Police Helicopter Searchlight

[Flashanator]

Last Night I saw a Police Helicopter hovering around my area for about 5mins. It's spotlight was KILLER. Amazing, so bright & visable even 100's of meters away on flood.

At first It was only using 1 big flood beam, then on its second pass it had 3 seperate beams. One center flood, with 2 very bright narrow beams searching the ground. I saw its flood beam light up some distance trees (about 150M away) like daytime.

I wanted (BUT I WOULD NOT REALLY) to get me 20mill & shine it straight up in the sky NOT NEAR the helicopter in a hope to get the helicopter's attention, so it would shine it's light at me. Just to see my backyard turn to day. But Im shore id get in trouble for that.

Anyone know what kind of monster light these helicopters are using? Maybe they made 2 maxablasters for it?:huh:

Later.

 

[DM51]

The system is called Nightsun.

 

[Flashanator]

thx 4 that.

Very impressive, I really like the big flood which looks amazing for a Short Arc Xenon, must have been 10's of 1000's+lumens. But is it normal for these helicopters to have more then 1 light? Like I said the helicopter had 3, was quite a sight.

 

[DM51]

They usually carry a variety of toys. The most useful light is often the IR one, which is used in conjunction with an IR-sensitive viewer/camera to show differences in temperature as little as 0.1°C.

In this way it is easily able to distinguish bodies from the surrounding area, and (for example) spot suspects who have concealed themselves in undergrowth. Sometimes while this is going on, the main nightsun light is deliberately shone in a different direction, to fool the ungodly into thinking that the helicopter is looking in the wrong area.

 

[light_emitting_dude]

Interesting video here.

 

[Illum]

judging from the specs do you think this would be comparable in price to mount it on a car than the 1KW tank light lotsalumen has?
28V @ 65A =

 

[Flashanator]

This Nightsun is nothing short of amazing, I cant beileve for a short arc Xenon how much light it puts out. Love to know how many lumens. Do they have large flood strobe mode to control large mass's of druck crazy ppl? LOL.

Forget long range throw, id much prefer the huge flood illumination in closer areas. Getting a handheld equivalent of the Nightsun is now my flashaholic fantasy.

 

[Burgess]

Nevermind a hand-held equivalent,


I'd just wanna' mount it on the roof of my SUV.


:devil:
_

 

[Taboot]

Here you go Flashanator! $600! Just hook it up to 12V to 240VAC inverter in your car.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NightSun-Pro-Li...29944QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

 

[Dr Jekell]

Buy two & use them to replace your headlights

:naughty: :devil:

 

[Burgess]

:lolsign:
_

 

[Mercaptan]

In this way it is easily able to distinguish bodies from the surrounding area, and (for example) spot suspects who have concealed themselves in undergrowth. Sometimes while this is going on, the main nightsun light is deliberately shone in a different direction, to fool the ungodly into thinking that the helicopter is looking in the wrong area.

The reason they use those thermal cameras around here.... is for people who have jumped into the gorges killing themselves.

Sad, but true. Rarely a year passes here when I don't see a state helo flying passes over the gorge network looking for the latest 'missing victim.'

 

[spyderknut]

30 million candlepower sounds like a lot but not when you compare it to a 15 million candlepower spotlight you can get for under fifty bucks.

Of course, I don't think they need to be very powerful with dark-adjusted eyes of the viewers and a birdseye view. It's probably most helpful in guiding groundbased LEOs to a scene.

As has been mentioned, IR vision is probably a more useful tool in search and rescue missions.

 

[Taboot]

30 million candlepower sounds like a lot but not when you compare it to a 15 million candlepower spotlight you can get for under fifty bucks.

I might be wrong, but I think some of the candlepower claims of the under-$50 spotlights may be exaggerated. I have seen the lights on LifeStar choppers here in CT, and they appear more than 4x brighter than my $20 10M CP Cyclops.

Regards,

T

 

[Flashanator]

@ Spyder,

trust me, those 15Million Candle Power lights are cheap lies. around half a million CP at the most. The nightsun looked to dwarf the maxabeam (7million CP), with its two super spot beams. I love the fact that you cant hide from the chopper with nightvision & IR.

 

[spyderknut]

Look, I am not so naive to think 15000000cp advertised on a box is gospel. Just saying that chopper searchlights are within an order of magnitude of readily available lights. The tank light seen here I think is much more powerful. I have spoken with police chopper crews. My main point is that there is much more at work than sheer lumens of a search light under a chopper that makes it a very effective tool for LEOs.

 

[Flashanator]

order of magnitude In terms of CP, not lumens. No handheld short arc xenon light can even compare in lumens. I saw the flood on this thing, nothing short of amazing. I love it.

 

[Burgess]

So Fenix, are you listening ? ? ?

:twothumbs




(said in an extremely fast announcer voice: Extension cord not included)
_

 

[DM51]

Ra's Maxablaster is 52 million CP.

 

[That_Guy]

The 15 million candlepower spotlights are not within an order of magnitude of the Nightsun. The claimed CP figures on those spotlights are not exaggerated, but outright lies. Complete and utter BS. The 15 mcp Thor is actually around 300 000, or 0.3 million candlepower. That is one hundred times dimmer than the Nightsun, so it is out by two orders of magnitude.

In lumens they are closer, but still not close. The 1.6kW Nightsun produces 60 000 bulb lumens. The 15 mcp Thor uses a 130W H4 automotive bulb if I am not mistaken, which produces around 3200 - 3300 lumens, but that is at 13.2V. In the Thor spotlight the lamp is undervolted, so it will produce significantly less lumens. Probably around 2000 – 2500, or around one thirtieth of the lumens of the Nightsun. This still isn't anywhere near an order of magnitude.

Ra's engineering masterpiece really is more powerful than a helicopter searchlight, but only in throw. It produces only a small fraction of the lumens. This results in the Maxablaster having a much tighter beam than the Nightsun.