Dear Editor,
I have been following the recent issue of the government’s purchase of two Bell 206 helicopters for crime fighting. I have also read the report submitted by Captain Gerry Gouveia and I totally agree with him and his assessment. I flew helicopters in Guyana for 15 years and I have been flying internationally now for another 17 years giving me a total of 32 years in helicopter aviation. I have about 5000 hours on the Bell 206 alone, and more relevant, I flew a Bell 206 in Toronto which was equipped with an external camera for a TV network.
Before I enter into my observations, I must first deal briefly with the latest input by Mr Eddi Rodney. Mr Rodney exposes his ignorance of helicopter operations and performance by referring to helicopter downwash as blowback. It is the first time in 32 years that I have heard that expression directed at helicopters and I am baffled how that will affect or not affect crime fighting in Guyana.
Secondly, I am confused as to the accuracy of his knowledge of helicopter operations with the Bell 206 during Katrina. As far as I know they were limited to aerial photography and most of the SAR was done by multi-engine Blackhawks.
Thirdly, Mr Rodney indicates that the Bell 206 can descend below cloud and act as an observation platform. And the point is? Mr. Rodney needs to educate himself much more before committing his opinions to paper. He can hurt himself with information overload.
I am also very disturbed that the President, who is the highest executive in Guyana, can refer to Captain Gouveia’s observations as “silly’ . More frightening is the Chief of Staff’s input that Captain Gouveia is an “acid critic”.
The impression I am getting here is that the government is intolerant of constructive criticism.
Captain Gouveia has an impeccable record as an aviator. His achievements in Guyana in both military and civil aviation are exemplary. His achievements in business speak for itself.
And he is right on the ball.
Operationally, the Bell 206B is ill suited for the crime fighting roles that the government is projecting. The Zero Fuel Weight (ZFW), which is the weight of the helicopter without pilots, passengers and fuel, will be high. For example, the ZFW for the helicopter I flew in Toronto was 2500 lb. The maximum take off weight (MTOW) for the Bell 206 is 3200lbs. That leaves 700 lbs for pilot, camera operator, observers and fuel. The problem I had in Toronto was the helicopter with the camera and equipment could not hover because of the weight which created high power demand.
High power demand has a price- high fuel consumption, so the time in the air is limited before having to return for fuel.
The second observation is that the helicopter that was pictured in Camp Ayanganna does not have the forward looking infra red (FLIR) camera installed. Did the helicopter come with the camera or is that an additional purchase? If it is an additional purchase how much more will it cost? Maybe US$50,000 to US$100,000 USD?
FLIR works best when it is used in conjunction with a police operation in built up areas. It is useless otherwise. For example, an attack in Bartica at night by criminals? How will a Bell 206 with FLIR or Nightsun be effective? Has there been any research as to how effective they are in forested areas?
The Bell 206 is also an unstabilized helicopter, which is totally unsuitable for night operations in unlit areas. The Bell 206 is a day machine certified for visual flight only. Captain Gouveia is right. Most countries ban the flight of single engine helicopters at night when there is no visual reference to the ground. That is limited to multi-engine helicopters like the Bell 412 which has a very good stabilization system and an autopilot, which is the case Captain Gouveia is making.
The taxpayers’ money would have been better spent fixing up the 412 which is an excellent day/night instrument helicopter.
My sympathy goes out to the fine helicopter pilots of the GDF who will be called out to go flying these antiques at night.
The purchase of these helicopters is an example of poor leadership at the governmental level and their failure at dealing with the violent crime in Guyana. Instead of taking responsibility, they embarked on a campaign to shoot the messenger, and to smear his name. Captain Gouveia’s words will come back to haunt them in the future.
The government is boasting how effective these ineffective helicopters will be in a year. We will see, but trust me; I am not holding my breath.
Yours faithfully,
Captain David Totaram
Bell 412 Pilot
Abu Dhabi Aviation
