This year’s Military Edition covers a lot of ground, looking first at how the Royal Canadian Air Force sought advice from its British and Dutch allies in Iraq and Afghanistan when the time came to build its own aeromedical evacuation capability. The choice of the Chinook as a medevac platform was a wise one, and it has already proved its worth in combat zones like Mali, Africa. Also in Mali, Airbus reports on six years of combat operations for NH90 helicopters.

Elsewhere, in the US Army, pilot instructors are training Black Hawk pilots to become leaders and business owners, as Amy Gallagher found out for AirMed&Rescue. Also included in this year’s Military Edition are two interviews – one with a current US Air Force pararescue officer, and the other with a former PJ, who now dedicates his time to training courses that prepare people for the PJ fitness test – not for the fainthearted!

For non-military content, head towards the back of the magazine, where you will find an article that looks at how different aircraft are being adapted for use as aerial firefighting assets – many thanks to Erickson, ConAir, 10 Tanker Air Carrier, Neptune Aviation, and Collins Aerospace for their input on this one.

Our Provider Profile in this issue focuses on medical care in the Canadian Arctic, where Keewatin Air are up to the challenge of providing such services; and our interview with Dr Neville Vlok from South Africa’s HALO Aviation offers an interesting insight into HEMS operations in the country.