Volunteer Chopper Aids in Security One of the memorable features of the Olympics is the huge force of volunteers. But one volunteer may be unique. It's a helicopter, complete with crew, to help on security. (Feb. 17, 2002)------As we all know by now, the security effort on this Olympics has been extraordinary, with unprecedented controls and surveillance on the ground and in the skies. No surprise then that a private company, itching for a bigger role in aerial surveillance, would sign on. News Specialist John Hollenhorst reports. There are big, powerful security helicopters, like the military Blackhawks. And then there's a little guy. A trim, maneuverable eye in the sky. Its owners flew it in from out-of-state to join the security forces on a volunteer, standby basis. Gary Kauffman of Vortex Aviation Services says, "Hopefully it will be pretty routine and boring." It's partly the Olympic spirit, partly a commercial promotion to demonstrate the chopper's television and infrared imaging. In infra-red images, warm objects show up bright white. Even at night, ice fishermen would stand out, white on black. Suppose there's a bad guy hiding behind a bush, alongside a highway within shooting distance of a secured airport. To demonstrate, we put a man behind the bush. He's almost invisible until the image switches to infrared. He stands out like a marshmallow in a cup of black coffee. It's a technology already in widespread use. "It's pretty standard for law enforcement," Kauffman says. So what does he bring to the table in Salt Lake? "Redundancy and extra coverage," he says. One of the advantages of this system is that security commanders don't need to go into the air to see what's going on. From the ground they can see exactly what the chopper sees. The chopper transmits images by microwave to handheld units on the ground. Law enforcement consultant Lane Swainston explains, "The beauty of this unit is it allows you to get a point of view that's unique." In case you're wondering if the security forces are on the ball, please note that two Highway Patrol troopers showed up and questioned our man hiding behind the bush. Homeland defense! A citizen spotted him and called 911. It was all ironed out without any hard feelings. Obviously, military choppers have similar capabilities and more. But with this huge security commitment, they're willing to take on extra help. The volunteer chopper has been granted a standby role.