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| A Rio Tinto LifeFlight PC-24 |
In my February article on the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, I reported that beginning in the second half of this year three new jet airplanes would be delivered to the RFDS in Western Australia, and one of them has been delivered to our local office, located at a small airport 20 minutes from where we live – Jandakot Airport.
The Rio Tinto LifeFlight PC-24, which was flown over from Switzerland, is expected to revolutionize health outcomes in the regions it serves. It can carry up to three stretchered patients and two medical teams at once, whereas the current PC-12 propeller planes carry only two stretchered patients. The PC-24 is expected to boost the response capacity of the Royal Flying Doctor Service fleet and almost halve the time for long-haul critical patient transfers.
As reported on our local TV news, the new jet will begin service in early 2019. It is equipped so extensively that it is considered an emergency room in the air. Emergency RFDS service is free when authorized by a doctor.
The second jet allocated to RFDS-Western Australia will be delivered next month to Broome, in the tropical north of Western Australia’s Kimberley coast. RFDS-WA chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson said the jets can fly at a top speed of 740 km/h (about 465 mph) and have the capability for short landings and take-offs on unsealed airstrips. “The Rio Tinto LifeFlight PC-24 jets are a necessary investment in our State’s health system that will put time on our side for saving lives,” she said. “The innovative aero medical interior is the first of its kind in the world, a game changer for patient outcomes and improving health care to regional and remote Australians. The Royal Flying Doctor Service belongs to all Western Australians and we are all extremely proud of achieving a world-first for aero medical service in our State.”
For further information, two related stories:
- “World-first aero medical PC-24 jet lands in WA” [Royal Flying Doctor Service website]
- “Flying Doctor patients to be treated in new ‘emergency ward in the sky’ jet aircraft” [Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Isabel Moussalli, December 2]
| Copyright © 2018 by Vic Midyett |
An Aussie friend of mine wrote this response to me - Very good indeed....interesting, enlightening, and encouraging.
ReplyDeleteA North Carolina neighbor involved in similar work comments:
ReplyDeleteVery interesting read. Thank you for sharing this. It sounds like a great aircraft, especially for their area. I have seen some footage on this service, and they are truly amazing with what they can do in the field. They are true innovators, and lead the research in many areas of Air Medical Transport.
This will be of particular interest to [my wife], as she flies on our fixed-wing aircraft as well.
Thank you again for thinking of us.
Thanks for your comment. The Australian RFDS started in 1928. For a country with only 25M people and almost the same size as America, it has always amazed me how the country can afford and offer such a helpful and amazing service. Caring priorities for the common good, I presume.
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