GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — In a move that could revolutionize the way search and rescue missions are conducted, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office is performing a series of tests with an apparatus capable of providing life-saving assistance.

The testing centers on an unmanned, remote-operated miniature helicopter that weighs in at slightly more than two pounds. Powered by brushless motors and rotor blades mounted at the end of three arms, the mostly carbon-fiber aircraft handles and maneuvers with ease.

Attach a thermal imaging or infrared camera and the machine, known as Draganflyer X6, becomes a perfect complement to law enforcement personnel on the ground during search and rescue efforts.

“It's another tool we can deploy,” said Ben Miller, who is heading up the testing program at the sheriff's office. “It has some huge potential.”

Miller, who is the quartermaster for the office, said the sheriff's office obtained the aerial device about two months ago after a lengthy permitting process with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The permitting process was complicated by some stiff requirements from the FAA, such as demonstrating the ability to deal with a number of potential liabilities. As a result, the helicopter can only be flown outdoors at the Mesa County Landfill.

“You have to prove safety to the FAA,” Miller said.

Indoor operations are only restricted by the size of the building in which the helicopter is being used.

Operating the helicopter outdoors also requires the sheriff's office to submit a “Notice to Airmen” or NOTAM form with the FAA. The notice must be filed 24 hours ahead of the scheduled flight, said Sheriff Stan Hilkey. Some other guidelines include altitude and nighttime restrictions.

“We just can't go out and fly it,” he said.

While the restrictions can be cumbersome, the sheriff's office is using the testing process to gather information that could eventually lead to the electric helicopter being approved by the FAA for daily use by law enforcement.

The helicopter is currently classified in the same category as a reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle used by the military in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq. The idea is to get the FAA to change the existing classification.

“The hope is civilian law enforcement can benefit from it,” Miller said.

The sheriff's office is the fourth, non-federal law enforcement agency in the country to test the helicopter, which it is leasing “for a very small fee,” Hilkey said.

Draganfly Innovations Inc. of Canada produces the machine, which costs about $25,000.

The price pales in comparison to the millions of dollars associated with an air operations program that typically feature a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft.

Hilkey said the sheriff's office has conducted more than 60 search and rescue operations this year. The miniature helicopter could have been deployed in a number of those cases, as well as other situations.

That could include providing real time updates for tactical teams during crisis, or simply sending the helicopter out to photograph a crime scene.

“The bottom line is this technology will save lives,” Miller said.

Reach Wyatt Haupt Jr. at whaupt@gjfreepress.com.