Collier Mosquito Control District adds $3.4M helicopter to its fleet

A loud whir sliced the sultry air Wednesday afternoon as a large helicopter approached the Naples Airport. As the aircraft tilted to approach the landing pad, the red and white striped blades were visible, spinning so fast they looked like Captain America's shield.

The helicopter touched down and when the roar of the rotors died, applause broke out: the Collier Mosquito Control District's newest — and long awaited — asset had arrived.

The mosquito control district recently purchased a new $3.4 million Bell 407GXi helicopter to replace two of its older, smaller helicopters. It's the first time in the district’s history that it's purchased a brand new aircraft.

"We're very happy," said Patrick Linn, the district's executive director. "This was a collective effort between the board and staff and it's just remarkable. This helicopter should be a great service to the community for years to come."

District spokeswoman Robin King said it took two years to purchase the new helicopter, which was paid for in full with property taxes and the sale of the two older helicopters.

"The suggestion to acquire a larger, more efficient helicopter was presented to the District’s Board of Commissioners two years ago and it was an idea they fully supported," King said.

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"Under the lead of the district’s primary helicopter mechanic, who has more than 40 years’ experience, our leadership conducted over a year of thorough research," she said. That pointed to the Bell 407GXi as the best choice.

A team flew one of the district's planes Monday morning to the Bell Helicopter facility in Piney Flats, Tennessee. The final inspections took place Tuesday, and although the initial plan was to fly both the plane and helicopter back Wednesday morning, the team wasn't sure whether the weather would allow it, King said.

"We didn't know until early this morning if they were going to fly today or not," she said. "Obviously they couldn't fly if there were going to be bad storms, so we're happy they were able to make it back today."

As for the flight itself, it was smooth sailing, said pilot Mike Berkitsch, in part thanks to the helicopter's top-of-the-line equipment. 

"These screens are state of the art," he said, pointing to the dashboard of the helicopter. "You can do everything with these."

Berkitsch was greeted by about a dozen mosquito control employees who had gathered to watch the helicopter land and get a close look at the new technology inside it.

All critical parameters of the engine are managed by computers, representing the latest in advanced aeronautical technology, King explained. The helicopter is also compatible with night vision devices, which none of the district's other aircraft have.

It will take about a month to outfit the 407GXi with larvicide tanks and a special navigation system, which was not included in the $3.4 million total, King said. Once it's up and running, the new helicopter’s abilities will supplant the abilities of the previous two helicopters combined.

"As the county’s growth continues, we anticipate the size of the district will increase," King said. "This larger ship provides us with a better tool to treat larger areas of mosquito habitat in an efficient manner.

"For example, our MD 500 helicopters are fine ships that do the job, but we have to land often during a treatment mission to reload materials. The Bell 407 will accommodate more than twice as much control material for each treatment."

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