The recent incident, in which a gunman shot at and struck a Virginia State Police helicopter illustrates the threat posed to airborne law enforcement aircraft by ground based threats. The helicopter being, piloted by Sgt. Don Childs, was struck by seven rounds from a high powered rifle. The shots came while Childs was attempting to help police locate Christopher Speight, who authorities believe killed eight people last month in a deadly rampage in Appomattox County.

In the heat of the moment, Childs said, he initially didn't realize the helicopter had been hit. "I heard two loud bangs, and I wasn't sure if it was a mechanical problem or I had actually been shot," Childs said. When he heard the two bangs, Childs said, instinct took over. "Immediately, looking at the systems, everything seemed to be OK, but I smelled something," Childs said. So despite his desire to return to division headquarters, not far from the scene, Childs made a quick landing in a field.

Checking out the exterior of the helicopter, he noticed the fuel tank had been hit by one of the rounds. In all, seven shots hit the helicopter, damaging the underbelly, the fuel tank and one of the rotors, Childs said. "I have never been in an aircraft, whether in the military or civilian, where the aircraft itself took that many rounds," he said. Two of the bullets, he said, could easily have taken his life if they had been inches in a different direction. Although the aircraft was not directly "downed" by gunfire, Sgt. Childs made a prudent decision to land and evaluate the damage before something catastrophic happened. A former military pilot, Childs never dreamed that he would take hits in the civilian world. "Without a doubt, divine intervention helped saved my day," remarked Childs.

There are numerous ground based threats that pose a danger to aircraft. The threats range from Man Portable Air Defense systems (MAN Pads), fireworks, rifles, handguns and lasers. "There really is quite an array of weapons that can be used against us," commented Police Officer Larry King of the Newark (NJ) Police Aviation Unit. "In addition to aircraft emergencies, we must always be aware of these external threats."