Las Vegas police unveil new $9.6M helicopter
Las Vegas police unveil new helicopter (Patrick Connolly and Blake Apgar/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
The new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
The new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
The new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
The new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Bryan Woolard, a helicopter pilot, right, laughs with Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr. before unveiling the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr. speaks about the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., left, speaks about the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter while pilot Bryan Woolard stands by at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Media gather around the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
The new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
The new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., center, and pilot Bryan Woolard prepare the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., right, and pilot Bryan Woolard prepare the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., right, and pilot Bryan Woolard bring out the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., right, and pilot Bryan Woolard bring out the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr. prepares the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Pilot Bryan Woolard prepares the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr. prepares for flight aboard the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr. prepares for flight aboard the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Gauges in the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Gauges in the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of Rancho Drive from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of the Las Vegas Valley looking northwest from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of the Las Vegas Valley looking northwest from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chernéy Amhara of FOX5, left, and police spokesman Larry Hadfield, right in the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of the former Badlands Golf Course from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of Summerlin from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of Summerlin Parkway from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., right, and pilot Bryan Woolard in the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of the Las Vegas Valley looking northwest from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of Red Rock Canyon from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of Red Rock Canyon from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A view of Red Rock Canyon and the Strip from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Houses in Summerlin from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
A golf course seen from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
The Strip as seen from the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Pilot Bryan Woolard flies the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Pilot Bryan Woolard flies the new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
The new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie
Updated August 16, 2017 - 7:40 pm
The Metropolitan Police Department unveiled a big upgrade to its air unit Wednesday — a $9.6 million helicopter that will aid mainly in search-and-rescue missions.
“It is a significant advancement to our current capabilities,” said officer Steve Morris Jr., the chief pilot for Metro’s air support section.
The new Airbus H145 sports two engines, which will let the chopper keep flying if one engine fails. It also has a smaller rotor diameter than the department’s current search-and-rescue fleet, and that lets the helicopter maneuver in tight spaces.
The department’s other search-and-rescue helicopters are from 1973.
The purchase was approved by the department’s Fiscal Affairs Committee, which consists of two county commissioners, two Las Vegas City Council members and one civilian recommended by the sheriff.
Most of the air unit’s rescue missions occur at Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston, Morris said. The air unit assists in about 120 rescue missions annually.
Morris said the new helicopter will be in service for at least 25 years.
Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.
Airborne honor
The chopper's tail number honors Officer David VanBuskirk, who fell to his death in 2013 while trying to lift a stranded hiker to a helicopter at Mount Charleston.
