Los Angeles County Sherrif Air Rescue Videos

Started by ♠SARKID♠, February 09, 2012, 05:31:21 AM

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♠SARKID♠

Thought the forum might enjoy this.  The Los Angeles County Sheriff helicopter rescue team has been posting videos of some of their rescues on YouTube.  Pretty cool stuff; shot with helmet cams so you see the action up close.  They've got 24 videos up, newest one was posted this evening.

Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Air Rescue V-26.mov

SarDragon

Kool beans. That spinning crap sucks, though. I got a practice ride like that from the relative comfort of the grass next to the runway, and it was still hairy. And fun.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

PHall

LASD's Aero Bereau does have some seriously cool toys, like Air Rescue 5, a Sikorsky SH-3.
Not too many County Sheriff's have a bird that big, that gets used all of the time!

Flying Pig

There is absolutely NO reason for them to have an H3 other than for being LASD!  Back in the day, you needed big.  Now-a-days, that thing is way overkill with modern technology.  But hey......Id fly it! ;D

They are however, the only LE agency with an H3.  San Bernardino used to have one but they dumped it years ago.  Of course we are also talking about the same county that flies UH60 Firehawks specially built for them!!

SarDragon

The H-3/Sikorsky S-61 is a POS. It's a very expensive helo to fly, in terms of fuel consumption and maintenance hours. I'm guessing the civilian version is a little better, due to much less salt air exposure.

I'm certainly not willing to ever fly in one again. The only helo I know that is a bigger flying leak is the H-46 or H-47.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

PHall

LASD's SH-3 replaced a throughly wore out H-34. The biggest reason they went with the Military Surplus SH-3 was it's large cabin.
Air 5 is a graduate of the Bone Yard at Davis-Monthan AFB.

PHall

Quote from: PHall on February 10, 2012, 04:23:58 AM
LASD's SH-3D replaced a throughly wore out H-34. The biggest reason they went with the Military Surplus SH-3 was it's large cabin.
Air 5 is a graduate of the Bone Yard at Davis-Monthan AFB.

SarDragon

Quote from: PHall on February 10, 2012, 04:23:58 AM
LASD's SH-3 replaced a throughly wore out H-34. The biggest reason they went with the Military Surplus SH-3 was it's large cabin.
Air 5 is a graduate of the Bone Yard at Davis-Monthan AFB.

H-3 =/= H-34. Not at all. I have worked on and flown in both, and they are very different.

Just to be clear, I'm going on the basis that these are the military designations for these airframes.

The H-34 is powered by an R-1820-[xx] radial engine, and has a 4-blade rotor. It looks like a flying ice cream cone.



The H-3 is a newer, by five years, turbine powered (two T-58-GE-10) airframe with a 5-blade rotor.



There is also a civilian, turbine (two PT-6 in a twin-pak similar to the UH-1N/Bell 212), version of the H-34, called an S-58T. It still has a 4-blade rotor.

Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

sarmed1

These guys have always impressed me as far as Air Rescue goes.....there arent a lot of agencies LE or otherwise that do it.  Basede on their affinity for mil surplus aircraft I have to wonder if the next step in the chain is going to be surplus 53's..... that would be pretty cool to see.

mk
Capt.  Mark "K12" Kleibscheidel

Flying Pig

This is where the PR guys can smile.  Agencies across the country do this everyday.  They just dont get the media exposure L.A. does.  Heck, those guys flew their H3 into Michael Jacksons compound to recover his body for the coroner!   Yes they are good at what they do, but that helicopter costs them hundreds of thousands a year to operate.  San Bernardino County (the largest county in the country at 20,000sq miles) dumped theirs years ago for the AS350B3.  The CHP covers the entire state with the B3 and does rescues off of the face of El Capitan in Yosemite.  Their justification for having it is the need to evacuate Catalina.   Thats why LA Fire just got 3 Super Pumas.  I am all for toys, and Im sure they have evaluated their budget but I bet getting rid of that thing could probably double the size of their unit!  I think youll see them get away from the mil-surplus and see them get a Super Puma like their fire brothers, or even an LE version of the Fire Hawk. 

PHall

#10
[Redacted]

Jerry Jacobs

So are the paramedics doing those rescues with the Sheriff's Department or are they fire and brought in on as needed basis? Is that something I'd start out as a medic with ems and transition later or would I have to start out in LE?

PHall

Quote from: Jerry Jacobs on February 11, 2012, 03:16:43 AM
So are the paramedics doing those rescues with the Sheriff's Department or are they fire and brought in on as needed basis? Is that something I'd start out as a medic with ems and transition later or would I have to start out in LE?

In LA County the Sheriff Department has their own Paramedics for the Aero Bereau and the County Fire Department has their own Paramedics on their birds.
They do interfly when needed, which doesn't happen that often.

Flying Pig

Quote from: Jerry Jacobs on February 11, 2012, 03:16:43 AM
So are the paramedics doing those rescues with the Sheriff's Department or are they fire and brought in on as needed basis? Is that something I'd start out as a medic with ems and transition later or would I have to start out in LE?

They are all Deputies/Medics.  I can call over and ask.  But I think you join LASO as  a Deputy (after having come from the EMS side) and then compete against every other EMS, former Navy Corpsman, Army Medic, Paramedic, ex-PJ type in the 8,000 man department who wants that same spot your trying for ;D  CHP flies with paramedics if thats something your interested in.  But you have to be a CHP street officer first.  But I know they alaways seem to be looking for medics.  Hard part is getting hired by them to begin with.  Right now their hiring process is taking about 3 yrs because of budgets.
San Bernardino Sheriff uses a system of volunteer medics and doctors to staff their rescue helicopters.

simon

Quotebut that helicopter costs them hundreds of thousands a year to operate

It's the government. Cost is irrelevant so long as citizens keep paying taxes and don't vote them out in disgust.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the equation, the Civil Air Patrol gets replacement instruments for its 30 year old 182's from a stockpile of reconditioned ones in various states of repair at National in Maryland. While it can use these machines to fly border patrol for $100 an hour, including fuel, maintenance reserve and two unpaid flight crew, the government has decided that Lockheed should do the job instead with Predator Drones which cost $5 million each, plus paid ground crew, at contractor rates, plus all the overhead of a military contract. Try doing the hourly math on that one.

There is no sense of logic in military spending. Economically, we'd would be better off bidding the border deal out and allowing the Canadian Air Force to bring down their entire fleet.

Seriously. Cubs. Both of them.

Spaceman3750

Quote from: simon on February 13, 2012, 05:30:45 AM
There is no sense of logic in military spending.

Because it's complicated by politics and warm fuzzies.

Stearmann4

Quote from: SarDragon on February 10, 2012, 01:52:45 AMI'm certainly not willing to ever fly in one again. The only helo I know that is a bigger flying leak is the H-46 or H-47.

I've flown all three, to include the Blackhawk and I don't remember one leaking more than the other. As for the 47, if you had 9,000SHP, 7 transmissions, 7 drive shafts, 2 rotor heads, 6 articulating blades, and 3 hydraulic systems, you'd probably do some leaking too:o)

Mike-

P.S. That actually scared me after typing it all out and re-reading it!
Active Duty Army Aviator
Silver Wings Flying Company, LLC
Olympia Regional Airport (KOLM)
www.Silverwingsflying.com

SarDragon

I only flew on an H-3 a few times, but I worked in an intermediate level avionics shop that fixed H-3 gear. Much of the stuff coming through had at least a film of MIL-H-5606 on/in it. Frequently it was dripping.

The coffee in the plotters was an entirely different issue.  :(
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

Smokey

The rescue guys on Air 5 are from the Emergency Services Detail (ESD) part of the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB).  They are SWAT trained paramedics with specialized training in mountain rescue, dive trained, etc.  A very tough physical agility test to get in...They must have worked the jail, patrol (usually five + years and time as a training officer.) Usually they go to the SWAT side (SWT-Special Weapons Team) first before going to ESD. Think of them as Air Force PJs without being jump trained (they do not parachute out).  ESD has special vehicles they use and respond to every SWT call out. They are part of the entry team.  They do dive rescue, cave rescue urban rescue, etc.  Jack of all trades AND master of them all too.

Air 5 is specially equiped.  The interior is set up to handle casualties.  The floor/walls are special made to contain blood and fluids to prevent contamination of the rest of the craft.  The pilots are part of Aero Bureau and are not paramedics.  Air 5 aircraaft are scheduled for replacement in the near future as they are about worn out.

Trust me...I can speak on this with authority...no really
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
To err is human, to blame someone else shows good management skills.

Flying Pig

Any talk about what type?  With all the other variants in use by LA it should ne nice whatever it is. Ab139, Super Puma, Firehawk,  or in the sheriffs case, Pork-Hawk :)