Midlands Air Ambulance helo upgrade on schedule
The new machine is due to join the fleet in January 2018.
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC), UK, reports that its project to upgrade its fleet with a new H145 helicopter is on schedule. The Charity said it is investing in the new, helicopter to support future lifesaving air ambulance operations. The new machine is due to join the fleet in January 2018.
Built at Airbus’ headquarters in Donauwörth, Germany, the aircraft made its first flight earlier this month as it travelled to the UK to undergo a medical equipment fit-out at MAAC’s aviation partner Babcock Mission Critical Services’ headquarters in Staverton, Gloucestershire.
Hanna Sebright, chief executive for MAAC, said: “We are pleased that progress of the new state-of-the-art H145 helicopter is on schedule. We made the strategic decision to invest in the larger, £7-million helicopter to further develop our clinical and operational service, to allow us to continue to offer exceptional pre-hospital patient care. We are in a position to purchase the new airframe thanks to on-going support from our loyal fundraisers within the communities we serve, and a £1-million grant from the [LIBOR] banking fines. The investment will improve the organisation’s long-term resilience and sustainability by further reducing overall operating costs.”
Registered as G-RMAA, the new helicopter will be operated the charity’s RAF Cosford airbase in Shropshire. The charity currently owns one EC135 helicopter, and leases two further EC135 models from Babcock Mission Critical Services. The charity will retain one leased aircraft, while the second leased aircraft will be replaced by G-RMAA.
The new air ambulance helicopter will provide a great number of benefits to patient care within the Midlands, said MAAC; it will be able to travel greater distances without the need for refuelling and enable the aircrew to respond faster due to increased speed capability. The larger interior means additional aircrew can be flown to major incident scenes, and will also enable improved medical equipment to be carried onboard to treat more complex emergencies.