Like any tool or vessel one uses to get the job done, there comes a time to put the cool gadgets away. I kissed three police cruisers goodbye not because they were maintenance nightmares (not totally, anyway) but because the mileage got steep. As all do, my police agency had safety standards; and Ford police packages had newer models. More formidable engineering bolstering safety specifications are nothing to sneeze at, and the smell of new-anything is undeniably scrumptious. Out with the old…and in with the new. Safety is always paramount and the aromatics of brand new equipment is addicting.
Police fleet managers and government fiscal managers know it is best to sink taxpayer dollars into new stuff than chronic maintenance and cop car, marine unit, or police helicopter revival. Pushing off prudent decisions can have catastrophic consequences, especially for an aged warhorse such as a police helicopter. But it doesn’t have to be junked.
The men and women of the United States Park Police (USPP) have committed to retiring one of their highly-helpful air-support tools without shelving it in some dusty, dank storage facility. Instead, they have dedicated their “Eagle One” helicopter to the permanent display among other police nostalgia at the National Law Enforcement Museum (NLEM) which will cut ribbon and officially open its doors on October 13, 2018.
But Eagle One did not fly to its forever home; it was taken apart and stacked upon a flatbed semi for a road trip from its police hangar to vicinity of The Capitol, nestled among the bulk of our nation’s governance hub.
That may look like a hollow shell; technically, it is. Yet that blue and white beautiful bird holds a plethora of adventure and stories. According to the US Park Police website, Eagle One is famous for being “the aircraft that rescued survivors from the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash.” In much of my research regarding Eagle One, most of the comments are from folks who recognize her and the Air Florida crash during which she plucked many lives from the icy waters of the Potomac River and landed them safely at the frigid shoreline.
The following quad of Air Florida Flight 90 photos, depicting the rescue mission conducted by Eagle One and her crew, illustrate quite well how perilous the 1982 operation was. Yet, despite undeniable dangers to Eagle One’s courageous crew, the show went on with some saving graces. Just analyze the bottom-right picture to realize how close they had to come to log-in salvation, at great risk to themselves and their own aircraft.
After disassembling Eagle One at its USPP aviation barrack—fondly known as the Eagle’s Nest—and boarding it on a flatbed semi, the police bird parts arrived at its new D.C. home-in-perpetuity on July 18.
Then it was time to do it all in reverse-mode. Also labeled the Long Ranger II, Eagle One was left to the competent hands of aviation mechanics and engineers to button her up, tighten her bolts, and re-fasten her blades.
After reassembling, the chopper was hoisted and tethered in the vaulted ceilings of the NLEM, effectively filling the space where no eyes can miss her glorious presence.
New Nest: A Forever Home
The NLEM is a subterranean facility which will boast a vast history depicting the evolution of the American police institution spanning antiquity to contemporary law enforcement icons and progressions. Days-of-old coppers didn’t have choppers, but modernization and innovation engendered aviation resources, otherwise known as air support services. These are the cops who possess licensure, exceed chronic training mandates, and employ skills to work the street beats from the air. Police helicopters are a paramount ingredient when it comes to chases and ground units which may lose sight of fleeing motorists. For ground unit edification, air support can convey the dangers up ahead so that police cruisers navigating city streets can seize optimal tactical advantages. The eye in the sky has an automatic panoramic view whereas patrol cruisers do not.
My police service days were unfailingly fulfilled whenever the need for aviation support was engendered. Since the cop shop where I was a law enforcer did not have its own police helicopter, we exercised the “mutual aid agreement” whereby we requested a police chopper from either of the nearby metropolis city police department or the county sheriff’s office. Without fail, they responded. Most often, we got our man/woman in cuffs thanks to the eye in the sky, particularly at night when darkness provides cover for suspects. Not to worry, though. We just formed and held a perimeter on the ground while air services activated FLIR (forward-looking infrared; night vision from above) which detected concealed bad guys/girls. In short, humans exert and thus produce heat, especially after fleeing…and aviators’ thermal imaging cameras locked-in on the sensory output thus guiding ground personnel to effectively arrest sweaty Sam or Sally.
I’ve had the thrilling experience to go up in my county sheriff’s office choppers a few times, each occasion to take aerial photographs of traffic fatality scenes in which I were involved as one of the report-writing investigative officers. These airborne machines shake and vibrate, but those minor inconveniences are far overruled by their capacity to conduct police work in fascinating ways. If only Eagle One could talk!
NLEM Kickoff
Coinciding with the grand opening of the National Law Enforcement Museum is the Run for the Badge 5K throughout the streets of D.C. and its many landmark government institutions; the NLEM will become one more among the many iconic buildings for folks to visit.
As the US Park Police spokesperson wrote on the agency website, talking about Eagle One: “It will be on permanent display (suspended from the atrium ceiling) to highlight the story of the harrowing rescue, by the US Park Police aircraft and crew, of the survivors of Air Florida Flight 90, which crashed into the icy waters of the Potomac River in 1982.”
Whether in D.C. to take a gander at the belly of Eagle One or to break-in new running shows (or both), save the date and get your blue blood circulating with pride.
“Walk in the Shoes”
Upon its grand opening in October 2018, the National Law Enforcement Museum will offer old and new real-life police equipment along with stories. Similar to a book with pictures, NLEM brings authentic props to more readily colorize the storylines presented. The NLEM “is dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement by providing visitors a ‘walk in the shoes” experience.” Heck, they even have variations of duty boots worn throughout the decades of police culture, representing stylistic changes to meet aesthetics and tactical advantages posed by an evolutionary society.
Speaking of society and how it relates (or not) to today’s cop climate in the United States, the NLEM seeks “to expand and enrich the relationship shared by law enforcement and the community through educational journeys, immersive exhibitions, and insightful programs.” It certainly didn’t matter who the Air Florida plane crash passengers were on January 13, 1982. It wouldn’t (doesn’t) matter any other day either. These aviation cops placed themselves in a precarious and life-threatening situation to save others from the same perils exacerbated by extreme hypothermia.
Post-investigation findings produced by federal aviation authorities indicated the Air Florida plane’s demise stemmed from atmospheric icing and pilot error. Frigid climate conditions do not discriminate with regard to aviation vessels; that is an aviator’s ultra responsibility. Nevertheless, after pre-flight controls were checked and double-checked, the flight crew of Eagle One swung into action and bravely performed against tremendous odds. Air Florida Flight 90 wreckage is the proof. Some may say a permanent nesting spot in the reaches of the brand-new National Law Enforcement Museum is just desserts for a job well done. I would concur.
Eagle one deserves that cushy spot from which millions of visitors can admire her for decades-long achievements.
The NLEM offers partnerships whereby they seek to pair up with corporate entities as well as individuals. The way they put it: anyone can contribute to the museum’s sustenance, success and expansion by donating funds. In that regard, all contributors are officially recognized as sort of co-sponsors of the objective: “To expand and enrich the relationship shared by law enforcement and the community.”
A US Park Police press release summed-up the honor of Eagle One’s service record and its new nest close to other Americana artifacts and institutional significance: “We are humbled to have been chosen to have our aircraft displayed in a position of such prominence at the new national museum dedicated to our law enforcement profession. We are truly honored!!” I have a new addition for my blue bucket list.
