Story ID: 425
Metro Aviation Completes Seminole County's Airbus H125
By: Marisa Bojiuc
Caption: Seminole County Sheriff’s Airbus Helicopters H125 is equipped with new video equipment, rescue gear, and heat-resistant ceramic paint on the tailboom. 
Word Count: 219
Metro Aviation has completed an Airbus H125 for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office with multi-mission-specific gear, rescue systems, and ceramic paint. The H125 is on display this week at Metro’s Heli-Expo booth (N2207).

The helicopter completions company installed a cargo hook, Bambi Bucket for fire suppression, a hoist for rescue operations, and a video system that allows several feeds to be simultaneously monitored in the cockpit. According to Metro Aviation, the video system can display imagery from a thermal imaging system, an HD color camera, a wide-angle rescue hoist camera, and cameras for the cargo hook, tail view, and cockpit. To help prevent lost targets during night operations, a TrakkaBeam A800 searchlight is mounted on the fuselage.

Notably, the Seminole County Sheriff H125 is Metro’s first application of ceramic paint. The thermal-barrier ceramic paint enables the tail boom to handle exhaust temperatures up to 2,000 deg F, including thermal shock protection.

“I am excited that Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is one of the first airborne law enforcement agencies to try a high-temperature, matte-finish ceramic paint on the tail boom. We are hoping for low maintenance and a long-lasting finish with this solution,” said said Steve Farris, the chief pilot of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office aviation section.