Delaware State Police Aviation Unit marks 40th anniversary

The Delaware State Police Aviation Unit celebrated its 40th anniversary with an open house Oct. 16, at the Georgetown Trooper 2 facility.

Members of the community were able to see a number of aircraft, and the states of Maryland and New Jersey sent one helicopter each to participate in the celebration. As well as inspecting the aircraft, the public toured the newly expanded, state-of-the-art Trooper 2 facilities.

Formal presentations were made by Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Lewis D. Schiliro; Delaware State Police (DSP) Superintendent Col. Robert M. Coupe; DSP Aviation Unit Cmdr. Capt. Ronald W. Hagan; retired original Aviation Unit Cmdr. Lt. Charles Nabb; and Ted Newhouse, survivor of a motorcycle accident this past year, whose life was saved by members of the Aviation Unit.

Also on hand were many current and former unit members. One of the current members is Cpl. Carol Parton, the first female pilot in the unit, who is currently undergoing her flight training.

Nabb, who will soon be 80 years old, made many poignant comments about what flying and the unit have meant to him. He also worked to initiate the Unit Flight Medic program, which has been responsible for saving many lives over the years. People speak of the “golden hour” when the chances for saving lives of badly injured or severely ill persons are supposedly the greatest. Speed is of the essence, and no lifesaving vehicle is faster than an aircraft.

Nabb made clear his conviction that it’s not just good enough to get to victims and evacuate them quickly. It is absolutely critical that as many lifesaving procedures as possible be started as soon as possible, before the aircraft arrives, when the aircraft reaches the victim and all the way to the hospital.

This means that the flight medics receive the very highest quality medical training. Likewise with flight training for the pilots, who have to fly and land in conditions that would often ground civilian and private sector aircraft.

Pete Hartsock is a captain in the U.S. Public Health Service who works with the Delaware State Police Aviation Unit on open-water rescue training.