Brian, I'll fly in pretty much anything, but i've only got a license to fly planes myself.

SOT, that type of flying is referred to as VFR - Visual Flight Rules. It's what most light aircraft pilots fly under, however the police heli pilots are commercial pilots with an instrument rating, but the work they do requires them to be VFR.

Sounds like it was a fun flight! I remember on my special constables assessment the officer that gave us a talk mentioned the possible opportunity for officers to be taken up in the heli. Bet it would be great to spend a day with them.

Its a well-known fact that helicopters can't actually fly.
They are so ugly that the earth repels them.

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When a crash seems inevitable, try to hit the softest, cheapest object in the vicinity as slowly and gently as possible.

I spent a hot summer's evening with the Met's air support unit. They were run off their feet.

Two calls to suspects on roofs - one with a rifle: Both turned out to be sunbathers, one struggling with a parasol & not a gun
Two missing person calls - one in a wheelchair in a large east London park and one in the grounds of a old people's home: Nobody found during extensive searches
A car chase up the A10 in Enfield: Ended in a head on crash as the stolen car was on the wrong side of a road as busy as the A40!
And a tracker device activated: Car found on a travellers site, in souf London, so ASU hung about whilst ground crews went in to retrieve the car.

All that in 4 hours!

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and am still saving to buy my own helicopter (can just about afford one seat so far )

Brian, haha heard it before! It's all good fun! My boss flies for British Airways on the Airbus A319/20/21 out of Heathrow but he also flies helicopters too! I sometimes wonder how he manages to go between them!

SOT, that sounds like a great time you had with the ASU. It also demonstrates some of the silly things they get called out to, but also the serious things aswell! They are a valuable asset.
I'd ask how you managed to spend the evening with them, but i'd take a guess that you are a police constable.

Good luck saving Probably cheaper to buy a plane

We have a composite mock-up helicopter at the museum for the kids to play in.
Its got a small electric motor driving the engine and a Robinson R 22 cockpit.

We took it to the air show last month along with a Cheetah IX that we run up and a static Merlin

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When a crash seems inevitable, try to hit the softest, cheapest object in the vicinity as slowly and gently as possible.

haha Thats really nice! I bet the kids have fun in it!
I used to get regular flights in an R44, but the aircraft handling company I work for now has a Jetranger. Haven't had a flight in that yet

Is the Merlin you speak of the military helicopter? I spent 7yrs living in Cornwall and got to go in the Merlin Simulator at RNAS Culdrose back in 2006. It was good fun!

I recently had a tour around (but not a fly ) of an Apache attack helicopter. Now that is one serious bit of kit, and by coincidence is the helicopter I am saving up for to beat the morning rush on the A40

Oh nice one! I can imagine that was good to get a look around. I see them pass over my house alot.

Perhaps ask Prince Harry if he can help you beat the A40 morning rush!

I was stationed on Kiritimati Island in the pacific (christmas Island).I installed the power units for the radar system for Sir William Penny and his fellow scientists.
As a reward I got a trip in a helicopter over the Pacific and saw the sharks and stingrays a great sight.By the way I watched the first Atomic bomb go off 1.8 mega
tonn.We turned our backs away from the bomb when it went off,closed our eyes and put our hands over them and I saw every bone in my hands,just like an X-ray.I remember it as if it were yeaterday it also burnt the back of our necks.It was meant to go off on Nov.5 typical British humour,but because of weather conditions it went off the 8th nov,1957.
I live to tell the tale.

Wow, the moment you mentioned christmas island I wondered if the atomic bomb was gonna come up! I have watched a few programmes about that and remember the video of people lined up, just as you described. I bet that was quite an experience! Must have been such an eerie and surreal thing to see and hear.

I bet the flight was nice aswell! I originally learnt to fly and got my private pilots license in Cornwall, so did my fair share of coastal flying!