An AS355F2 Twin Squirrel has been bought from Cambridgeshire police by Tiger Helicopters Ltd to train Kuwaiti police officers.

Capt. Alan Ramsden, md and chief pilot, Tiger Helicopters, said: "We bought it with the intention of using it to train six Kuwaiti police students that we've got a contract for.

"We start them on the R22, progress onto the JetRanger and finally onto the Squirrel which still has all of the police equipment, including the forward looking infrared, video camera, lights, thermal imager, microwave downlink, and all of the technical radio systems for the police as well.

"While we are waiting for the students to progress up onto the twin, we've leased it out. The Met police [in London] has used it for a couple of weeks, and now it's with the Dyfed Powys police in Wales and is providing them with cover while their aircraft is in for maintenance."

The training contract started at the end of January this year and runs for 18 months. Previously the contact has been run by other operators including Oxford Air Training, and Police Aviation Services in Gloucester.

Tiger was started by Ramsden, who had learnt to fly fixed wing aircraft at the age of 17 in 1977. He had always wanted to be an aeroplane instructor.

"After a five minute pleasure flight in a Jetranger, I was hooked," said explained Ramsden. "I sold my house, my car and my shares in the family business and got myself a commercial helicopter license.

"After spending four years in Los Angeles working for a helicopter training company there, and a stint with the Los Angeles police department, I came back to the UK and worked for a small company where I converted all of my flying licenses to UK ones.

In 1992 he set up Tiger helicopters at his home airfield in Shobdon, a few miles north of Hereford. Ramsden says it is the only active airfield in the county of Herefordshire.

Since then, he has built the business up. It is now a full FTO, doing everything: PPL, CPL flight instructor rating, and very shortly, instrument rating. He has the TRTO doing type rating on the 22/44 JetRanger single and Twin Squirrel and the Agusta 109. It is a full AOC holder doing charter flights using the Twin Squirrel and Agusta 109.

Ramsden said: "We're also approved as a Part 145 maintenance facility."