Criminals Beware

Bell’s 407 is an eminently capable, single-turboshaft-engine powered, civil utility helicopter that shares a good deal of design ethos and engineering DNA with its storied 206L-4 LongRanger progenitor. The aircraft is beloved of worldwide police, government, and security agencies, and its armed iterations serve in the militaries of nine nations.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines utility as “the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial.” That Southeast Aerospace (SEA) was aware of such when they set out to design their Special Mission Operator Station for the Bell 407 is apparent.

In both design and manufacture, SEA’s operator station actualizes an ideal solution for housing equipment critical to Airborne Law Enforcement (ALE). In particular the station supports the multi-faceted mission of the Tactical Flight Officer (TFO).

In the 1990s, the term Tactical Flight Officer was nonexistent. Nowadays, TFOs are tasked with myriad functions essential to modern law enforcement and criminal prosecution: the operation of complex camera and flight-recorder systems; the management of airborne computers suites, GPS, state, and federal data-bases; and the coordination of ground units via radio-telephony and digital communications.

SEA’s operator station features dual monitors which provide an extended viewing area for aircraft sensor and mission mapping data. The station’s standard configuration affords provisions for two Macro-Blue MB15W 15 tactical displays.

The mission panel includes provisions for DZUS (a type of proprietary quarter-turn spiral cam lock fastener named for its inventor) mounted equipment as well as a dedicated panel for circuit breakers, switches, and maintenance ports. In addition, the panel is equipped with a fold-down keyboard tray, installed on the left side of the operator station, which can be securely folded up and stowed with a quarter-turn latch for taxi, takeoff, and landing operations.

The station’s cabinet comprises ample space for housing a fully integrated mission suite, and offers mounting provisions for electrical equipment such as video monitors, communication control panels, and recording equipment—to be installed by the end user.

The SEA operator station replaces the left-side aft-facing passenger seat in the Bell 407, maintaining three aft cabin passenger seats. The existing left-side aft-facing passenger seat is removed and replaced as part of the modification. No changes to the helicopter’s interior are required as the operator assembly poses no interference with the existing interior design. Furthermore, the station was designed to utilize an integrated electrical disconnect panel allowing for quick and easy removal of the entire cabinet for maintenance and inspections.

The FAA’s confidence in SEA’s Special Mission Operator Station is evinced by the agency’s issuance of Supplemental Type Certification (STC) SR04546AT, which encompasses both the station and its installation.

SEA business development manager Nathan Hernandez states: “With a dedication to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, SEA is proud to announce STC certification for the latest addition to our special mission product line, the Bell 407 operator station. We worked closely with some of the finest TFOs and our engineering team to design a comfortable, effective, and practical operator workstation.”

FMI: www.seaerospace.com