Dear Editor,
I notice that several persons are demanding that the government invest millions of dollars in helicopters. I would like to borrow a few paragraphs from page 45 of the June/July 2008 Vertical Magazine, a reputable magazine on the topic of airborne law enforcement and ask you to reprint them. It is exactly what is playing out in Guyana and should be reprinted for all to read.
OPERATING ON
A BUDGET
In all walks of life, there are “haves,” and “have-nots” and then the majority, the“somewhere-in-
bet-weens.” Airborne Law Enforcement (ALE) is no different. There are the mega-programs, flying big, highly decked out twin engine helicopters equipped for just about any mission in almost any condition.
These are the haves. The have-nots need no explanation. It’s the somewhere in betweens we address here. Like hard working middle class citizens who have to be careful with every move made to obtain and maintain an acceptable standard of living, so it goes for an Airborne Law Enforcement (ALE) program on a budget.
We all have desires for the biggest and baddest equipment out there,” said Coyt Bailey of Metro One in Jackson, Miss., a privately contracted Airborne Law Enforcement Program. “But we have to quench those desires to make sure we fullfil the role we have been tasked to fill.
Indeed, when it comes to those programs operating on tight budgets, what you get for what you pay is especially critical. As such, these staple programs operate Hughes/MD 500s, Schweizers, Robinsons, Enstroms and Bell OH58/206s. They are the working class of airborne law enforcement..
Our government bought the high end and best of the working class helicopters that were immediately available, operated by GDF Air Corps over the years, capable of being flown and maintained by our skilled Air Corps personnel – The Bell 206 BIII Jet Ranger helicopter in general purpose category and not the military surplus or restricted category OH58 helicopters that are cheaper and cannot be insured and capable of flying commercial flights or any non-military personnel. In other words, our government make a good decision to acquire the two Bell 206 BIII Jet Rangers with all the security gear, upgrades and medivac kits.
We have gone from the ‘have nots’ to the “somewhere in between” and it’s a problem, the “so called” experts are screaming out and would not stop. We just seem to fight and bicker about everything in Guyana. It’s the reason why we cannot get anywhere and get there very quickly. When will it end, in our lifetime?
Yours faithfully,
Carl Thompson
