The Air Operations Unit, Operations Support Division of
the West Yorkshire Police use the MD 902 Explorer, ship number 078 to
provide 24/7 police coverage over a 785 square mile area, undertaking
over 4500 missions a year.

Writing about the aircraft, John Whittaker, the Unit
Executive Officer said, "I am particularly proud of this achievement …
We took delivery of ship 78 in 2000 and after role fitting went
operationally live on 13 February 2001. G-YPOL, as we refer to SN78,
has always performed to the highest level and proved to be a very
popular aircraft with all our pilots and crew. She has met every
challenge asked of her, including the considerable increase in demand
following our move to 24/7 coverage in April of 2005."

Describing the service the aircraft helps provide,
Whittaker revealed that the aircraft had flown 136 hours this past
December, responding to 480 missions. In the process the police located
62 offenders, 10 stolen vehicles and carried out 91 drug enforcement
checks. They also located 5 missing people including a diabetic who had
collapsed in a coma, and an 88 year-old suffering from dementia.
"Actions speak louder than words," commented Whittaker.

Responding to the accomplishment, Lynn Tilton, Chief
Executive Officer, MD Helicopters, Inc. said, "It’s nice to know that
an Explorer can fly 10,000 hours and your continued use is a testament
to a company once lost, now found. Thank you for your continued support
of MD – this is truly a great accomplishment and we honor you and your
team."

The aircraft has been maintained by Police Aviation
Services Ltd (PAS) MD Helicopters’ UK Authorized Service Center and
Sales Distributor. MD Explorers around the world have now clocked more
than 280,000 hours of flight time.