HEMS - Oppdragstypene er veldig forskjellige og ofte veldig utfordrende - AIN

USA har i alle år kun fløyet med èn flyger. Det har vært mange ulykker gjennom årene, men er maskinen sertifisert for kun en flyger, fortsetter single pilot konseptet. Det står ikke noe i artikkelen under om dette prinsipp fravikes i den forholdsvis store AW169. I Norge flys det med kun èn sertifisert flyger, noe som kanskje ikke er særlig helsebringende, ref den veldig triste Sollihøgda ulykken. IFALPA Policy er krav om to sertifiserte flygere dersom det flys med betalende last; noe som også gjelder HEMS. (Red.)

First U.S. AW169 HEMS Fleet Operational

The first fleet of Leonardo AW169 helicopters in the United States to be configured for EMS and search-and-rescue is now in service. Travis County’s (Texas) Star Flight began operating its third AW169 medium twin earlier this year in south-central Texas, an area notorious for flash flooding and with a population of more than 1.2 million, including Austin.

Star Flight’s AW169s are equipped for 24/7 operations. Missions include emergency medical transport, still- and swift-water rescue, search-and-rescue, high-angle rescue, fire suppression/aerial reconnaissance, and law-enforcement safety assistance. Star Flight also transports neonatal, pediatric ICU, and high-risk obstetrics medical teams and patients. The cabins are configured to transport up to two patients and five medical personnel. Each of Star Flight’s AW169s is also equipped with a rescue hoist and a 300-gallon Simplex belly tank for fire suppression.

The AW169 has a maximum range of 440 nm and cruises at 160 knots. Standard avionics include four-axis, dual-duplex digital automatic flight control, and a night-vision-compatible cockpit. More than 200 AW169s have been ordered worldwide, including from parapublic customers in the United Kingdom, Japan, Republic of Korea, and New Zealand.