Lieutenant Jay Cullen Memorial Flyover, 19Aug17
Saturday August 19th, 2017
Law enforcement and emergency medical service helicopters from across the Middle Atlantic Region gather at the Richmond Executive Airport (KFCI) in Richmond, Virginia for a memorial flyover for fallen Virginia State Trooper Lieutenant Pilot Jay Cullen on Saturday, August 19, 2017. Lieutenant Cullen and Trooper Berke Bates were killed when their Virginia State Police Bell 407 helicopter crashed in Albemarle County, Virginia on Saturday, August 12, 2017. The helicopter was one of two state police helicopters circling over Charlottesville, Virginia as violence broke out before a scheduled white nationalist rally and after police canceled the event as an unlawful assembly. Cullen and Bates were assisting police personnel on the ground by "forwarding them [the] aerial optics" of the scene. Hours before the crash a man driving a Dodge Challenger rammed into a line of cars near a crowd of people protesting the rally. Counter protester Heather D. Heyer, 32, was killed and many more were injured. Cullen, 48, was the commander of the department’s Aviation Unit and Bates, 40, became a trooper-pilot in July 2017 and previously served on Governor Terry McAuliffe’s protection unit.
Aircraft participating in the memorial flyover included a Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital 2013 Eurocopter EC-145 (N145NK) call-sign "LIFE EVAC 1", Delaware State Police Bell 429 (N2SP) call-sign "TROOPER 5", Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance 2010 Eurocopter EC-145 (N145NG) call-sign "NIGHTINGALE", New Jersey State Police 2011 Agusta Aerospace AW-139 (N7NJ) call-sign "TROOPER", Carillion Hospital 2012 Eurocopter EC-135 (N135WL) call-sign "LIFE GUARD", Petrolleum Helicopters International - Manassas 2004 Eurocopter EC-135 (N302PH) call-sign "AIR CARE", New York Police Department 2014 Bell 429 (N919PD) call-sign "FINEST 19", University of Virginia Hospital 2003 Augusta AW-109E (N5UV) call-sign "PEGASUS", Customs and Border Patrol - Manassas Air Branch 2012 Eurocopter AS-350 B3 call-sign "OMAHA 4", and the Ann Arundel County Police 2006 Bell 407 call-sign "HOWARD 1". Memorial flyovers for Trooper Bates and Lieutenant Cullen on Friday August 18 and Saturday August 19 were organized by Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital pilot Chris Brinkac.
Read MoreLaw enforcement and emergency medical service helicopters from across the Middle Atlantic Region gather at the Richmond Executive Airport (KFCI) in Richmond, Virginia for a memorial flyover for fallen Virginia State Trooper Lieutenant Pilot Jay Cullen on Saturday, August 19, 2017. Lieutenant Cullen and Trooper Berke Bates were killed when their Virginia State Police Bell 407 helicopter crashed in Albemarle County, Virginia on Saturday, August 12, 2017. The helicopter was one of two state police helicopters circling over Charlottesville, Virginia as violence broke out before a scheduled white nationalist rally and after police canceled the event as an unlawful assembly. Cullen and Bates were assisting police personnel on the ground by "forwarding them [the] aerial optics" of the scene. Hours before the crash a man driving a Dodge Challenger rammed into a line of cars near a crowd of people protesting the rally. Counter protester Heather D. Heyer, 32, was killed and many more were injured. Cullen, 48, was the commander of the department’s Aviation Unit and Bates, 40, became a trooper-pilot in July 2017 and previously served on Governor Terry McAuliffe’s protection unit.
Aircraft participating in the memorial flyover included a Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital 2013 Eurocopter EC-145 (N145NK) call-sign "LIFE EVAC 1", Delaware State Police Bell 429 (N2SP) call-sign "TROOPER 5", Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance 2010 Eurocopter EC-145 (N145NG) call-sign "NIGHTINGALE", New Jersey State Police 2011 Agusta Aerospace AW-139 (N7NJ) call-sign "TROOPER", Carillion Hospital 2012 Eurocopter EC-135 (N135WL) call-sign "LIFE GUARD", Petrolleum Helicopters International - Manassas 2004 Eurocopter EC-135 (N302PH) call-sign "AIR CARE", New York Police Department 2014 Bell 429 (N919PD) call-sign "FINEST 19", University of Virginia Hospital 2003 Augusta AW-109E (N5UV) call-sign "PEGASUS", Customs and Border Patrol - Manassas Air Branch 2012 Eurocopter AS-350 B3 call-sign "OMAHA 4", and the Ann Arundel County Police 2006 Bell 407 call-sign "HOWARD 1". Memorial flyovers for Trooper Bates and Lieutenant Cullen on Friday August 18 and Saturday August 19 were organized by Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital pilot Chris Brinkac.
