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Advanced Tactical Flying Workshop

This course is taught in-person at your agency privately to your aircrew members. Our goal is to teach in a “workshop” environment in which the students are encouraged to discuss topics, ask questions and debate fundamentals. As opposed to traditional boring “podium instructing” and “death by powerpoint”, our courses are informative and engaging which leads to better knowledge retention and learning buy-in.


*Restricted to Law Enforcement Only


Course Content (Including, but not limited to):


Legal aspects of airborne law enforcement

  • Courtroom Testimony

  • Training and experience

  • Evidentiary

  • Sensor Symbology for Testimony

  • IR Theory for Testimony

  • Explaining the Job of an Aircrew

  • 4th Amendment and How it Pertains to Aircrews

Thermal Tactics Course content:

  • Equipment set-up

  • Video recording

  • Search and rescue considerations

  • Night Vision Goggles and IR

  • Infrared searches near water

  • Vehicle scans

  • Airborne law enforcement legal issues

  • Patrol Support: Searching for suspects

  • Aircraft positioning during searches

  • Vehicle and foot pursuits

  • Daytime infrared searches

Calibrating the IR:

  • NUC (Non-Uniformity Correction – or comparable)

  • Re-calibrate as conditions change, or when needed

  • Auto-GAIN and auto-LEVEL vs. manual

  • Good image development takes practice

Monitor adjustment:

  • The effects of the LEVEL and GAIN

  • Qualitative analysis vs. quantitative analysis

  • Polarity – White hot vs. Black hot

Video recording:

  • Tactical value: Reviewing incidents in flight

  • Training value

  • Evidentiary value – impound procedures

  • Public relations

  • Internal investigations

Search and rescue considerations:

  • Suspects hiding/blending in vs. victims wanting to be found

  • Signaling vs. not – signaling devices

  • Auto accident victims – ignorance/untrained/unequipped

  • Downed aircrew – trained and equipped

  • Lost children & elderly considerations

  • IR Tactics in the maritime environment

Night Vision Goggles and IR:

  • Detecting energy in different portions of the electromagnetic spectrum

  • Conditions that hamper one technology have less effect on the other

IR Searches near water:

  • IR properties of water absorbs

  • Water can be warmer or cooler than surrounding environment

  • Humans on the surface or underwater

  • Using alternate technologies when searching for people underwater

Vehicle scans:

  • Infrared emissions during and after operation

  • Best indicators of recent operation

Patrol Support – Searching for Suspects:

  • Three primary considerations

  • IR contrast vs. visible-light contrast

  • Suspect behavior

  • Perimeters

  • Locating tactical environments while en-route

  • Armed suspects

  • Effective fields of view

Aircraft Positioning During Searches:

  • Flight Profiles

  • Aircraft positioning techniques for pilots

  • Pilot and TFO priorities and responsibilities while searching

  • Hovering

  • Rooftop checks

Vehicle Pursuits:

  • Aviation safety: The primary goal

  • EO Sensor and IR
Sensor

  • Residential and commercial environments – aircraft positioning

  • Right seat vs. left seat pilots

  • Freeway environments – aircraft positioning

Foot Pursuits:

  • Aircrew workload – aviation and officer safety

  • Common suspect behavior

  • TFO communication techniques

  • Effective fields of view

  • Illuminating suspects during foot pursuits