ASTREA (air support unit)
Encyclopedia
ASTREA is an acronym for Aerial Support To Regional Enforcement Agencies, the air support unit of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department
. Each airship is designated by the name ASTREA and a number, for example: "ASTREA 1". ASTREA Base is located at Gillespie Field Airport
in El Cajon, California
.
1997 - On February 16, Deputy Patrick "Pat" S. Coyle, 42, died after the ASTREA helicopter in which he and pilot Ron Hobson were flying crashed in Sycamore Canyon, northeast of Santee, California
. His death marked the first fatality in the then 25-year history of the sheriff's air support unit.
2003 - Cedar Fire
and Paradise Fire
2005 - ASTREA receives two refurbished Bell 205A1++ "Super Huey" firefighting helicopters. These are the first two aircraft purchased for the new regional fire helicopter program the county started after the October 2003 wildfires. Both are single-engine, medium-lift copters equipped with 375 gallon underbelly water tanks. The helicopters arrived at Gillespie Field after a three-day, 2,000-mile flight from Eagle Copters of Calgary, Canada.
2008 - A new Bell 407 is acquired and equipped to support law enforcement and command and control missions.
2009 - ASTREA sells two of its Hughes 500Ds. (ASTREA 2 & 4) These will eventually be replaced with MD 530Fs.
2010 - The only MD500E owned by ASTREA is converted to an MD530F, which is better suited for high altitude and hot weather operations.
San Diego County Sheriff's Department
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department, commonly known as the SDSO, is the primary and largest law enforcement agency in San Diego County, California. It is composed of approximately 4,000 sworn deputies and civilian support personnel...
. Each airship is designated by the name ASTREA and a number, for example: "ASTREA 1". ASTREA Base is located at Gillespie Field Airport
Gillespie Field
Gillespie Field is a county-owned public-use airport located 10 miles northeast of the central business district of San Diego, in El Cajon, San Diego County, California, United States....
in El Cajon, California
El Cajon, California
-History:El Cajon is located on the Rancho El Cajon Mexican land grant made in 1845 to María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1876 Amaziah Lord Knox , a New Englander who had recently moved to California, established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling...
.
History
1972 - ASTREA began operations with three Korean War-era Bell 47G helicopters based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon.1997 - On February 16, Deputy Patrick "Pat" S. Coyle, 42, died after the ASTREA helicopter in which he and pilot Ron Hobson were flying crashed in Sycamore Canyon, northeast of Santee, California
Santee, California
Santee is a suburban city in San Diego County, California with a population of 53,413 at the 2010 census. Although it is a part of the East County region, Santee is located just from the Pacific Ocean. The city is connected to the coastline by State Route 52, a six-lane freeway that runs from...
. His death marked the first fatality in the then 25-year history of the sheriff's air support unit.
2003 - Cedar Fire
Cedar Fire
The Cedar Fire was a human-caused wildfire that burned out of control through a large area of San Diego County, in Southern California, in October 2003...
and Paradise Fire
2005 - ASTREA receives two refurbished Bell 205A1++ "Super Huey" firefighting helicopters. These are the first two aircraft purchased for the new regional fire helicopter program the county started after the October 2003 wildfires. Both are single-engine, medium-lift copters equipped with 375 gallon underbelly water tanks. The helicopters arrived at Gillespie Field after a three-day, 2,000-mile flight from Eagle Copters of Calgary, Canada.
2008 - A new Bell 407 is acquired and equipped to support law enforcement and command and control missions.
2009 - ASTREA sells two of its Hughes 500Ds. (ASTREA 2 & 4) These will eventually be replaced with MD 530Fs.
2010 - The only MD500E owned by ASTREA is converted to an MD530F, which is better suited for high altitude and hot weather operations.
Aircraft
As of 2010, ASTREA's fleet consists of 7 helicopters:| Aircraft Type | Make / Model / (Qty) | Unit / No. | Tail No. | Serial No. (C/N) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicopter - law enforcement* | Hughes 500D (1) | ASTREA 5 | N5108E | 811075D |
| MD 530F (3) | ASTREA 1 | N131TZ | 0142FF | |
| ASTREA 6 | N535WK | 0138FF | ||
| ASTREA 3 (Previously "E" Model) |
N150JD | 0710FF (was 0545E) | ||
| Bell 407 (1) | None | N958TR | 53770 | |
| Helicopter - firefighting | Bell 205A1++ (2) | ASTREA 10 | N449RC | 30121 |
| ASTREA 12 | N107BZ | 30013 |
- The 500 models can be equipped with a Bambi bucketBambi bucketA helicopter bucket is a specialised bucket suspended on a cable carried by a helicopter to deliver water for aerial firefighting. Each bucket has a release valve on the bottom which is controlled by the helicopter crew. When the helicopter is in position, the crew releases the water to extinguish...
for use in firefighting, while the Bell 205s have 375 gallon belly tanks already installed.