The new Air 5 RCMP helicopter was officially unveiled in Langley, dedicated to a pilot who died in a training crash seven years ago in Chilliwack.
The brand new H145 Airbus helicopter is larger and has more bells and whistles than other local police helicopters, including longer range cameras, a hoist that can haul up rescue victims or allow ERT members to rappel down, space for two stretchers in the back, and simplified computerized displays for the pilot.
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But Cpl. Curtis Brassington, the tactical flight officer, choked up when talking about one particular feature sa国际传媒� the name and call sign, which are in honour of the late civilian pilot Dave Brolin.
Brolinsa国际传媒檚 initials form (DJB) the last three letters of the aircraftsa国际传媒檚 call sign, and sa国际传媒淭he Spirit of Holidavesa国际传媒� has been written on the side of the helicopter, after Brolinsa国际传媒檚 nickname.
Compared to the smaller and lighter Air 1 and Air 2 helicopters often seen over the Lower Mainland, the new Air 5 is more of a sa国际传媒渨orkhorse,sa国际传媒� according to the RCMP officials on hand for the unveiling.
It will be based out of the RCMP hangar in Langley, but will operate province-wide. With its twin-engine design sa国际传媒� a first for an RCMP helicopter in B.C. sa国际传媒� it can travel over water by night, and is also capable of dropping off patients directly at hospital helicopter landing pads.
Asked about recent noisy training flights that disrupted sleep for people in Cloverdale and parts of Langley, Brassington noted that those were done using a B3 helicopter borrowed from Edmonton for training.
sa国际传媒淲e have been operational at night for the last 13 years,sa国际传媒� Brassington said.
He noted that the new H145 Airbus should not only be quieter than the B3 being used for training, it should be quieter than the current smaller Air 1 and Air 2 helicopters.
sa国际传媒淲ill we be doing training in Willoughby?sa国际传媒� Brassington said. sa国际传媒淲e may!sa国际传媒�
They do their training in areas where they may have to work, which includes urban and suburban areas, he noted.
The Air 5 cost $13.4 million, funded 70 per cent by the province and 30 per cent by Ottawa. Itsa国际传媒檚 expected operational lifespan is about 20 years.
The Air 5 isnsa国际传媒檛 in the air quite yet. Pilots and crews still have two to three months of training to do before itsa国际传媒檚 fully operational.
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