Light Planes Not Just For Fun

Light sport aircraft were designed to provide easy, fun flying for the masses, but inevitably, creative thinkers are finding other ways to put them to use. In California, police chief Jim Bueermann is trying to convince the city of Redlands that a Flight Design CTSW would be an asset to his department. The aircraft could be bought using department funds and would be flown by volunteers, Bueermann said. Aerial support could mean the difference between “suspects being captured or escaping, vehicular pursuits ending successfully or tragically … or officers engaged in foot pursuits avoiding injury or death,” he told the Redlands Daily Facts. City officials were interested but wary. “They’re going to have to make a convincing case … that budget-wise it’s going to fit into the picture of the whole city,” Mayor Jon Harrison said.