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Aviation Unit

MSP pilot in helicopter

Aviation Unit

Contact:

Phone: 517-335-9900 or Email

After hours: 517-241-8000 or OperationsLts@michigan.gov

MSP's Aviation Unit works closely with all Michigan law enforcement agencies, as well as the Michigan National Guard and the United States Coast Guard air stations.

Services:

  • Patrol
  • Search and Rescue
  • Relays
  • Traffic Enforcement
  • Traffic Control
  • Aerial Observation
  • Border and Drug Team Surveillance
  • Inland Search and Rescue
  • Security
  • Training
  • Investigative and Administrative Flights
  • Marijuana Eradication
  • Thermal Imagery
  • Suspect/Evidence Transports
  • Special Events Security and Surveillance

Professional Pilot magazine, February 2017

MSP Aviation Unit featured in Professional Pilot

Personnel:

Current personnel include five full-time pilots and two full-time tactical flight officers (TFOs), multiple part-time TFOs, two full-time civilian mechanics, and one full-time civilian scheduler to meet MSP's 24/7 operational needs.

Fleet:

The Aviation Unit has a fleet of aircraft based out of Lansing's Capital Region International Airport, with satellite offices in Flint and Ypsilanti. Aircraft types include a Beechcraft King Air 90, Cessna 182R and T206H, Bell 206L3, 407GX, and UH-1H, and several types of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs). The Aviation Unit also uses a downlink truck, which receives live video feeds from the helicopters or UAS, providing ground commanders with increased situational awareness of critical incidents.