Dear Editor,
I am so happy that Gerry Gouveia is bringing the helicopter issue to the forefront. The government has wasted millions of dollars on this deal. They have been clearly misled or not properly advised. This helicopter was sitting on the ground for almost 13 years before it was purchased. Dr. Roger Luncheon seems impressed that the helicopter will be fitted with “Infrared Search-lights that could light up a football field”. First of all, there is no such thing as an infrared searchlight, it’s just a big flashlight lighting up the ground.
Furthermore, it is very easy to hide from in the dark. I can assure you that a platoon of men can hide from a Nightsun Searchlight in a field with any cover — bush, trees, water etc. The only equipment that one can’t hide from is FLIR Forward Looking Infra Red. It can pick up body heat in the darkest night through any bush and is used widely by law enforcement in the USA. The money wasted here could have been used to equip at least one of the helicopters with the proper equipment.