GERMANY: Police in Brandenburg test two-seater, open top ultra light aircraft as suitable to observe traffic or search for missing persons

Record ID: 184838

  • Title: GERMANY: Police in Brandenburg test two-seater, open top ultra light aircraft as suitable to observe traffic or search for missing persons
  • Date: 29th August 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (German) SVEN BOGANZ, HEAD OF SEARCH AREA OF BRANDENBURG SAYING: "What is most important that the craft is not influenced by the wind at all. It is a huge advantage to other aircraft. Meaning, wind blasts or bursts do not influence the flying capability. We are very stabile in the air and that gives you a good feeling."
  • Embargoed: 13th September 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Police,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA3FB6B0X275CVP91MVK628F1GK
  • Story Text: The police in Germany tried for the first time a different approach in their work. On Monday (August 20) they unveiled a drone for special tasks like manhunts or traffic control.
    Plane spotters at the small air field Schoenhagen in Brandenburg saw a different kind of show when the ultra light aircraft was presented to the public.
    Developers of the ultra light will have until the end of the year to prove the whether the drone is suitable for police work.
    The police chief of Brandenburg, Juergen Jakobs, is especially pleased with the financial benefits. "And it is especially important that the Eurocopter, our police helicopter, is immensely expensive with 3000 Euro per flying our, while the ultra light craft coasts only 120 Euros per flying hour.
    So we expect to use this craft more often and longer and broaden the police work this way because it is in budget."
    Should the drone prove to be suitable for police work, it will be a very effective tool. It could be used for traffic control, especially on highways, for manhunts and search for missing persons.
    Sven Boganz, responsible for the search area of Brandenburg, praised the technical details of the aircraft: "What is most important that the craft is not influenced by the wind at all. It is a huge advantage to other air crafts. Meaning, wind blasts or bursts do not influence the flying capability. We are very stabile in the air and that gives you a good feeling."
    The drone will not replace the 'old' police helicopter because of its technical limitations.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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