Air Support

On May 11, 1999, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office put into service its first helicopter. After receiving a complete overhaul by Lockheed Martin at Fort Bragg Military Base in North Carolina, "Raven" was flown to her new home in Wayne County. Raven, call sign "Air Watch 1", is currently flying missions of drug erradication and providing air support to all other divisions of the Sheriff's Office as needed. "Raven" is an OH-58A Kiowa light observation helicopter. This aircraft was obtained through the fedral surplus program at NO cost to the county taxpayers. Spare parts support is handled through this same program. To date, "Raven" has been very beneficial in drug erradication, searches, pursuits, manhunts, photography and support for other agencies in and out of Wayne County. During the 500 year flood in 1999, "Raven" took our deputies and EMS to places that would have impossible to safely reach by any other means of transportation. Currently, night vision is not possible from our aircraft. The "FLIR" system (Forward Looking InfraRed) and Night Sun are currently being reviewed and studied by the flight crew. We are hoping for a positive result! The flight crew consists of Chief Pilot Tim Franklin, Sgt. John Denny-Observer, Lt. John Winstead-Safety Officer/Observer, Cpl. Joe Smith-Maintenance/Observer and George Harper-Maintenance. Chief Pilot Tim Franklin is a former military pilot with over 8,000 hours of flying time. George Harper is a 28-year veteran military mechanic who volunteers his time. All other crew members are retired military with aviation experience.