Story ID: 
Mounting a solid defense
By: Bill Wagstaff
Caption: Thanks to the many miracles of modern optics, modern aerial surveillance crews can zoom in their lenses from improbable distances and get razor-sharp image
Word Count: 150
Thanks to the many miracles of modern optics, modern aerial surveillance crews can zoom in their lenses from improbable distances and get razor-sharp images. But those images do little additional good if they can’t be downloaded to ground-based controllers. For that you need to begin with a good, solid sensor mount. Armed with newly issued STC approval for installation on Eurocopter AS 350-series rotorcraft, Meeker Aviation of Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Canada–in partnership with manufacturer Aero Pacific–introduced a belly sensor mount at last month’s Airborne Law Enforcement Association annual convention. The mount is certified to carry the most popular microwave downlink antennas, including BMS, MRC/RF TECH and Troll/Skypod and can also be easily adapted to carry approved relay payloads weighing up to 80 pounds. Meeker Aviation developed this rugged, all-purpose mount as a result of field tests with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Aero Bureau.