Helicopter Model Used By All Local TV Stations Grounded by FAA

via Wikimedia Commons

A Bell 407, the helicopter used by all four major local English stations.

Now when local news stations whip the proverbial "it" out to compare they talk about HD capabilities, fancy websites, digital editing, and other boring tech things, but in simpler times the prize package, as it were, was the news chopper. Well, consider them all temporarily neutered.

Those copters, along with 2,000 other helicopters, have been grounded by the FAA. The administration found problems with control mechanisms in several models made by Bell. The vehicles will be out of commission until a bearing is replaced, and an inspection is completed on each individual bird. CBS4 uses a Bell Model 407, and has confirmed their whirly bird is out of commission. NBC6 and Channel Seven also use Bell 407s. We can't track down the make and model Sky 10, WPLG's copter. Sky 10 is also a Bell 407.

Meanwhile, it seems that no emergency or police services in the area fly any of the affected models.

[CBS4: FAA Grounds 2,800 Bell Helicopters Nationwide]