Magni M24 - EYES in the SKY

[okikuma]

May 17, 2012
EYES in the SKY

Staff Report Commonwealth Journal The Commonwealth Journal Thu May 17, 2012, 12:50 AM EDT

Somerset —

At the inaugural 2012 Somernites Cruise Weekend on April 25 and 26, the thousands of muscle car enthusiasts packed into downtown Somerset might not have seen the small, white helicopter-like aircraft quietly patrolling the skies above them.

However, Lt. Shannon Smith of the Somerset Police Department certainly saw them — as the pilot of the two-seat Magni M24 Orion Gyroplane.
From that vantage point, Smith was able to spot reckless motorists and helped officers below in patrol cars locate those drivers without having to pursue them at high speeds.

“It really increases the safety of the officers, the suspects, and the public,” said Smith of the aircraft’s capabilities displayed during this first mission. “We consider it a success.”

And they are just getting started.

Thanks to a national law enforcement program operated by The Center for Rural Development, the Somerset Police Department has become the first law enforcement agency in America to test and evaluate the Italian-made gyroplane, and only the second U.S. law enforcement agency to use this style of aircraft for police operations.

Through an agreement with the Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Regional Center (SRTB-RC) — a component of the National Institute of Justice’s National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center system — the Somerset Police Department has the gyroplane at its disposal at no costs until the end of July for police activities.

Following the testing and evaluation period, the department can choose whether it will fund the aircraft and continue aviation operations.

Activities to be undertaken with the gyroplane during the testing and evaluation period include traffic enforcement, search and rescue, traffic flow monitoring during special events, aerial photography, and counter-drug operations.

Because of the gyroplane, a city the size of Somerset with just over 11,000 residents now has capabilities primarily available in larger, more metropolitan cities, according to Acting Somerset Police Chief Major Doug Nelson.

“This partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice, The Center for Rural Development, the Small, Rural, Tribal and Border Regional Center, and the Somerset Police Department gives us the ability to see how an aviation program will work for us,” said Nelson.

Smith, who has 12 years of aviation experience and 1,950 hours of flight time in 20 different types of aircraft, will fly the gyroplane to help protect Somerset’s critical infrastructure from natural or man-made hazards.
This includes the city’s water plant that provides drinking water to 100,000 customers daily, and its 135-mile natural gas pipeline that serves six counties in Southeastern and Central Kentucky.

“The Somerset Police Department is responsible for protecting the City of Somerset and its infrastructure,” said Nelson. “The rough Eastern Kentucky terrain makes inspection and protection of our natural gas pipeline difficult without an aircraft.”

Though similar in appearance to a helicopter, a gyroplane does not have a powered rotor. Instead, it uses a free-spinning rotor to generate lift, known as autorotation.

The rotor is kept spinning by wind forces, and the thrust from the gyroplane's engine and propeller allows it to take off and land on a runway like a traditional airplane.

Once airborne, it can reach speeds of up to 100 MPH. It can also appear to hover with slow to no forward speed while slowly descending.
The experimental aircraft is not a replacement for all helicopter missions due to the inability to take off and land vertically and weight restrictions on what it can carry.

However, for the missions it can perform, a gyroplane is very cost-effective. A traditional police helicopter costs anywhere from $500,000 to $4 million fully equipped, and operational costs can average over $1,000 per hour.
In contrast, the Magni gyroplane costs about $110,000 and about $40 an hour to operate using regular gas just like a car. Those costs are less than purchasing and operating three fully equipped patrol cars.

"It didn't take long for us to realize the advantage gyroplanes give law enforcement agencies that don't have large budgets,” said Nelson. “Their low purchase price and low cost per hour makes them ideal for any public safety agency."

The aircraft is part of the Law Enforcement Aviation Technology program, an arm of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice. The aviation program is administered nationally by SRTB-RC through The Center in Somerset.

The Somerset Police Department is the latest partner in the aviation technology program, which has stationed 17 light-sport aircraft with law enforcement agencies across the nation for testing and evaluation purposes in police operations.

Even though it is a national program, SRTB-RC remains committed to serving law enforcement agencies in The Center’s 42-county primary service area in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, according to SRTB-RC Executive Director Dave Mather.

The new partnership with the Somerset Police Department and the Magni gyroplane exemplifies this commitment, according to Mather.

“Our program provides technology support to small and rural law enforcement across the United States, but this program was perfectly suited for the Somerset Police Department,” said Mather.

“We had the right conditions, right aircraft, and an experienced pilot in Lieutenant Smith to be able to conduct meaningful research into the use of the gyroplane in support of law enforcement,” Mather said. “I’m thrilled this combination was right here in Somerset.”

Smith agreed, saying, “Without (SRTB-RC) being in our backyard, this situation probably wouldn’t have happened. We were at the right place at the right time.”

Smith holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate in both single and multi-engine airplanes, has been a Certified Flight Instructor in both classes of aircraft since 2002, and now has a Commercial Pilot Certificate and Certified Flight Instructor ratings specific to gyroplanes — making him only the second police officer gyroplane instructor for law enforcement operations in the United States.

“The safety of our residents and those we serve outside our city limits is a top priority,” Nelson added. “We are thankful for this partnership, and are proud to have a modern, safe, and efficient aircraft to serve our community and its resources.”

Funded through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute for Justice, National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, and The Center for Rural Development, SRTB-RC serves as an honest broker providing responsive solutions and practical benefits to small and rural law enforcement agencies and acting as a one-stop-shop for free technical assistance and access to other NIJ Centers for nearly 17,000 small, rural, tribal, and border agencies across the nation through innovative, collaborative cooperation.

For more information on SRTB-RC and its programs, contact Executive Director Dave Mather at 606-677-6000, or visit

[Dmorris]

Guess who was flying the Blue Xenon that carried the photographer that took the pictures of the Magni?

[PTKay]

That's how you loose the market.

It was originally Xenon presented to them, now the Magni takes the cake...

Sad.

[Resasi]

They may have chosen the one that was better suited to what they were looking for.

[PTKay]

They have chosen the one that took proper care of them,
instead of fighting arguments between the partners...

[Learjet]

either way, the adoption and use of gyroplanes for law enforcement purposes is good news for everyone - it will lend great credibility to gyroplane aviation in general and hopefully all the manufacturers and gyro enthusiasts will thus benefit directly or indirectly from this development.

[Resasi]

Dave have the police down South ever considered gyros to patrol the highways?

[Irishpilot]

PTKay,

You don't know how right you are!

Mike

[PTKay]

Mike,

I hope not everything is lost.

In the meantime the Sky Guards project is progressing well,
the first machine is short before delivery.

Paul

[Learjet]

Originally Posted by Resasi

Dave have the police down South ever considered gyros to patrol the highways?

Leigh, not to my knowledge by the police for highway patrols, but gyros have been used here by other organizations for security related operations such as anti-cable theft and anti-poaching patrols.

[fara]

Originally Posted by PTKay

They have chosen the one that took proper care of them,
instead of fighting arguments between the partners...

You got that right. I would start concentrating on the product rather than personality if I were the company. Having been involved in light aircraft design, certification, sales, support and ownership of company ... there is no way on this Earth one person can take credit for all of it in a proper company setting.

Its always a team effort. Any kind of compliance or certification alone is impossible to be done by one person in any reasonable amount of time. People who make outside look good, usually suck at proper engineering for making systems function properly and safely. people who are usually good at making systems function properly and safely usually suck at making the outside look good. Each think they are the designer and do not face up to the fact that a designer encompasses both.
Then there is a 3rd actor who can setup a shop, setup manufacturing and QA systems and run a batch for production to deliver on or near finish date. That person is completely different kind of animal generally. He knows how to manage the workforce or sub-contractors and get a buy-in on using systems in place.
Very rarely if ever have I seen all these 3 leadership roles come out combined in one person and then there is whole marketing and sales person that is required to keep the other 3 in business.
Then there is the technical support and general CRM after sales which will kill you in the long run even if you have a good design, good engineering, good manufacturing and good marketing.

[PTKay]

Originally Posted by fara

You got that right. I would start concentrating on the product rather than personality if I were the company. Having been involved in light aircraft design, certification, sales, support and ownership of company ... there is no way on this Earth one person can take credit for all of it in a proper company setting.

Some people are not willing to accept it.

In the nearest future I hope for some progress in this respect.
If not, there is always a way to solve every problem.

I always read your comments with great interest.
I hope you are seriously moving into gyroplane world,
your experience in the trike development should contribute
to better progress in the gyroplane branch development.