Tactical Flying Tactical Flight Training & Consulting

In partnership with SharpeUAS, Instructor and Owner Steve Sharpe instructs students in specific drone techniques such as positioning, thermal searches, canine unit integration, operator training, and many other topics necessary to safely support ground units. Instructor Sharpe is a lieutenant and supervisor of the drone program for a law enforcement agency in California.

Tactical Flying Instructor Ryan Welch provides training on specific techniques for locating suspects, gained from his extensive experience as a Tactical Flight Officer with the San Diego Police Department. Students will understand what suspects look like from altitude, tactics they use to avoid capture, and the statistical data behind suspect evasion. Operators will learn where to search, instead of hoping to spot the suspect by luck.

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):

• 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

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

Monitor adjustment:

• The effects of the LEVEL and GAIN

• 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: (Steve as far as UAS flight profile)

• Flight Profiles

• Aircraft positioning techniques for pilots

• Pilot and TFO priorities and responsibilities while searching

• Hovering

• Rooftop checks

Mission Sets

• Search and Rescue

• Suspect searches

• Yard to Yard

• Open Area (rural)

• Command Post Operations

• Firefighting operations

• Evidence / Mapping

• Payload Deliveries

Aircraft Selection

• Aircraft size

• Camera and payload capabilities

• Interior vs exterior

UAS Training

• Selection and certification

• Initial training

• Recurrent training

• Advanced tactics

• Simulators

Canine Integration

• Neutralizing canine to robots and drones

• Close quarter integration

• Using the drone to direct the dog

Advanced Search Tactics

• Interior searches

• Using spot lights and thermal

Thermal Search Tactics

• Understanding Thermal imagers

• How to train your eyes

• Angles and fields of view

Command and Control

• Effective communication

• Speak the same language

• Practice, Practice, Practice

• Overwatch principles

Documentation and Evidence Retention

• Reports

• Digital Evidence and retention

• When to record and not to record

• Courtroom testimony