As more visitors come into the Morongo Basin and the National Park – San Bernardino County Search and Rescue prepare for the possibility of lost hikers or campers in the nearly 1500 square miles of the Morongo Basin.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s aviation unit has upgraded a major part of their search and rescue operation. According to their newsletter – the new helicopter is a Bell 412 EPX medium lift twin engine which has increased payload capabilities and important for the hi-desert: better performance at high altitudes with hotter ambient temps.
It also has the greatest range of any of the other helicopters in the fleet.
The new chopper is equipped with a moving map, a day/night HD camera system with infrared capabilities, a searchlight, rescue hoist and a belly tank for firefighting operations.. and even skid attachments that assist with landing in snow conditions.
The Sheriff’s Department says that the new helicopter was acquired to replace an aging single engine Bell UH-1 – more popularly known as the Huey. A helicopter originally built in 1968 and just can’t match the performance and safety of the new twin engine 412.
Previously reported:
