On Friday September 27th, the Austin Police Department displayed their new Eurocopter AS350B3 A-Star patrol helicopter to the crowd at the women's soccer game at the University of Texas. Despite a number of rain cells in the area, the weather cleared up enough so that a good number of fans got a first hand look at the latest addition to the air support section. APD and Austin Fire Department also brought in horses, specialty vehicles, patrol cars, and fire trucks for the special evening with local emergency personnel.
The helicopter landed in the grass field adjacent to the university's Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium and shown for several hours. It is equipped with up to the minute modern technology in avionics and aerial crime fighting equipment as well as for rescue operations and other assignments as needed. This is the third helicopter in their current fleet which also includes a Eurocopter EC120 Colibri and a Bell OH-58C Kiowa (military version of the legendary JetRanger). The A-Star is a very popular police helicopter and is widely used with many agencies. It is also liked by news teams around the world.
Upon departure, the pilots turned on classical music that was aired from the several installed speakers at the bottom part of the fuselage. They circled the stadium a couple of times before the start of the soccer match prior to returning to home base.
