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Greener Tampa Police Helicopter Takes To Skies

Tribune photo by KATHY MOORE

The new Bell 206 Long Ranger 4 can travel at up to 140 mph.

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By VALERIE KALFRIN

vkalfrin@tampatrib.com

Published: December 5, 2008

TAMPA - It's painted blue and white, but Tampa police say their new helicopter is fuel-efficient green.

Officers will take to the skies in a new Bell 206 Long Ranger 4, a craft that costs about $100 less an hour to operate than the helicopter it replaced, Maj. Marc Hamlin said.

The older helicopter, a Bell 407, was purchased years ago with a grant of roughly $2.1 million. The department decided to trade it in for the same price for two reasons: the older helicopter was approaching a pricey $400,000 required inspection, and the cost of the new one dropped.

With its smaller engine and two-bladed rotor system, the new helicopter is more economical, costing about $325 per hour for fuel, Hamlin said. It can travel at up to 140 mph.

The chopper took off about 10 a.m. today to help officers scope out the neighborhood around a burglary in the 4700 block of North Habana Avenue, police said. The aviation unit is on call 24 hours a day and typically helps officers locate suspects and track vehicles, Hamlin said.

To increase its fuel savings, the unit has dropped three hours from its standard patrols during the early-morning, midday and late-night shifts after analyzing its peak hours for service, Hamlin said. The unit now patrols about seven hours throughout the day, in addition to being on call, he said.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.

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