State Police Take Delivery of New Aircraft July 3, 2000

INSTITUTE - On Thursday, June 29, 2000, Colonel Gary L. Edgell, Superintendent
of the West Virginia State Police formally accepted delivery of the newest addition
to the State’s fleet of aircraft. Officials from Bell Helicopter Textron and Premier
Aviation were on hand to present the aircraft to Colonel Edgell.

The aircraft is a Bell Model 407 single engine helicopter, and is equipped with
a single pilot instrument flight package which is manufactured by Premier
Aviation. The total cost of the aircraft is $2,176,970, with $503,150 of this
amount directly attributable to the instrument flight package. This cost
included factory training for four pilots and one aviation mechanic.

Colonel Edgell stated that, “........ the end product was well worth the wait
..........when you are obtaining state-of-the-art technology you sometimes
have to pay a little more and wait a little longer than you would if you
were willing to settle for less.”

While the aircraft will be used on occasion for transport of the Governor and
other officials, this use is incidental to its true and intended purpose. Colonel
Edgell said his primary concern when seeking an aircraft with instrument
flight capability relates to the mission of the State Police and the needs of
the people of West Virginia.

“Unfortunately, police work isn’t always done in good weather. When
emergencies occur, the weather is often marginal at best as it relates to
our ability to fly. Even if the weather was good when we took off, it
may be bad where we are headed or it may turn sour before we’re
able to complete our mission and return to base,” said Colonel Edgell.

The instrument flight package, which is Premier Aviation’s newest product,
enables a single pilot to fly the aircraft when he or she literally cannot see.
The aircraft acquired by the State Police is the only one of its kind available
with this capability, and is literally the second such unit to be manufactured
and certified for instrument flight by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The aircraft’s instrument flight package includes auto-pilot capability which
reduces pilot fatigue on lengthy flights or when flying in adverse weather
conditions.

Colonel Edgell added,"What this investment really means is that there
will be far fewer times when we have to turn people down. Too often
someone calls us for help and we have to respond that we're sorry,
that our aircraft are grounded because of adverse weather. In many
cases, by the time the weather has cleared it's too late."

For information concerning this news release, contact Sergeant Michael G. Corsaro, Media Relations Officer for the West Virginia State Police at (304) 746-2207.