Airport graffiti

MikeD

MikeD

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Some dumb jerks with no respect for anything decided to do this with Air Method’s Mercy Air 22, a 2010 Bell 407 medical helicopter based out of the rural unattended Hesperia, CA airport (L26).

Photo credit: Unknown

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MikeD said:
Some dumb jerks with no respect for anything decided to do this with Air Method’s Mercy Air 22, a 2010 Bell 407 medical helicopter based out of the rural unattended Hesperia, CA airport (L26).

Photo credit: Unknown

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Don’t get me wrong, vandalism is absolutely a crime and not condoning it one bit, however I’m curious about the structure of this HEMS station. Is the airport unattended, including the flight & medical crew? Doesn’t that contradict the purpose of HEMS?

Or the crew was on site, in the trailer or whatever quarters they have there, but no one from the airport is on duty 24/7?
 
CFI A&P said:
Don’t get me wrong, vandalism is absolutely a crime and not condoning it one bit, however I’m curious about the structure of this HEMS station. Is the airport unattended, including the flight & medical crew? Doesn’t that contradict the purpose of HEMS?

Or the crew was on site, in the trailer or whatever quarters they have there, but no one from the airport is on duty 24/7?
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I believe Mike is saying the airport is unattended. I assume the crew was there but sleeping, although I guess it’s also possible that the base isn’t staffed 24/7.
 
Roger Roger said:
I believe Mike is saying the airport is unattended. I assume the crew was there but sleeping, although I guess it’s also possible that the base isn’t staffed 24/7.
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Correct, the airport itself is unattended by any airport personnel. I believe the crew’s overnight quarters aren’t exactly at the pad, but are on another part of the field nearby. Not sure whether the bird was staffed and ready the night it was vandalized, or whether it was out of service and didn’t have any staff on site. It does sit on its pad next to fuel and behind an airport fence. Sad to see.
 
Would it be common for an active medivac helicopter in California to have a sunscreen in the windshield? We had a lot of medivac traffic at my first tower and those aircraft were never unattended on the ramp.
 
greg1016 said:
Would it be common for an active medivac helicopter in California to have a sunscreen in the windshield? We had a lot of medivac traffic at my first tower and those aircraft were never unattended on the ramp.
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Could’ve been placed in afterward, once this was discovered.

But it’s very common to have sun shades in and often a cooling unit hooked up when the bird is sitting on alert if it’s in an area that’s extremely hot and the items inside can’t be left to just bake in the sun or heat.
 
greg1016 said:
Would it be common for an active medivac helicopter in California to have a sunscreen in the windshield? We had a lot of medivac traffic at my first tower and those aircraft were never unattended on the ramp.
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I see them in regularly here in Texas. Also like @MikeD said, often running a coolant cart during the hottest portions of the day.

With certain avionics can’t be brought up and running until ambient temps are below a certain point, having it heat soaked at 140 degrees is probably gonna well exceed the ECS ability to cool it. Way easier to just move a few items as part of the immediate launch checks vs wait minutes on end for a system to cool.

Also for whoever needs to hear it… stop painting interior components and stuff with electronics in it black.


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Lawman said:
I see them in regularly here in Texas. Also like @MikeD said, often running a coolant cart during the hottest portions of the day.

With certain avionics can’t be brought up and running until ambient temps are below a certain point, having it heat soaked at 140 degrees is probably gonna well exceed the ECS ability to cool it. Way easier to just move a few items as part of the immediate launch checks vs wait minutes on end for a system to cool.

Also for whoever needs to hear it… stop painting interior components and stuff with electronics in it black.


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The black dash is to eliminate glare
 
Any vehicle in Texas that does not have a reflective folding sun shade stowed within reach of the operator is shameful. Just shameful.

Unless the vehicle has a whole-ass cover folded-up in the trunk.
 
greg1016 said:
The black dash is to eliminate glare
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And there’s ways to do that without making the surface of everything black.

Seriously, the color Russia paints its jets while F all ugly would be far smarter than painting any aircraft black. It’s not the 50s anymore and the electronics we put in these things aren’t running on tubes and analog tapes or anything.


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CFI A&P said:
Is the airport unattended, including the flight & medical crew? Doesn’t that contradict the purpose of HEMS?

Or the crew was on site, in the trailer or whatever quarters they have there, but no one from the airport is on duty 24/7?
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I’ve been to Hesperia a few times. It’s desolate, and yep, typically unattended, even during the day.

Can’t imagine why you’d want to base anything there when Victorville and Apple Valley are so close.

Cool sign outside though.
 

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Rosstafari said:
I’ve been to Hesperia a few times. It’s desolate, and yep, typically unattended, even during the day.

Can’t imagine why you’d want to base anything there when Victorville and Apple Valley are so close.

Cool sign outside though.
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Mercy Air 2 is based at SoCal Logistics airport, the former George AFB there in Victorville, and has been for over 20 years. Not sure either why they bothered with opening a Hesperia base.
 
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