Helicopter

A teenager survives a weekend car accident with little if any physical injuries, only to die in the crash of the Maryland State Police helicopter that was whisking her to a trauma center. Did the 17-year-old really need to be flown to the hospital, especially in such bad weather that night? The chopper transporting Ashley J. Younger and the driver of the car wasn't equipped with an electronic warning device that helps pilots fly in low visibility and avoid crashing into the ground. State police outfitted three other helicopters with the "early ground proximity warning system" during upgrades in recent years; why not the entire fleet?

Responding to criticism by a state commission that they weren't doing enough to protect the shoreline from development, Anne Arundel County officials have launched an ambitious enforcement program, including the use of a helicopter to locate waterfront trouble spots. Last year, the county was rebuked by the Critical Area Commission, which enforces a state law limiting development within 1,000 feet of the bay, for failing to properly enforce the law and follow up on reported violations.

Anne Arundel County acting Police Chief Thomas P. Shanahan authorized use of the department helicopter to keep an eye on his officers and banned them from patrolling a major highway -- all to ensure their good behavior during contract negotiations.Officers ratified a contract last night, but over the previous 12 days, the chief spent more than $2,000 in county money watching over rank-and-file officers."I use a helicopter as a tool to manage resources," said Shanahan. "My obligation is to the citizens of this county."

HUWAYSA, Iraq - Resistance fighters used a shoulder-fired missile to bring down a U.S. Chinook helicopter in the barley and wheat fields just west of the Euphrates River here yesterday, witnesses said, killing 16 soldiers and injuring 20 in the deadliest attack on American forces since they entered Iraq in March. The helicopter was ferrying troops attached to the 82nd Airborne Division to Baghdad's international airport, where they were scheduled to fly home or to rest-and-recuperation breaks outside Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Seven U.S. special operations troops were killed yesterday in incidents involving two helicopters in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, Pentagon officials said. It was the largest U.S. death toll in a single operation in the 5-month-old war in Afghanistan. In addition, 40 U.S. soldiers have been wounded in intensive fighting with al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in the rugged Shahi Kot Valley south of Gardez. Some of the U.S. wounded were hit by shrapnel and flying rock, but officials said their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

HUALAPAI, ARIZ. Ladies and gentlemen, boys, girls and bored gamblers: Let me remind you of a new opportunity to be among the first (thousand or so) to slide on booties and tread upon the Hualapai Nation's wacky new tourist attraction, the glass-floored Skywalk, which juts out over a western edge of the Grand Canyon, about 120 miles east of Las Vegas. Of course, if you don't find the Wile E. Coyote perspective or the $74.95 price tag tempting, you may be inclined to turn away. But walk with me anyway, for a few miles, in Hualapai booties.

An item in the Fun Book, a special section that appeared in The Sunday Sun, provided incorrect information about the rate charged by Helicopter Transportation Services at Martin State Airport in Middle River. Helicopter rides cost $350 per half-hour.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 9/10/97

Troy Glidden, a 14-year-old computer network design freshman at Harford Technical High School, was featured in Rotor magazine. To date, Troy has 40 hours of helicopter flight training in a Robinson R22 and R44. He started flight training when he was just 12 years old. He is on track to have his helicopter pilot's license by the age of 17. His post high school goals are to fly corporate helicopters for hire and to continue to college studying helicopter...

UNC,GE sign helicopter dealUNC Inc. in Annapolis and General Electric Aircraft Engines announced the signing of an agreement yesterday to demonstrate and market the military's UH-1 helicopter with an ,, upgraded engine. The companies estimated the potential upgrade market could be in excess of $2 billion. More than 5,000 UH-1s are currently in the inventories of the U.S. Army, Army National Guard and foreign military services.@

It was another quiet afternoon on the farm as Eldridge Zang sat in the kitchen, talking with his wife, Ruth. Then he saw the giant twin-rotor helicopter flying low, heading for the house."