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Cleared for takeoff. Pilot Rick Justice checks instruments before starting a two-hour patrol.

Story and photos by John Perry

The helicopter engine failed midflight. Except for the warning buzzer, the cabin was suddenly and alarmingly quiet.

In 20 seconds, on-duty Houston police pilot Rick Justice and his flight-observation officer would crash into concrete rushing upward at 1,400 feet per minute.

Justice had one chance to avoid catastrophe. And it would have to be timed to perfection.

At 600 feet, he performed the maneuver known as autorotation: an aerodynamic condition where the overhead rotor spins without engine power.

Justice pushed the nose down, increasing airspeed and forcing the main rotor to spin as the concrete kept coming.

At 40 feet, he dragged the nose up and “flared” the chopper. The spinning main blade briefly provided enough lift to reduce the dangerous rate of descent.

Quick reactions, HPD flight training and a thorough understanding of aerodynamics made it possible to land safely.

“Any time you have engine failure, you have a very short window of opportunity to do exactly the right thing,” Justice said.

Sky-view law enforcement
Officer Justice is a 25-year veteran of the HPD helicopter patrol division. With 8,000 hours of flying time, he is the unit’s most experienced pilot.

“Rick’s the backbone of the division,” said commanding officer Lt. John King.

For Justice, the day starts at 8 a.m. with a preflight check outside the hangar doors of the unit’s Hobby Airport headquarters.

“Every successful mission starts on the ground,” Justice said. “The maintenance crew gives our craft a thorough going-over, checking equipment and refueling. Then I do my own. And I’m proud to say we have a great safety record.

“Someone once described a helicopter as ‘thousands of moving parts all trying to get away from one another,’” Justice said. “And every one has to be maintained.”

Starting in 1970 with three helicopters, the division now maintains eight, flying two-hour shifts, 18.5 hours a day. Of nearly 5,000 classified HPD officers, only 31 are helicopter pilots.

To qualify for pilot training, each applicant must be an HPD officer in good standing. There is a two-year waiting list. If accepted, they fly as observers for at least two years before training in a 10-month program at Hobby.

By 8:45 a.m., Justice gets the weather forecast: clear skies into midafternoon.

At 9 a.m., he tucks his 9 mm Smith & Wesson into his shoulder holster and climbs into the left pilot-in-command seat of the McDonnell Douglas 500. Officer Larry Savat, his partner for the last 12 years, takes the flight observer’s position on the right.

The 420-horsepower engine starts, rotating the 27-foot main blade and lightly bouncing the craft without leaving the tarmac. Both officers use earplugs under their headphones. Because of noise, they must communicate via headset microphones.

Cleared for takeoff, the copter rises vertically. For the next two hours they patrol the skies over Houston and parts of Harris County.

Justice checks instrument panel indicators and watches surrounding airspace, ever vigilant for other aircraft. He monitors a police ground-to-air radio frequency while constantly altering direction to maximize visibility for Savat, who spends a good deal of time watching for traffic jams below.

Helicopter’s view of City Hall during a routine security reconnaissance. HPD’s helicopter patrol division coordinates with ground patrols to make the streets safer.

Suspect on the ground
A dispatcher directs them to a bank robbery at a Washington Mutual on South Post Oak Boulevard. They race to the crime scene at 100 miles per hour.

“The MD-500 has a top speed of 140,” Justice said. “Very useful when you have the potential of covering 700 square miles of real estate.”

The helicopter swoops low over the area but the suspect escaped on foot.

Justice said suspects have surrendered at the sight of the helicopter. Some of his more gratifying moments were safely finding lost children.

Later, they coordinate with ground officers to locate a stolen vehicle hidden in thick brush by a remote Buffalo Bayou bend.
By 11 a.m., they have burned 44 gallons of fuel. Time to return to Hobby, make reports and check equipment before their next patrol at 1 p.m.

During a quick lunch, Justice, 51, father of four, reflects on his career.

“It’s a wonderful life. When I wake up each morning, I look forward to getting to work. Not many people can say that.”

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