While weekly inspections of the aircraft are carried out by Dixie at the Wilkinson-Rhoden base, more intensive scheduled maintenance is conducted at Dixie’s base in Lakeland.