LifeFlight Engineering certified for helicopter and rescue equipment repair and support

The engineering arm of Australian air medical organization, LifeFlight, has been granted approval by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to carry out repair and support on an extensive range of helicopter and rescue crew equipment.

Typically, this equipment would have to be sent to external workshops around Australia to undergo repairs. With the CASA approval, any gear – which includes all equipment pilots, aircrew officers, and medical staff use and wear on a mission – can be repaired and supported in-house at LifeFlight’s Heavy Maintenance Facility at Archerfield Airport.

Helmets, life vests, rescue baskets, and breathing systems

Michael Dopking, LifeFlight Engineering Operations Manager, said: “LifeFlight is the only Approved Maintenance Organization in Australia to have been granted such a wide-ranging approval.

The list of items approved for repair include helmets, life vests, rescue baskets and strops, rescue litters, emergency Egress Breathing Systems, and winching harnesses and restraint straps.

In total, there are nearly 600 pieces of equipment in LifeFlight’s inventory. LifeFlight Aircraft Safety Equipment Engineer, Simon Jamieson, added: “That includes more than 200 flight helmets, which are valued at around AU$3,500 each.”

LifeFlight recently celebrated a different milestone; Dr Allan MacKillop, now-Chairman of the LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine Board, marked 40 years of saving lives in Australia, first beginning in his personal car before heading to the skies in a CareFlight (as the company was previously known as) helicopter.