Via MDHI’s exclusive E-to-F Conversion program, the Hamilton County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office welcomes their 1989 MD 500E back to service as an FAA-certified MD 530F
MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) announces the delivery and return to service of an FAA-certified MD 530F (369FF type certification) to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Cincinnati, Ohio. Operated since 1989 by HCSO as an MD 500E, this aircraft recently completed MDHI’s E-to-F Conversion program to emerge as a newly certified F-model helicopter with a zero-time engine. The FAA-approved factory recertification took place at MD Helicopters’ manufacturing facility & completions center in Mesa, Arizona.
The modernization of HCSO’s Aviation Unit via MDHI’s proven E-to-F Conversion program was announced in July of this year.
“We are excited to return this beautiful, newly certified MD 530F to the team at Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office,” said Nick Nenadovic, Vice President Aftermarket and Customer Support for MD Helicopters, Inc. “Hamilton County is one of the most tenured all-MD helicopter aviation units in the country, and it is clear that the Hamilton County team understands the capabilities and value of the MD product. We are proud to have the opportunity to support their fleet modernization efforts and play an ongoing role in their exemplary service of Hamilton and surrounding counties.”
MD Helicopters’ exclusive E-to-F conversion program delivers increased hot-and-high performance capability as well as improved operational range and flight time. The enhancements to the HCSO aircraft include:
- an engine upgrade from the Rolls Royce 250-C20B to the more powerful RR250-C30,
- replacement of the blades and stabilizers,
- installation of the Garmin G500H dual-screen electronic flight display, and
- the addition of a Fargo Auxiliary Fuel Tank.
Additionally, MDHI installed an all-new interior and updated the HCSO paint scheme to align with the appearance of other HCSO vehicles.
After completing a comprehensive inspection and the required Type Training, HCSO Chief Pilot Tim Doyle and members of his team accepted delivery of the newly upgraded aircraft at MD Helicopters’ Mesa, Arizona, headquarters and flew their new F-model back to Hamilton County so it could return to service.
“We are looking forward to flying this truly like-new aircraft home,” Doyle commented, “and believe it will allow us to even more effectively support the officers of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, City of Cincinnati, and the various municipalities and Police Departments within Hamilton County. This aircraft will allow us to continue our legacy of providing exceptional public safety to our citizens for many years to come.”
“This program has been an outstanding resource for E-model operators to affordably upgrade the capability of their aircraft with minimal downtime,” Nenadovic concludes. “It is our absolute honor to transform these proven performers into essentially new aircraft, and return them to the operators who love them as much as we do.”
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for providing primary airborne law enforcement support to the 800,000+ residents and 240 square miles of Hamilton County of Ohio, as well as the nine (9) surrounding counties in the Greater Cincinnati area.
