Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies

32°49′7.65″N 116°58′26.23″W / 32.8187917°N 116.9739528°W / 32.8187917; -116.9739528 Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies (ASTREA) is the aviation unit of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. It is based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, California.

History

1972 - ASTREA began operations with three Korean War-era Bell 47G helicopters based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon.

1997 - On February 16, Deputy Patrick "Pat" S. Coyle, 42, died after the ASTREA helicopter in which he and pilot Ron Hobson were flying crashed in Sycamore Canyon, northeast of Santee, California. His death marked the first fatality in the then 25-year history of the sheriff's air support unit.

2003 - Cedar Fire and Paradise Fire

2005 - ASTREA receives two refurbished Bell 205A-1++ "Super Huey" firefighting helicopters. These are the first two aircraft purchased for the new regional fire helicopter program the county started after the October 2003 wildfires. Both are single-engine, medium-lift copters equipped with 375 gallon underbelly water tanks. The helicopters arrived at Gillespie Field after a three-day, 2,000-mile flight from Eagle Copters of Calgary, Canada. They are designated Copter 10 and 12.

2008 - A new Bell 407 is acquired and equipped to support law enforcement and command and control missions.

2009 - ASTREA sells two of its Hughes 500Ds. (ASTREA 2 & 4) These will eventually be replaced with MD530Fs.

2010 - The only MD500E owned by ASTREA is converted to an MD530F, which is better suited for high altitude and hot weather operations.

2015 - ASTREA adds a Bell 407GX to the fleet (N972PC). On September 29, ASTREA receives a third Bell 205A-1. Like the first two, Copter 11 was rebuilt by Eagle Copters and flown from Calgary to El Cajon.

2019 - The first two of four Bell 407GXi were delivered. The Bell 407GXi can fly at night with improved heat detecting/infrared camera. Better GPS allows the helicopter to fly higher and reduce noise over a search area. This helicopter can carry a total of seven people and hover on its skids for search and rescue calls. It can also be equipped with a bucket to help with water drops during a fire.

2020 - The third Bell 407GXi were delivered. (N709WG) The WG registration letters are the initials of the former Sheriff William Gore.

2023 - The last Bell 407GXi joined the fleet, and the first of two Bell/Subaru 412EPX arrived. N972PC a Bell 407GX was sold to make way for the new GXi.

Aircraft

As of November 2023, ASTREA's fleet consists of 8 helicopters:

Role	Make/Model (Qty)	Unit No.	Tail No.	MFG Year	Serial No. (C/N)
Law Enforcement*	Bell 407GXi (4)	None	N319MW	2019	54814
		None	N313DP	2019	54880
		None	N709WG	2020	54885
		None	N670PC	2023	56345
Firefighting/Rescue	Bell 205A-1++ (3)	ASTREA 10	N449RC	1973	30121
		ASTREA 14	N549RL	1975	30215
		ASTREA 12	N107BZ	1968	30013
	Bell 412EPX (1)	ASTREA 11	N989RL	2023	39110

The 407 models can be equipped with a Bambi Bucket for use in firefighting, while the Bell 205s and 412 have 375 gallon belly tanks already installed.

References

Goldin, J. (2003). San Diego move aerial support teams into one home. Air Beat Magazine. Retrieved April 9, 2004 from https://web.archive.org/web/20040618125310/http://alea.org/public/airbeat/back_issues/jan_feb_2003/sdso.htm .
Gross, G. (March 24, 2004). Joint-use plan for helicopters still sought. San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 14, 2004 from http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/fires/20040327-9999-news_7m27helo.html .
Moreland, J. (August 3, 2000). Sheriff has new helicopter, robot for rescues, crime-fighting. North County Times. Retrieved April 9, 2004 from http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2000/08/04/export14261.txt .
Moreland, J. (August 15, 2002). Sheriff dedicates new emergency center. North County Times. Retrieved April 14, 2004 from http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2002/08/16/export16249.txt .

External links

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