Classic Air Medical purchases five Bell 407GXi aircraft
The new helicopters will be used for medical transport in the Southwestern US
Utah-based medical transport provider Classic Air Medical signed a purchase agreement on 9 November with Bell Textron Inc. for the acquisition of five Bell 407GXi helicopters.
The helicopters, which are scheduled for delivery in 2022, will join Classic Air Medical’s existing fleet of rotor and fixed-wing aircraft and will be used to provide air medical transport in the southwestern US states of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
New engines improve speed of air medical transfers
The helicopters feature Rolls-Royce Rolls Royce M250-C47E/4 dual-channel FADEC turbine engines and can reach cruise speeds of 133 kts (246 km/h), with a range of 337 nautical miles (624km).
The vehicles also have capacity for six passengers and one pilot, with a useful load of 1,043kg.
The new aircraft also equipped with Garmin G1000H NXi Integrated Flight Decks with LED screens, synthetic vision, and terrain avoidance warnings.
The announcement follows the signing by Bell Textron for the supply of 12 407GXi helicopters to the US-based Life Flight Network earlier this month, as well as yet another purchase agreement in October to supply a new Bell 505 aircraft to the Nebraska State Patrol.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.