Birds Grounded

[rescuecpt]

This sucks so much. Our helo's aren't even really ours - PD has priority usage over EMS... this makes it so much worse:

Choppers on the shelf

Officials say the aircraft were grounded due to cracked parts, but the manufacturer disputes the claims

Two Suffolk police medevac helicopters -- purchased three years ago for just under $5 million each -- have been grounded because their financially troubled manufacturer is balking at replacing cracked parts.

Police officials say the loss of the two choppers, built by Mesa, Ariz.-based MD Helicopters, forced the county to shut down the air unit at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton earlier this month, adding 15 minutes to East End rescues.

The county's lone remaining A-Star B2 helicopter, made by Texas-based American Eurocopter, will stop operating out of Long Island MacArthur Airport on Saturday during a week or two of routine maintenance. As a result, the entire Suffolk aviation unit will be shut down for the first time in decades, according to police officials.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisla...ories-headlines

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by rescuecpt@Dec 30 2004, 05:41 PM
This sucks so much. Our helo's aren't even really ours - PD has priority usage over EMS... this makes it so much worse:

Choppers on the shelf

Officials say the aircraft were grounded due to cracked parts, but the manufacturer disputes the claims

Two Suffolk police medevac helicopters -- purchased three years ago for just under $5 million each -- have been grounded because their financially troubled manufacturer is balking at replacing cracked parts.

Police officials say the loss of the two choppers, built by Mesa, Ariz.-based MD Helicopters, forced the county to shut down the air unit at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton earlier this month, adding 15 minutes to East End rescues.

The county's lone remaining A-Star B2 helicopter, made by Texas-based American Eurocopter, will stop operating out of Long Island MacArthur Airport on Saturday during a week or two of routine maintenance. As a result, the entire Suffolk aviation unit will be shut down for the first time in decades, according to police officials.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisla...ories-headlines

That ain't good. One of our local services JUST got one 6 months ago. This could be big trouble, espicially since their other bird is goign offlease now, and was an Bo105 (not great on room).


Jon

 

[PArescueEMT]

ant that was after their first new one hit a bridge... while being shipped on a truck.
I don'e think that they will have the problem tho, the had it shipped from Europe to the US.