New police helicopter images
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Different beasts, different capabilities, specialisms and running costs. They can each do a certain amount of the other's work and when used wisely can complement each other, but to say they can do the same job is just plain wrong.
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: North of South
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No it isnt , GMP quite often use the defender if the heli is down as other islander forces use helis when theirs are down . It is not the role for which the defender is operated by them for but it is certainly capable .So apart from Nightsun and capability to land , what is the 902 can do that the defender cannot ?????
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Long range work, surveillance, general purpose photos - fixed wing by far the best.
Detailed, intricate searches, fast response close range work, filming some scrote as he jigs around the back alleys discarding evidence - rotary every time.
A whole range of work in between for which each has an advantage or disadvantage.
If fixed wing can do just as well at everything, why are there 3 fixed wing [not counting the ones we know don't exist] versus 10 times as many rotary? Fixed wing can do about 75% of what a helicopter can do at less than half the cost, but it's that remaining 25% most police operators feel is indispensible and therefore worth the extra. Some forces have elected to go down the fixed wing route on grounds of cost, and have avoided awkward questions about the above ratios; all credit to North East for sacking the Teesside Islander and getting a second rotary, because for their requirements that's what's most effective.
Detailed, intricate searches, fast response close range work, filming some scrote as he jigs around the back alleys discarding evidence - rotary every time.
A whole range of work in between for which each has an advantage or disadvantage.
If fixed wing can do just as well at everything, why are there 3 fixed wing [not counting the ones we know don't exist] versus 10 times as many rotary? Fixed wing can do about 75% of what a helicopter can do at less than half the cost, but it's that remaining 25% most police operators feel is indispensible and therefore worth the extra. Some forces have elected to go down the fixed wing route on grounds of cost, and have avoided awkward questions about the above ratios; all credit to North East for sacking the Teesside Islander and getting a second rotary, because for their requirements that's what's most effective.
Join Date: Sep 2005
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There are disadvantages and advantages to both granted what I was saying was that the defender can accomplish the role of the heli when necessary . No it cant hover , so what? move around wx ???? that lost me a bit are we saying fixed wing aircraft can only fly in straight lines? and operate safely lower ?? to what end ? Yes they can go lower and move slightly slower but at 60 kts at 1000ft the job can be accomplished just as well with the modern camera systems, in fact some systems are not good at all much lower .
Yes Helis are better for the police role and most forces who use islanders do so cos they are penny pinching eejits and any ASU worth its salt would elect to have a rotary , that is not the debate . The point is which of the following can not be accomplished by an islander :-
Pursuits
Persons searches
Photographic tasks
Incident management tasks
Surveillance
I could go on
apart from casevacs and the very infrequent "land on to arrest" They can do the job when necessary . Its not really worth a head banging "I dont think so" is it .
In fact in the long long career I have had in asu's both fixed wing and rotary the only difference I have noticed in capabilities is in that of the observers. It is much easier to be an observer in a heli for many different reasons but to the troops on the ground it makes no difference at all. The end result is almost always the same .
But hey at the end of the day every observer and pilot knows Rotary is way more fun and thats what we should all have . and have CSO's observing in them
no wait thats wrong I think 
Yes Helis are better for the police role and most forces who use islanders do so cos they are penny pinching eejits and any ASU worth its salt would elect to have a rotary , that is not the debate . The point is which of the following can not be accomplished by an islander :-
Pursuits
Persons searches
Photographic tasks
Incident management tasks
Surveillance
I could go on
apart from casevacs and the very infrequent "land on to arrest" They can do the job when necessary . Its not really worth a head banging "I dont think so" is it .
In fact in the long long career I have had in asu's both fixed wing and rotary the only difference I have noticed in capabilities is in that of the observers. It is much easier to be an observer in a heli for many different reasons but to the troops on the ground it makes no difference at all. The end result is almost always the same .
But hey at the end of the day every observer and pilot knows Rotary is way more fun and thats what we should all have . and have CSO's observing in them
no wait thats wrong I think
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: 50°-60°N
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222, not sure if the SWales 135 is technically 'online' but it's sure been flying around the area for the last few weeks (at least) and I haven't seen/heard the 355 since. It was at Swansea this morn refuelling and if you'd posted 24hrs earlier I'd have grabbed a pic for you - sorry 
Cheers, BM
Cheers, BM
oh, most definitely online...
...and a wee self-portrait...
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: South of North and East of West!
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Nice photos!
I notice that the avionics pod is missing from the belly and that the low skids are fitted, is this because Bond are now supplying the aircraft and not McAlpine?
Jim
I notice that the avionics pod is missing from the belly and that the low skids are fitted, is this because Bond are now supplying the aircraft and not McAlpine?
Jim
How's the CofG? Better than the Kuwaiti T1 CPDS, which had all that gubbins PLUS a clunky old CRT screen and VHS recorder fwd in the cabin. Not to mention aircon, sand filters and WSPS; even though the last-mentioned is only around 6kg, it's at the extreme front end and not user removable. Oh, did I forget to mention the winch? Just as well it never came out of its box - they didn't have the appropriate skid-step...
Great to see S Wales join the rest of the industry finally - best wishes for your operations.
It does concern me that on the one hand the paint scheme makes an attempt at complying with conspicuity and then falls flat on its face by checkerboarding the tail cone and fin.
Defeating the whole ethos of conspicuity.
I think some forces have forgotten what it's all about.
This is going to be one bitch of an a/c to spot against a busy background.
I hope they'll be flying with both their landing/hover lights on.
It does concern me that on the one hand the paint scheme makes an attempt at complying with conspicuity and then falls flat on its face by checkerboarding the tail cone and fin.
Defeating the whole ethos of conspicuity.
I think some forces have forgotten what it's all about.
This is going to be one bitch of an a/c to spot against a busy background.
I hope they'll be flying with both their landing/hover lights on.