MD Helicopters MD 520N
Today is 5.20: May 20th
The MD website features photos of police agencies using their helicopters
The MD 520N is an agile and nimble helicopter that boasts a flight performance unparalleled by any other light twin in the world. It was designed to combine the maneuverability of single-engine helicopters with the speed, power, and efficiency of larger multi-engine models.
Manufacturer: MD Helicopters
Country: United States
Manufactured: 1991 to: Present
ICAO: MD52
Stock options: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS is a brand of THE BOEING COMPANY (BA)
NOTAR [No Tail Rotor] Technology
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The enclosed variable-pitch composite blade fan produces a low pressure, high volume of ambient air to pressurize the composite tailboom.
The air is expelled through two slots which run the length of the tailboom on the starboard (right) side, causing a boundary-layer control called the Coanda Effect. The result is that the tailboom becomes a "wing", flying in the downwash of the rotor system, producing up to 60 percent of the anti-torque required in a hover. The balance of the directional control is accomplished by a rotating direct jet thruster.
In forward flight, the vertical stabilizers provide the majority of the anti-torque, however directional control remains a function of the direct jet thruster.
NOTAR® TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS:
Greater Safety
Studies have shown that 21 percent of all crashes are due to tailrotor strikes or loss of tail rotor effectiveness; NOTAR® systems eliminate these problems.
Reduced Noise
Designed and tested to be 50 percent quieter than any other helicopter. NOTAR-equipped helicopters are among the quietest certified helicopters available.
Reduced Pilot Workload
Using the Coanda Effect to provide tail boom lift and anti-torque, the system is more stable and easier to control. This effect reduces the sensitivity to wind direction on helicopter control.
Reduced Aircraft Vibration
The inherent stability of the standard MD 500 is further improved by the elimination of the exposed tail rotor assembly, which reduces overall helicopter vibrations and increases passenger comfort while reducing pilot fatigue.
N520PD at the 31st annual Rose Bowl Fly-In at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Law Enforcement
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Burbank And Glendale Police Joint Air Support Unit To Operate The Aircraft
A new MD 520N helicopter has been delivered to the Burbank and Glendale Police Joint Air Support Unit located in the state of California. With this delivery, Burbank and Glendale will own four of the aircraft.
Joining the MDHI team at the Company’s Mesa, Arizona headquarters were Lt. Stewart Brackin and Sgt. Rich Phillips, Glendale Police Department; Captain Mike Albanese and Pilot Steve Conaway, Burbank Police Department; and Rich Weiser, Director of Maintenance, Glendale/Burbank Police Air Support.
“The addition of our fourth MD 520N aircraft to our Joint Air Support Unit reinforces our commitment to providing proactive law enforcement and high quality police services to our diverse community,” said Lieutenant Stewart Brackin, Burbank/Glendale Police Air Support. “These aircraft are unmatched for their speed, durability, and maneuverability. And, due to the integration of MD Helicopters’ exclusive NOTAR technology, they are much quieter and considerably safer to operate. Our pilots, and the citizens of Glendale and Burbank, really appreciate that.”
The MD 520N is one of just three helicopters – all manufactured by MD Helicopters, Inc. – that feature the exclusive NOTAR system for anti-torque and directional control. By replacing conventional tail rotors with the NOTAR system, the margin of safety immediately increases for crew and aircraft, and the noise decreases; making it an exceptional choice for operation in densely populated areas.
The Burbank/Glendale MD 520N is equipped with a 420-shp Rolls-Royce 250-C20R/2 turbine engine and a complete Law Enforcement Performance Package. Utility features – dual side mounts, a 2,000 lb. cargo hook, auxiliary fuel tank, and wire strike protection kit - are complemented by a cockpit configuration that features a Garmin G500H EFIS all-glass avionics flight display, Garmin Aera 796 portable GPS, an AeroComputers moving map system, and a Technisonic tactical radio.
The SX-16 Nightsun searchlight provides bi-directional focus capabilities that allows the operator to cycle between wide and narrow focus, and a FLIR ULTRA8500 imaging system provides greater range and visibility to optimize the helicopter’s support of all tactical ground operations. “MD Helicopters is proud of the depth, breadth and long-term loyalty of our law enforcement customer base,” said Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer for MD Helicopters. “Our aircraft deliver the overall performance and reliability airborne law enforcement agencies require. We are honored by Burbank/Glendale’s long-standing commitment to MDHI and are excited to see this latest MD 520N join their air support fleet.
[https://www.transformgov.org/sites/transformgov.org/files/304475_Glendale%2C%20Burbank%2C%20and%20Pasadena.pdf]
AIR SUPPORT
Understanding the advantages of public safety aviation, the City of Burbank has made a significant investment in establishing the Police Air Support Unit. In 1979, the City joined forces with the City of Glendale to create a joint Air Support Unit which continues to operate today.
The Air Support Unit, located at the Burbank Airport, has a staff of 5 police officers, 1 sergeant, and 1 civilian helicopter mechanic. The unit operates 7 days a week and remains on duty until the early morning hours.
Flying aerial patrol is the unit’s primary duty, but other duties include surveillances, SWAT insertion, fire long-line operations, fire observation flights, photo flights, search and rescue, and conducts ‘green pool’ mosquito- abatement operations, with city inspectors.
The unit provides patrol service to both the cities of Glendale and Pasadena, but will also provide emergency service to other government agencies when requested.
The unit has 3 MD520 NOTAR® helicopters (no tail rotor blades). These aircraft are known for being 50% quieter than helicopters with rear tail rotor blades. All aircraft is equipped with the latest hi-tech equipment which includes a video camera system that can broadcast a live video picture to television monitors on the ground, a computerized map guide (basically a “Thomas Guide” map on a computer screen), color video camera, GPS system, “Lo-Jack” system, and a FLIR camera (night time viewing capability).
Typically, when the air unit is dispatched to a call, it arrives at the scene before the first ground unit 75 % of the time.
[https://www.burbankpd.org/specialized-units/air-support/]
Background and Intent of the Program:
The Cities of Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena are located within the County of Los Angeles
and cumulatively cover over seventy square miles (thirty-seven, seventeen, and twenty-three
respectively), and collectively serve over 430,000 residents. Each municipality has its own police
department and together they employ 677 sworn police personnel, with the City of Glendale
being the third largest within the county at a level of 255 peace officers.
In the early 1970s all three cities were faced with the need to expand their services in order to
keep pace with the climbing crime rates. Many larger police departments across the country
began utilizing helicopters as a means to stem this growing trend and in order to create a police
force multiplier built on an aerial law enforcement platform. Consequently, Glendale, Burbank,
and Pasadena decided to create air support units that have been in place and highly successful for
the past forty years. Yet, while Glendale and Burbank acted in unison through joint operations
efforts that were formalized in 1979, it was not until a couple years ago that the
Glendale/Burbank Police Air Support Unit began a test program with the Pasadena Police
Department, extending its reach to several other partner and contract cities. As aircraft
technology and helicopter speed have increased over the past several decades, it has become
possible to fly between the furthest apart cities, Burbank and Pasadena, in less than four minutes;
however, it was not until recently that the cities decided to overlap and schedule their patrol
flights to benefit these service delivery and public safety efficiencies.
Costs and Savings:
In 2007, Glendale and Burbank officially merged their air units into one and began splitting the
associated costs in half. This resulted in a reduction of total up in the air flight time by one-half
and a net savings of over $600,000 per year. It also allowed personnel to be freed up and
transferred to other assignments within their respective departments, which had a positive impact
on human resources management. In 2010, Glendale approached the Pasadena Police
Department’s Air Support Unit and suggested ways that the cities could work together for mutual
benefit and expanded savings to residents, business, and local community entities.
SYNOPSIS
Innovative Characteristics:
Deploying helicopters, maintaining aircraft infrastructure, and ensuring pilots are trained in the
most up-to-date procedures requires extensive labor and financial capital. While police
helicopters are an advantageous resource because of their unparalleled and quick response times,
to be effective they must be in the air when the calls for service are dispatched (meaning they
cannot respond from the ground). Thus, bringing Pasadena into the cross-jurisdictional
arrangement allowed the cities to increase the number of flight hours for each city without
increasing costs. The three cities are geographically located in a way that enables a law
enforcement response from anywhere within the region in less than four minutes as long as the
police departments are working in coordination with one another. This was the impetus for the
partnership that ultimately arose in 2010.
Collectively, the three police departments assessed crime statistics to determine the highest and
best use of the helicopter services. A flight schedule was designed around those days and times
that were most active based on calls for service and initiated police efforts. Moreover, the flight
times were staggered so that when a Glendale/Burbank helicopter was airborne the Pasadena
helicopter was grounded and when the Glendale/Burbank helicopter landed the Pasadena
helicopter launched. In order to accomplish this, all helicopters needed to be able to
communicate with one another, which was done through the programming of existing radios and
by adding a talking group or air support frequency that allowed any dispatcher to reach any
helicopter on “Air Tac” to summon their services.
As an innovative operational component, the departments agreed to a ninety-day evaluation
period focused on two days per week that were selected for helicopter deployment and analysis,
and which informed decisions about program modifications before a full implementation was
rolled-out. Over time, the two-day schedule was expanded to a four-day model and eventually
established as an everyday resource for the cities, which remains in effect today.
By working collaboratively, and scheduling flight times in response to the demands of each city,
the amount of flights have been doubled at zero additional cost to the departments and have more
importantly yielded human capital and annual financial savings of over $600,000.
Outcomes and Applicable Results:
Although the largest obstacle to launching this successful program was the reluctance among the
three police departments to give up day-to-day administrative control and agree to work together
under new conditions, spanning boundaries and breaking down silos, a sit-down, face-to-face,
informal meeting was the starting point. Understanding that the ‘new normal’ of government
planning, budgeting, and service provision is dependent on working across jurisdictions and with
other sectors, Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena have come together to save money and lives.
This joint air support model has practical applications for the management of dispatch centers,
jails, K-9 units and SWAT teams, and when coupled with ingenuity and problem solving can
have profound effects.
Presentation Style:
For the presentation, PowerPoint, images, and videos would be utilized to showcase police air
units and demonstrate the abilities and benefits of helicopter tactics when deployed within a
multi-jurisdictional or joint municipal operational framework.
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To the police pilots of BPD & GPD, Happy 5.20 & thank you for everything you do!!
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Agencies using the N520:
Burbank / Glendale, CA Police
Huntington Beach, CA Police
St. Louis, MO Police
Louisville, KY Police
Belgium
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