SEPTEMBER 2017 VOL 43
UC Health AIR CARE
CINCINNATI
CARE FLIGHT
LEADING THE CHARGE
DOWNUNDER
SOUTH CAROLINA
ENHANCING AIR MED CREW SAFETY
THE FLIGHT DOC BILL HINCKLEY
AIA MEDEVAC TRIALS TILTROTORS IN TOOWOOMBA
PILOT PROFILE EMILY HILLER
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INSIDE
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THE JULY ISSUE 70 42
COVER STORY:
RACQ LIFE FLIGHT ANSWERING THE CALL DOWN UNDER By Ryan Mason
WHATS UP DOC?
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI MEDICAL CENTER
Q & A WITH DR BILL HINCKLEY
AIR CARE & MOBILE CARE
By Matt Johnson
By Ryan Mason
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AEROMEDICAL INNOVATION AUSTRALIA AW609 PROPOSED FOR MEDEVAC FLIGHT TRIALS By Jacinta Cummins
MED-TRANS OPENS NEW BASE
CAREFLIGHT IN COLLETON COUNTY, SC By Jason Jorgensen
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74 COLUMNS & FEATURES
Helipix
6
From the Desk of
16
Helinews
24
Enhancing Crew Safety
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Pilot Profile: Emily Hiller
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is a publication of Airborne Productions P.O. Box 3134 Alpharetta, GA 30023 TOLL FREE: 844.435.4932 PHONE: 770.308.6648
EMAIL: info@heliweb.com
SEPTEMBER 2017 VOL 43
Meet the team: Ryan Mason
Publisher & Editor
ryan@heliweb.com
Ryan has worked in aviation media for almost a decade, providing photography, story content, and videos for multiple U.S and international aviation publications before purchasing Heliweb Magazine. Also a former police officer, he has written for numerous law enforcement publications, specializing in technology, tactics, police equipment and airborne law enforcement. Ryan’s goal is to provide story content on the issues that truly matter to the industry and to promote and support a safer industry.
Jason Jorgensen
Deputy Editor
jason@heliweb.com
Jason is a well established aviation photographer and journalist, a career that he pursued after completing his service in the United States Navy. Based in the Los Angeles area, Jason is also known in the architectural arena where for over a decade and a half, he worked with custom home builders, marketing teams, luxury interior designers and some of the largest real estate companies in the country. Jason specializes in business avaition, military aviation and investigative journalism, he also serves as the magazine’s Los Angeles Bureau Chief.
Colt Roy
Online Content Editor
colt@heliweb.com
Colt is a writer and photographer in the emergency services field. Colt is also the editorial director of SConFire.com a website dedicated to first responder news around the country and is the primary correspondent for coverage of helicopter aviation relating to helicopter air ambulance services and aerial firefighting.
UC Health AIR CARE
CINCINNATI
CARE FLIGHT
LEADING THE CHARGE
DOWNUNDER
SOUTH CAROLINA
ENHANCING AIR MED CREW SAFETY
THE FLIGHT DOC BILL HINCKLEY
AIA MEDEVAC TRIALS TILTROTORS IN TOOWOOMBA
PILOT PROFILE EMILY HILLER
SEPTEMBER 2017 ISSUE COVER: One of the RACQ LifeFlight AW139s seen flying into the sunset during the photoshoot for the cover article of this issue of Heliweb. Image by: Ryan Mason
Additional Contributors: Dan Foulds
Jacinta Cummins Dan Foulds retired from flying in 2015 after a 30 year career in flying in military & civilian aviation. Dan now runs HelicopterEMS.com and spends his time dedicated to helping improve air medical crew safety and single pilot operations.
A freelance journalist residing in rural Queensland, Australia, Jacinta currently specializes stories focused on regional Australia, She has worked for daily newspapers in Australia for over a decade and has served as a media advisor to two government administrations covering agriculture and aboriginal affairs.
For advertising inquiries, please call our advertising sales team at 844-435-4932 extension 802 or email sales@heliweb. com for more information on how we can help you showcase your business.
Matt Johnson Helicopter FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, conducting Private through ATP level exams in numerous types. His experience spans; Air Medical, Law Enforcement, Flight Instruction and ENG Flying. Johnson is a 3 time Master Instructor, FAA Gold Seal Instructor, USHST Rep Human Factors Group and FAASTeam Rep Greater Cincinnati Ohio region.
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July 2017 | 5
Helialpin AG R66 at 3000 feet in the swiss alps. Photographer: Mario Gasser.
Victoria Police H135 in the Victorian high country near Mt. Buller in Australia. Photographer: Simon Barton. 6 | heliweb magazine
#helipix S&S Aviation AS350 in Brisbane, Australia on approach to a temporary testing pad on the Brisbane River. Photographer: Mark Watterson.
USAF MH-60 conducting a swimmer recovery demo in San Francisco bay during fleet week. Photographer: Sergio Maraschin. September August 2017 2017| 7| 7
Pilot Amber Forest flies the Cabri G2 during last months Eclipse. Photographer: Nigel Cooper. 8 | heliweb magazine
#helipix Hillsborough County Florida Sheriffs department aviation deputies in conduct wing training. Photographer: Brian Parsons. August 2017 September 2017| 9| 9
Pilot Taylor Michaud flying agricultural work with a UH-1B in Northern CA.
Photographer: Michal Piper.
Executive Jet Charter Ltd AW139 arrives at London’s Battersea downtown heliport to pick up passengers. Photographer ?????????. 10 | heliweb magazine
#helipix Firefighting exercise in Austria with German Police & Austrian Police. Photographer: Florian Hรถrtnagl. September August 2017 2017| 11| 11
Hershey Life Lion’s new Airbus H155 lands on the pad at Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA for the first time. Photographer: Seth Lasko. 12 | heliweb magazine
#helipix September 2017| 13| 13 August 2017
This stunning sunrise in Eastern Oregon over a Leonardo AW119Kx operated by LifeFlight Network Photographer: Emily Hiller.
CALSTAR EC135 returning to base at Lake Tahoe Airport (KTVL). Photographer: Jason Jorgensen. heliwebmagazine magazine 1414| |heliweb
#helipix CARE Flight Bell 407GXP Setting down at an event in Dorchester Co, South Carolina. Photographer: Kimber Roy.
An Apache AH-64D of the Royal Netherlands Air Force conducting maneuvers over the countryside . Photographer: Jimmy van Drunen. September August 2017 2017| |1515
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PUBLISHER
From the Desk Of...
Business Continuity in a Crisis The last few weeks in the United States, its outlying territories, and other Caribbean neighbors has been a roller coaster ride of epic proportions. Between the three hurricanes that affected the U.S. mainland states of Texas and Florida, then Hurricane Maria wreaking havoc on Dominica and Puerto Rico to the earthquake in Mexico, it got me thinking about the helicopter industry and how many of you have risk management and business continuity plans in place. I recently returned from the CHC safety & quality summit in Dallas, where risk management was a recurring topic in many of the presentations given at the event. What was not mentioned as much, is the subject of business continuity. While not “companies� technically, the need for continuity of local government services after Hurricane Irma saw dozens of police, fire, search & rescue, and even military helicopters take refuge from the storm in the Orange County Convention Center until the storm passed. These government entities from all over the state of Florida were faced with the decision of leaving their helicopter assets in hangars not built to withstand the winds projected to hit Florida or seek alternate locations to store their helicopters until the storm passed. While it is unknown how many of the government entities from around the state already had a plan in place, specifying a course of action to take, other agencies were using a seat of the pants approach. Which in any real plan, there needs to be a degree of flexibility or a plan B, C, D, E should the original plan prove to be ineffective due to uncontrollable variables, like the exact track that a hurricane will take. Outside of government assets, our industry around the world has operators and businesses of every shape and size that provide everything you need for the day to day operation of your business.
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Now, what if after you go back to work after a hurricane and your main parts supplier has suffered massive damage and had no plan in place to continue that service delivery once things got back to business as usual in your region? This is a question that as a business owner I had to ask myself recently as I suffered a medical issue and was down for the count for several days. A couple of days is not a big deal, but what happens if those days turn into weeks and those weeks turn into months? What will you and your staff do for income? Do you have insurance to cover wages if a natural disaster destroys your business? Do you have a backup plan of where to restart or temporarily house your workforce or parts storage? Do you have a plan in place to maintain your business continuity for your customers, or will they be forced to find an alternate vendor to source the product or service you provide because you were not prepared and had no plan in place? If you want to retain your customers after an emergency that challenges your business, you need to make sure in the event of something foreseen or unforeseen becoming an issue, that you were prepared for the worst and your business is prepared to go on with or even without you there to oversee it. These are questions that as your business grows and more customers start to place their trust in you to deliver, that you have to ask yourself. After my recent incident, I asked my staff to come up with solutions to what the business would do, should anyone on the team be hit by a bus. Many things need to be considered in a business continuity plan. Who will look after our customers, is there a plan in place for each
person’s information, passwords and critical information needed to keep the business running to be accessed should something happen to them. Thought also needs to be given to the physical side of the business; do you store documents on site? Is there a digital cloud backup service in place if a hurricane strikes and your customer orders become spread over a 300-mile radius, and if not, why not? The digital world of storing just about any file on a cloud server, automatic backups and accessibility options that now even allow you to access your entire stored document library via a phone, tablet or another internetequipped device. Paperless backups have come a long way in making access to documents online a much easier task than even a decade ago, so that should be the easiest thing your business can set up for business continuity and resuming normal operations as soon as the power comes back online. However, what I am getting at overall, is that you as a business, owe it to your customers to be prepared in the event of as many business interruptions as you can think of. Once you have identified as many possible threats, it is time to develop a crisis plan of how you will adapt, overcome, and execute, to get your business back up and running after an emergency event has passed.
Ryan Mason Publisher & Editor
Ryan has worked in the aviation media field for the last nine years. Providing video, photographic and written content for U.S and international aviation publications. Also a former police officer, Ryan has written for numerous law enforcement publications, specializing in technology, tactics, police equipment and airborne law enforcement. Ryan purchased heliweb with a goal of providing real stories on real issues in the industry and giving back to the industry through efforts to promote safety in helicopter operations.
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LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT AW139 COLLIDES WITH TREE DURING FIREFIGHTING EFFORTS FOR LA TUNA FIRE On Saturday, September 2nd, 2017, Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter, “Fire 4” the department’s newest asset, was participating in fire drop operations with at least nine other aircraft assigned to assist with airborne water drops when the pilot of the helicopter made a mayday call after apparently coming into contact with a pine tree while flying in the area of Verdugo Hills. The pilot proceeded to make an emergency landing on the football field of Verdugo Hills High School, landing the helicopter that was badly damaged safely. According to reports from eyewitnesses in the area featured in coverage aired by NBC Los Angeles, a witness claimed to have observed the helicopter striking a tree. Images submitted anonymously to Heliweb Magazine appear to back the eyewitness account as images show several small pine tree limbs protruding from damaged areas of the fuselage. The LAFD AW139 appears to have suffered substantial damage to the tail boom, stabilizers, and left side sponson/ wheel housing as seen in reviewed images. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the emergency landing. The La Tuna Fire was the largest fire in City of Los Angeles’ history, fueled by erratic high winds, the fire grew rapidly, spreading in four different directions. During the peak of the firefighting operation, there were nine helicopters and five water bomber fixed wing assets engaged in fire suppression operations in conjunction with over one thousand firefighters and two hundred and six fire engines. The La Tuna Fire burned a total of 7,140 acres before being declared as extinguished on September 10th, 2017. The Los Angeles Fire Department operates seven helicopters that serve in both air ambulance or fire attack roles. Each AW139 helicopter is equipped with a three hundred and fifty gallon under belly water tank.
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September 2017 | 25
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FX-LLC Celebrates Five Months of Delivering Upset Recognition and Recovery Training Since Chuck Aaron and Kevin Bredenbeck announced their intentions to start a world first in helicopter training at HAI Heli Expo in March of this year. Interest has been strong in their uniquely focused Helicopter Upset Recognition and Recovery Training (HURRT.) The duo’s revolutionary training has now been underway for five months and the pair have now had the opportunity to fly with many different sectors of the industry; private individuals, government, law enforcement, insurance groups and corporate operators. People attending HURRT training have ranged in hours flown 600 to 15000 flight hours and course critiques have been nothing less than stellar with commentary from attendees raving about what they learned and experienced during the classroom and flight portions of the course. Students have departed the program happy, with a new found focus on their decision making in flight, basic attitude instrument flying skills, control touch and how to be a safer and more proficient pilot. “These kinds of comments indicate the training developed is a needed commodity in our industry, especially when we look at accidents associated with inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).” said Chuck Aaron, President of FXLLC. Having just returned from the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) show in Reno, Nevada, Aaron and Bredenbeck commented that it was evident just as experienced at HeliExpo, loss of control (LOC) inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) is very much still a major focus and concern of many operators, both para public and in the civilian market. “This further brings attention to the importance of issues such as LOC, IIMC and CFIT” said Bredenbeck, “FX’sHURRT course has seen a massive amount of press interest since the launch of the program, having had feature articles written by Vertical Magazine, Heliweb Magazine and AOPA’s Flying Magazine that all 26 | heliweb magazine
and the lack of actual helicopter flight training & realistic emotions. Our FXLLC HURRT program goal is to focus on the attributing factors of LOC, IIMC and CFIT and address them,” Aaron added.
did a remarkable job overviewing the program we put together” added Aaron. Providing helicopter upset training has been an important goal for the FX team. Being the first in the industry to provide helicopter upset recovery training in the format and profiles they fly is what has gained the program the mass of attention it has received from the media, along with the fact that this training is the first of its kind to address a situation that has taken the lives of many pilots, yet no one has addressed via training. The reasoning behind that likely lays in experience, and many training operators may lack the ability to conduct such complex training, coupled with the fear of losing an aircraft. Neither being an issue with two incredibly experienced pilots with experience flying in ways many never will for the team at FX of Aaron and Bredenbeck. “We are proud to set the benchmark and be the catalysis for enhancing training and potentially changing our industry’s safety record. It’s not about currency but proficiency in the skills needed if we are to become a safer and more professional helicopter pilot. Addressing the three common threads that have been created by the Training Gap identified in our research when we were developing the HURRT program has been key,” said Bredenbeck. “That Training Gap has been caused by the increasing use of simulators, the increased reliance on automation,
FX’s HURRT training program in coverage from the stories in Vertical magazine, Heliweb Magazine and AOPA’s Flying magazine all shed light on the topic of loss of control, IIMC and CFIT which included the fact that by completing the HURRT course, participants can also receive an official insurance premium credit that is offered by STARR Aviation, a worldwide leader of aviation insurance solutions and its alliance that includes Berkley, AIG and SwissRe. Graduates of the HURRT program can actually receive up to a premium 10% bonus to qualified insured customers who complete HURRT. These insurers have also endorsed FX LLC as a bi annual recurrent training alternative to factory training if insured by them. Making HURRT even more valuable by combining factory recurrent training with the benefits offered by completing HURRT training. Recently FX-LLC’s training also received official P.O.S.T. training certification in California for law enforcement which sets a standard for this specialized focused training for airborne law enforcement agencies in California. “We are excited about this program and hope other agencies use California as the example and adapt this HURRT program into their aviation programs,” said Aaron in relation to receiving California POST certification. Helicopter upset recognition recovery training’s overall safety objective, is the proactive management approach to identifiable hazards and their associated risks with the intent to eliminate their potential for affecting aviation safety, and to prevent injury to people and damage to equipment or the environment. Aaron and Bredenbeck examined over 2000 aviation accident statistics and causal factors to come up with our approach to addressing of LOC, IIMC and CFIT and it appears that it is beginning to pay off for the pair.
Med-Trans Corporation Celebrates 35th Anniversary Airbus Helicopters marks 50 years of local presence and showcases EMS capabilities at China Helicopter Expo Airbus Helicopters’ celebrated its 50th anniversary in China at the 2017 China Helicopter Exposition, in Tianjin, Sept 14-17. Visitors were able be able to take a closer look at China’s very first Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) configured H135, operated by Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Centre, and a HEMS configured H130 operated by Shandong MIT Group. Several Chinese-operated H125s, were also on display during the show. The H125s are especially notable because by the end of 2016, the inservice Ecureuil fleet reached 100 in China, becoming the largest fleet of a single helicopter type in the country. Attendees to the show had an opportunity to try out the interactive H160 virtual experience to learn more about the H160’s multiple configurations and performances. The Airbus Helicopters’ display also included an HCare counter presenting the company’s support options for customers, including training, maintenance, technical support, fleet management, and mission preparation. This year also marked the 50th anniversary of Airbus Helicopters’ presence in China. The company’s relationship with the country first began in 1967 with the sale of the Alouette III, followed by several cooperation agreements for the AS365 Dauphin, H120 Colibri, H175/ AC352 helicopters joint production, and an H135 final assembly line in Qingdao.
This month Med-Trans Corporation reached an impressive milestone, celebrating 35 years providing critical care transport in the United States. Med-Trans, who operates over 90 bases in 26 states is headquartered in Lewisville, Texas.
family-based culture and servant’s heart,” Hamilton added.
Employing some 1200 employees, the company cam from humble beginnings in Bismarck, North Dakota. Founded by Dennis Rohlfs who was a Medivac Pilot for the 571st “Dust Off Unit” during the Vietnam war. Med-Trans now operates over one hundred aircraft, comprised predominantly of Bell 407s and Airbus Helicopters H135s and H145s. In the last 35 years, Med-Trans has transported and provided critical care for more than 250,000 patients.
Tom Rohlfs, VP of Business Development and Marketing, noted that upon the turn of the century, the company began service in major markets such as Texas, South Dakota, Colorado, California and South Carolina.
“We have much to celebrate, especially those 250,000 patients we have touched and our close partnerships with many of the leading health care organizations in America,” said Med-Trans President Rob Hamilton. “In the coming years, Med-Trans will continue to grow, providing our critical lifesaving service to more communities and positively affecting thousands of additional patients. We will continue to remember what has led to the success we have today, including the professionalism of our employees, our Bell Helicopter announced the delivery of two Bell 505 Jet Ranger Xs to Eagle Copters South America headquartered in Santiago. The aircraft will be used for corporate transportation. “We are excited to announce the first two of nine Bell 505s have been delivered to our friends at Eagle Copters South America,” said Jay Ortiz, vice president, Latin America. “With the latest in technology and the best-in-class ride, the Bell 505 is the choice aircraft for those who are travel savvy and require a quiet cabin to conduct business during flights.”
Med-Trans is planning for the future by building a new corporate headquarters and training academy at the executive airport in Denton, Texas.
In 2006, after the company’s founder decided to retire and sell the company, Med-Trans joined private-equity backed Air Medical Group Holdings (AMGH). With new ownership came new leadership as Fred Buttrell, joined the team. “Med-Trans will continue to lead this lifesaving industry into the future as a ‘partnership champion,’” said Buttrell, CEO of Air Medical Group Holdings. “We very much like to talk about being a 35-year-old company and we celebrate today that we have arrived here by being a family-based organization that is professionally run with the philosophy of service to others as we have grown. We are well positioned for the future because of our investment in technology, our people and service ethic.” Company officials see growth for the Bell 505 in the Corporate, Tourism and light Utility sectors. The reliability, speed, performance, and maneuverability of the Bell 505 is integrated with a flat floor, open cabin that is configurable for a wide variety of missions and payloads. The spacious cabin can be configured to carry up to four passengers or configured for internal cargo missions by removing quick disconnect rear cabin seats and/ or copilot seat. These features combined with a proven and reliable drivetrain and rotor system make the Bell 505 a multimission aircraft in the short light singleengine market.
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TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AIR GUARD REMAINS GROUNDED AS DOMINICA PLEADS FOR HELP FROM SURROUNDING NATIONS AFTER HURRICANE DEVASTATION passed in 2015, Dominica’s government officials put out an urgent call for help from surrounding countries. The first to respond to the request was Trinidad and Tobago’s elite Air Guard unit (TTAG), who dispatched two of their Leonardo AW139 SAR equipped aircraft immediately, scrambling two crews, that was later extended to a total of four crews as the relief effort carried on through three weeks that saw TTAG crews and aircraft participate in over fifty separate rescues, one that involved the evacuation of an entire village of 28 residents from storm damaged areas affected by landslides in the wake of the storms passing.
The island of Dominica, population just 72,000 people, lays in partial ruin today after Hurricane Maria scored a direct hit on the small island as it continues its path towards the United States territory of Puerto Rico. The citizens of Dominica currently are without power, running water, and any contact with the outside world as Maria took out the country’s communication network. Early reports state that more than 70% of the country’s homes had roofs ripped off, while many more lay in complete ruin. Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, also one of the affected as Maria made landfall on the island as his roof was ripped while he updated concerned citizens as the hurricane hit. Communication from the island nation ceased shortly after as communication lines were also damaged. This is the second direct hit for Dominica, having still not fully recovered from the damage occurring from Tropical Storm Erika that made landfall on August 22 in 2015 that took 28 | heliweb magazine
the lives of thirty citizens on the island located in the Lesser Antilles chain almost 300 nautical miles to the north of Trinidad and Tobago. As the full extent of damage became known in the light of day after Erika
This year’s record hurricane season that shows no signs of letting up saw Hurricane Maria making a direct path to put the eye of the hurricane directly over Dominica, with winds in excess of 156MPH, hitting land as a category 5 hurricane, whereas Tropical Storm Erika hit with winds at just 56MPH in strength. The difference in response to this much more devastating hurricane from Trinidad and Tobago, is the lack of dispatching immediate assistance by way of the
country’s four Leonardo AW139 search and rescue helicopters operated by TTAG. Today, the helicopters still sit idle in their hangar in a corner of Piarco International Airport located on the outskirts of the nations capital Port of Spain. The TTAG helicopters have sat idle since political maneuvering by the ruling government saw the unit’s operational capability effectively cease overnight after the government refused to pay an installment on a continuing service agreement with U.K. based Cobham, as detailed in a story Heliweb Magazine wrote in July after word of the grounding of the highly decorated and award winning program became public. The Trinidadian government at the time agreed to consider several options submitted as revisions of the existing contract by Cobham in an effort by the company to reach agreement with the government on a price and service adjustment that would see the TTAG program return to the air. A decision was expected after the next meeting of Parliament, expected in late July or early August. However, the program at the time of writing still sits idle along with the four AW139’s that could currently be providing lifesaving search and rescue operations to assist the much in need Dominican government.
several government departments that included the Prime Minister’s Office, The Ministries of National Defense, Foreign and Caricom Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force, Office of Disaster Preparedness, and the Immigration Department. In an as yet unexplained move by the TT Government, it was also announced that the country would be sending helicopter assets from National Helicopter Services Limited, instead of pursuing a temporary measure to allow TTAG aircraft and crew to respond to Dominica or announcing a permanent solution to the months overdue decision on the future of the TTAG program due to the urgency of emergency response services needed by their neighbors to the north.
National Helicopters is a joint venture for profit enterprise owned by two government departments in Trinidad that primarily provides support for the Oil and Gas industry providing offshore transportation services with multiple S-76 model helicopters not equipped for search and rescue. Shortly before the announcement of the grounding of the TTAG AW139’s, NHS received delivery of a used Airbus H135 rumored locally to have been purchased for a future air ambulance role, which was joined shortly after by an AW139 configured as a search and rescue capable aircraft with a winch. At the time of arrival, it was not known if NHS had or has trained rescue crew or pilots trained to fly the AW139 or in what capacity the helicopter would be used in the future at the time of publication of this story.
In a Facebook post made by the Office of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago posted on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister announced that Trinidad and Tobago would be sending assistance from September 2017 | 29
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MDHI AWARDED $1.4 BILLION IDIQ FOR ARMED SCOUT ATTACK HELICOPTERS effective, efficient role the MD 530 Armed Scout Attack Helicopters play in the global fight against terror. It is MDHI’s great honor to continue to serve and support the Warfighter.” Under the contract, the first deliveries will be thirty new MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters for the Afghan Air Force. This delivery, valued at 176,600,000 US Dollars will feature aircraft configured with MD Helicopter’s newly certified Block 1 glass cockpit, featuring the Howell Instruments Engine Instrumentation System, Garmin GDU 620 Electronic Flight Instruments, Garmin GTN 650H Communication/ Navigation/Global Positioning System (COM/NAV/GPS), and Northern Airborne Technology Cabin Audio System. MD Helicopters announced that they have been awarded a 5-year, firm-fixed price contract to provide roughly one hundred fifty armed MD 530 aircraft along with the required production support services, including program management, delivery support, pilot training and maintenance to U.S. and Partner Nation Army Aviation Forces in support of U.S. Army foreign military sales opportunities.
The contract, which is estimated to be completed on September 30, 2022 with a potential value of 1,385,497,987 US dollars. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal Alabama is the contracting agency. “This Contract is recognition of our ability to rapidly respond to the needs of our military customers,” said Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer for MDHI, “and a testament to the
Mission Equipment for these aircraft will include a ballistic crash worthy fuel system, consisting of a main fuel tank and a 38-gallon Auxiliary Fuel Tank, high capacity landing gear, FN Herstal Weapons Management System, DillonAero Mission Configurable Armament System (MCAS) weapons plank and Fixed-Forward Sighting System, Rohde & Schwarz M3AR Tactical Mission Radio, and FN Herstal .50 caliber HMP 400 Machine Gun Pods and M260 7-shot rocket pods. “The MD 530F Cayuse Warrior has been a proven performer in support of ground operations and in the execution of close air support interactions since it first arrived in Kabul,” Tilton continues. “It is extremely gratifying to see that our focus on quality, technology, and rapid delivery has resulted in such a significant contract; one that solidifies MDHI’s position as a preferred provider of armed scout attack helicopter solutions.” “Serving the Warfighter is our legacy. It is at the heart of who we are as a company,” Tilton concludes. “We are honored to have received this contract and the initial Delivery Order for Afghanistan, and remain steadfast in our commitment to rapidly delivering safe, reliable, and customizable armed scout attack helicopter solutions that meet a full range of mission profiles.” Aircraft deliveries on the initial Contract Delivery Order will be complete by September 2019.
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CHC Helicopter Celebrates Inaugural Flight of CHC’s New Airbus H175
CHC Helicopter celebrated the inaugural flight of CHC’s new Airbus H175 super medium aircraft to the Ocean Patriot. “I am delighted to see the H175 officially take off for our European operation – the first of three in the CHC fleet– and to offer this newgeneration aircraft to Shell, for whom we have provided aviation services, in the United Kingdom/North Sea, since 2012,” said Mark Abbey, CHC Regional Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The aircraft can be configured to carry up to 16 passengers allowing CHC to efficiently manage our customers’ current North Sea operations whilst also providing a high level of operational flexibility. This is key to customers’ needs in the next phase of North Sea oil and gas activity.” The Airbus Helicopters H175 is a new generation, medium sized rotorcraft which was first entered into service December 2014. The H175 was designed in collaboration with major players in the Oil and Gas industry along with Search and Rescue customers and operators, the H175 responds to the specific market needs and safety requirements. The H175 exceeds the requirements of the latest and most demanding CS-29 regulation and Oil and Gas Producer guidelines. “We continue to refine our global fleet to best meet the unique needs of each customer,” said Dave Balevic, Senior Vice President, Engineering, and Operations at CHC Helicopter. “The addition of the H175 allows us to offer the latest aircraft technology. Locating our H175 engineering center of excellence in Aberdeen will ensure current and future customers benefit from our best in class, global standards, and processes.” To support the introduction of the H175 to CHC’s fleet, the company has designated the Aberdeen base as its global H175 engineering center of excellence. September 2017 | 31
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Furthermore, tourism. both parties are committed to expanding this cooperation into the public services industry, including Airborne Law Enforcement, Air Ambulance Services, and Aerial Firefighting. Part of this commitment includes CMIG Leasing signing letteroofmundo intent for up to two pre-owned H225 Preferred Airparts, LLC Nós por todo Nós compramos os estoques Divisão de Indústrias JILCO. helicopters to be used for firefighting missions, further de novas peças excedentes Preferred Airparts, LLC Nós por todo o mundo ! para quase qualquer coisa the performance and versatility of this demonstrating ta Nós compramos os estoques Divisão de Indústrias JILCO. eço de lis que tenha arquivos. r p o n Ligação grátis, UDde & Canadá to variant of the Super Puma family. on peças excedentes Também motores e hélices connectors, motors descnovas
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magazine 32 | heliweb Tel. 330-698-0280, FAX 330-698-3164
Nós por todo o mundo Nós compramos os estoques de novas peças excedentes para quase qualquer coisa que tenha arquivos. Também motores e hélices cansados ou prejudicados de Cessna Gêmeos, Caravans e Citations.
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CMIG Leasing is following the terms and conditions of the existing framework agreement announced at China Helicopter Exposition in 2015, which covers a total of 100 Ecureuil family helicopters. To date, 20 Ecureuil helicopters from this agreement have already been delivered.
Gene Hembree is our buyer. Por favor contate em: 330-698-0280 ext.224 gene@preferredairparts.com
Accessories and parts • • peças Electrical - breakers, switches, relays, • • • Lighting - strobes, beacons, bulbs, Lighting - strobes, beacons, bulbs, pelo valor serviço Lighting - strobes, beacons, bulbs, • Acessórios Peças de e eEstruturas • Escolhido • Wheels, brakes, pads connectors, motors lenses, peças MotoresPT6A, de todos os tipos • lenses, peças freios, de lenses, parts of all kinds de pastilhas • Rodas, Peças todos ostipos Allison/ RR, de lista! • Hardware - 12,000 P/N in stock Preferred Airparts, LLC Nós por todo o mundo • Acessórios e peças • Lighting - strobes, beacons, bulbs, • Hardware - 12.000 P / N em estoque Turbomeca, Lycoming, VO/TVO-435 & 540 Accessories and parts • • Acessórios e peças • Instruments, some Avionics lenses, parts of all kinds Rodas, alguns - ignições, • Instrumentos, Consumíveis Aviônicos velas de Wheels, brakes, pads • • • • Rodas, freios, freios, pastilhas pastilhas 800-433-0814 Exhaust parts Accessories and parts Hardware - 12.000 P / N em estoque • • • • Peças de escape ignição, filtros Pe /muito Hardware - 12,000 P/N in stock e outros. • Tel. 330-698-0280, Hardware - 12.000 mais estoque FAX 330-698-3164 N em • Much more... • Wheels, brakes, pads Instrumentos, alguns Aviônicos • • Muito mais... Elétrica disjuntores, interruptores, relés, sales2@preferredairparts.com • Instrumentos, Instruments, some Avionics • Horário alguns Aviônicos Peças até Estruturas vendas: 7h15 20h. de todos os tipos • • • de Peças de de escape Hardware - 12,000 P/N in stock lentes, peças Scan here to get Exhaust parts • • • • Peças de escape e n li n o Peças de MotoresPT6A, Allison/ RR, e mais... reLighting - strobes, beacons, bulbs, • Muito F our parts app! Instruments, some Avionics ! h rc Sea Much more... ry tolenses, peças ven Turbomeca, Lycoming, VO/TVO-435 & 540 • in• • Muito mais... de todos os tipos Exhaust parts www. preferredairparts preferredairparts • www. Consumíveis - ignições, velas.com de.com Acessórios e peças Scan here to get • FMuch more... e n li e on filtros reRodas, our parts app! e muito mais h ! pastilhas rc ry Seafreios, toignição, inv• • en Scan here to get www. preferredairparts .com Elétrica disjuntores, interruptores, relés, • FAirparts, Hardware - 12.000 P / N por em estoque lineLLC Preferred Nós todo oour parts app! mundo e onpreferredairparts Preferred Airparts, LLC re www. .com We Buy Worldwide ! h rc ea lentes, peças de todos os tipos www. preferredairparts .com S Div. of JILCO Industries ry to Aviônicos We buy inventories of new inv• en Instrumentos, alguns We are surplus parts for nearly • Lighting - strobes, beacons, bulbs, 800-433-0814 800-433-0814 anything that flies. Also • www. Peças de LLC escape Nós preferredairparts .com Cashpor todo Preferred Airparts, o mundo tired or damaged Cessna 40
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“We’re delighted to further strengthen our strategic partnership and extend the cooperation with CMIG Leasing for the civil helicopter industry in China,” said Marie-Agnes Veve, General Manager of Airbus Helicopters China. “Airbus Helicopters has been present in China for 50 years, as the first Alouette III helicopter entered the country in 1967. We are committed to the continued development of China’s helicopters industry and by working with such great partners, we can all achieve more success together.” CMIG Leasing is one of the most influential helicopter leasing companies in China, as well as a strategic partner of Airbus Helicopters. At the last China Airshow in 2016, CMIG Leasing signed a LOI for the new generation, twin-engine H160 helicopter, making them the launch customer in China and strengthening their commitment to China’s general aviation industry by fulfilling diversified market demands. Airbus Helicopters is the world’s leading helicopter manufacturer and is the leader as well in China’s civil helicopter market with a 40% market share. Today, more than 260 Airbus helicopters are flying across the country.
V-280 Valor Achieves 100% Completion
The Bell V-280 Valor has achieved 100% build completion and moved one step closer to its first flight this fall. The V-280 is the newest revolutionary aircraft in the tiltrotor family. The V-280 Valor was selected in August 2014 to advance, build and fly an aircraft within the JMR-TD program. The V-280 has been designed to provide our military with the speed, range and operational productivity needed to complete any mission successfully and outmatch every opponent. New innovations incorporated in the V-280 include stationary nacelles, which increases the ease of aircraft maintenance and safety of the ingress and egress. The newest tiltrotor offers fixed-wing high speed performance and low speed agility, giving soldiers and operators the option to select the best pace and maneuverability for their mission.
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Sikorsky celebrates 50 years of service by the Nuri S-61 with the Royal Malaysian Air Force Sikorsky, with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) celebrated 50 years of continuous service of the S-61 A-4 helicopter in Malaysia. The milestone was celebrated Sept. 17 with a commemorative dinner attended by Malaysian Chief of Air Force, General Tan Sri Dato Sri Hj Affendi bin Buang and scores of RMAF helicopter crew members. The first of an initial order for 10 S-61 aircraft, subsequently named the Nuri by the RMAF, arrived in Malaysia in late 1967. Since its introduction, the Nuri S-61 has demonstrated its multi-role capability with a variety of missions including transport and search and rescue across the country. Since 1967, scores of RMAF crew members have trained with Sikorsky, joining generations of Sikorsky-trained pilots who have flown more than 24 million flight hours in S-61 aircraft around the world, in both military and civilian service.
Sikorsky Nuri S-61 pilots and crew with the aircraft in RMAF livery
The RMAF’s Nuri aircraft are based in Butterworth in West Malaysia, and Kuching in East Malaysia. The fleet was recently upgraded with features including avionics and glass cockpit ensuring the platform remains modern and reliable. “We are honored to celebrate the golden anniversary of the S-61 Nuri with the Royal
Malaysian Air Force, and commemorate 50 years of continuous service of the well-established and proven platform in a variety of roles. The celebration underscores Sikorsky’s legacy in Asia and our enduring presence, partnership and commitment to customers in the region,” said Christophe Nurit, regional executive for Sikorsky in Asia.
Able Aerospace Achieves DGCA Certification, Bringing Services To India Able Aerospace Services, a Textron Aviation Inc subsidiary, announced that they have achieved a certification by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India to provide a wide spectrum of repair, overhaul and approved replacement parts support for both rotor and fixed wing aircraft registered in India. This will allow Able to provide high quality, cost saving maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) solutions for operators of Airbus, Bell, Boeing, Leonardo, and other major aircraft platforms in India.
of India and we’re already working to bring Able’s advantages to this growing market.”
“Able has an immense catalog of repair, overhaul and parts solutions that hold approvals by many airworthiness authorities,” said Able Aerospace Services Quality Manager Paul Pfaffenberger. “We are proud that this now includes approval by the DGCA
Able, which serves commercial and military customers in more than sixty countries with a broad platform of airworthiness certifications that in addition to the Directorate of General of Civil Aviation of Asia also include the FAA, EASA, CAAC, JCAB, Thailand
34 | heliweb magazine
“With DGCA certification, Able can establish trusted local channel partners and quickly expand parts and repair resources, allowing Indian operators and maintenance teams to access our solutions easily and at some of the industry’s most competitive prices,” added Able Aerospace Services Business Development Manager Jason Lindauer.
DCA and ANCA. The company is an approved Bell Helicopter Service Center and an Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo approved repair facility, also holding International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001-2008 and Boeing’s AS9100 and AS9100 certificates of registration. Able operates inside a 200,000 square foot headquarters and maintenance facility that employs more than 450 mechanics, engineers, sales and service experts to provide extensive in house capabilities, which allows more than 95 percent of all jobs to be completed on site. These capabilities include electroplating, chemical processing, machining, grinding, NDT testing, hydraulics and bearings services, and painting.
L3 WESCAM Wins Contracts Valued at More Than U.S. $200 Million During First Half of 2017 L3 WESCAM announced that it has won a series of MX-Series electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) product and in-service support contracts valued at more than $200 million USD during the first half of 2017. The contracts, originating from key global regions, including the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania, were placed on behalf of leading defense customers who will leverage the technologies across airborne, land and
maritime domains. Half-year highlights include a heightened demand for MX™ systems on Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) platforms, numerous orders from global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and a surge in service contracts across the U.S. and United Kingdom. “We are very pleased that end users and globally based OEMs continue to look to L3 for the essential ISR technologies and logistics support services required to keep missions
moving forward,” said Mike Greenley, President of L3 WESCAM. “The collective orders from our first half of the year reaffirm that we are not only creating and investing in the right products, but that we’re aligning our offerings for our customers’ muchvalued support infrastructure, maintaining the full functionality of MX products through their natural life cycle. We expect this demand to continue through the second half of the year.”
Latécoère is selected to supply the Cockpit Control Panels for the H175 from Airbus Helicopters Latécoère Interconnection Systems division, the world number 2 in onboard wiring, has been selected by Airbus Helicopters to supply the Cockpit Control Panels for its H175 helicopters. Signed for an initial period of five years, the new contract is based on a production output of around 500 control panels per year, and includes the delivery of standard and customized panels
depending on the final configuration chosen by the client. The first deliveries will bemade beginning of 2018. Yannick Assouad, Chief Executive Officer of Latécoère, said: “This contract won by the Interconnection Systems division is a product of the collaboration between Airbus and Latécoère which began in 2009 in the form of electrical engineering
assignments. Slowly but surely, the close working ties developed between the teams over the years have led to the signing of this production agreement. Our demonstrated operational excellence is a guarantee of reliability for a client with very high expectations like Airbus. The contract is also the product of the strong sale drive to develop new markets which is one of the pillars of Latécoère Transformation 2020 plan.”
First civil customer NOLAS takes delivery of an H135 with Helionix Norsk Luftambulanse AS (NOLAS), a Norwegian HEMS operator, is the first civil customer to receive an H135 equipped with Helionix. Six additional H135s with Helionix will be delivered to NOLAS in 2017 and 2018. In December 2016, the UK MoD was the first military customer to receive the new H135 with Helionix. NOLAS won a national HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) tender in Norway in 2016, and a total of 12 bases and 17 new helicopters will be operated from June 1, 2018. All helicopters are equipped for 24/7 operations with state-ofthe-art configuration for Single Pilot IFR/Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS) operation, Aerolite interiors and the latest medical
equipment. With a specially trained anesthesiologist, a pilot and a HEMS crew member, and a specially configured helicopter, NOLAS do on-scene missions as well as advanced intensive care transportation in the demanding environment of Norway.
increase situational awareness. Designed with three large electronic displays on the H135, the cockpit is Night Vision Goggle compatible and includes a First Limit Indicator which highlights the appropriate engine instrument data for the pilot in one indicator.
The H135 obtained EASA certification for the Helionix avionics suite in November 2016. The Helionix avionics system designed by Airbus offers operators with increased mission flexibility and safety. Helionix is a family concept with standardized features and is already available on the H175 and H145.
“In demanding environments and under almost all kind of weather challenges, it is great to have the support of the new technological developments that the Helionix version can offer”, said NOLAS CEO Rune Midtgaard. “It reduces the pilot workload, increases the safety of the operation and in the end the ability to reach the patients in need of the advanced medical support the service can offer.”
On top of the 4-axis autopilot, Helionix offers an innovative cockpit layout which helps to
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German Airbus H145 Flight Simulator Awarded Level D Certification By Federal Aviation Office
The Airbus Helicopters Training Academy in Germany has announced their H145 simulator has been awarded level D status by the German Federal Aviation Office, which is the highest possible certification for a full flight simulator. With this new airworthiness authority approval, more training hours accumulated by pilots in the full flight simulator will be able to be logged as actual flight hours. This full H145 simulator provides both national and international customers with a wide range of training opportunities, specifically missions under extreme flight conditions for practicing various emergency procedures. Not only is this the world’s first certified full flight simulator for the H145, but it is also the first helicopter simulator in Germany to receive the EASA level D certification. In order to achieve the level D certification, simulators must meet a number of criteria which includes the ability to move in six directions, provide a field of view of at least 180 degrees, work with realistic acoustic and visual simulations, and perform several special 36 | heliweb magazine
motion effects. The new simulator in Donauwörth fulfils and partially exceeds the requirements. Airbus H145 Full Flight Simulator – Airbus Photo An additional important feature of the new simulator is that it can accommodate developments that are still on the horizon: the simulator cockpit developed and constructed in-house by Airbus Helicopters can be easily rolled on and off the simulator, allowing it to be replaced with other configurations. This guarantees maximum flexibility with regards to future helicopter variants or configurations. The H145 simulator is suitable for pilots’ initial training and refresher courses, for specific instruction on emergency procedures, for flights according to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), in offshore conditions and at night (with night vision goggles), as well as for Cat. A operations. Each year, more than 400 pilots pass through the Training Academy in Donauwörth, completing over 1,500 flight hours in the process.
“Thanks to the world’s first H145 simulator, we can provide our customers with an excellent training environment,” explains Charles Hebeka, Head of Airbus Helicopters Training Centres in Germany. “This is a further step we are taking together with our customers towards guaranteeing maximum flight safety when operating our helicopters.” In order to make the H145 flight simulation as realistic as possible, the simulator is provided with an extensive H145 OEM level D data package from Airbus Helicopters and its suppliers. This includes H145 software, an original cockpit and further H145 parts, all of which guarantee the fully simulated and realistic functionality of the helicopter, its engines and the Helionix avionics suite. Furthermore, the simulator has been tested and validated by the design experts, flight test engineers and test pilots who were involved in the development of the H145. It has been built in cooperation with Indra Systems, a Spanish flight simulator manufacture
CHC, Leonardo & SKYTRAC Cooperate for Global Real-Time In Flight Safety Data Transfer CHC Helicopter, in collaboration with Leonardo and SKYTRAC, have successfully completed testing of a real-time Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) and cockpit Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solution on an AW139 helicopter. An industry first, the technology includes inflight HUMS analysis with real-time air-to-ground exceedance alerts and automated downloads to Leonardo’s HeliWise analysis software. Live weather and Marine AIS feeds to the cockpit are included for increased situational awareness to the crews, ensuring that their decision-making is based on the very latest information. The system also permits immediate and automatic download of Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) data whenever the aircraft comes into range of a company secured Wi-Fi hotspot at home base. Data can be seamlessly & securely uploaded into the system used by the FDM analysts saving valuable time and eliminating manual transfer of this safety-critical data “CHC’s core focus is on safety and efficiency. This technology will help detect HUMS exceedances early while speeding up the analysis process. In addition, the SKYTRAC EFB application monitors live weather and marine traffic inflight. This will help pilots easily identify changes to potentially unsafe flight conditions (such as those related to thunderstorms and lightning activity) and take alternative measures in a more measured fashion,” said Dave Balevic, CHC’s senior vice president, engineering and operations. “Leonardo is pleased to be part of this innovative AW139 project with CHC and SKYTRAC. Today more than ever, the industry is looking for a practical and flexible solution for real-time HUMS and
automated wireless post-flight downloads to satisfy the need of a timely access to HUMS data. This important achievement will help CHC to fully streamline their AW139s’ HUMS data download and processing, to reduce aircraft AOGs and to increase aircraft continuous airworthiness,” said Leonardo Helicopters Head of PSE & Licenses, Maurizio D’Angelo. “SKYTRAC is proud to have our real-time data transfer technology successfully demonstrated by
CHC and Leonardo. We understand the challenges faced by global Oil & Gas operators. We offer a lightweight and minimally intrusive product that is capable of robust onboard data analysis, true poleto-pole communications coverage and reliable data offloading. For the cockpit component, we’ve designed a user-friendly EFB application that can be accessed quickly and easily with a standard tablet. It is an allin-one solution for true real-time awareness,” said SKYTRAC VP Sales Jan van der Heul. September 2017 | 37
HELINEWS
ALEA to Rebrand and Reorganize as APSA
During ALEA EXPO 2017, their recently completed 47th annual conference & exposition, the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) announced that they would be changing their name to the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA) effective January 1, 2018. The new moniker is the culmination of several changes over the last seven years made to be more reflective of the entirety of those involved in public safety aviation as well as more appealing to potential members the Association desires to attract. “Public safety aviation has expanded beyond just law enforcement and it was time to outwardly become more inclusive of all who operate governmental aircraft for the welfare of the general public,” explained ALEA CEO & Executive Director Dan Schwarzbach. “We have a visionary Board of Directors that developed our current business plan, Metamorphosis, during their most recent strategic planning meeting,” he added. Along with the rebranding, ALEA will be reorganizing their business structure. APSA has been incorporated as a 501(c)(6), which will allow the
Association greater latitude than the current 501(c)(3) in the products, programs and services they can offer their members. “We have been restricted by the IRS (c)(3) designation in providing many of the programs and services that our members desire and expect, and this change will allow us to be more responsive to their needs,” said Schwarzbach. “Membership is our lifeblood and we want to position ourselves to meet their expectations,” he went on to say. ALEA President Steve Roussell remarked, “ALEA has been the leading provider of training and networking opportunities to law enforcement aviation for almost 50 years and these changes lay the foundation for the next half-century. APSA is the next step in the natural evolution of the Association.” APSA’s mission will remain the same: to support, promote and advance the safe and effective utilization of aircraft by governmental agencies in support of public safety missions through training, networking, advocacy and educational programs.
Eagle Strengthens Customer Support Capabilities in Australasia At Eagle Australasia announced that BLR Aerospace has appointed our team as BLR’s Distributor for Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand - continuing to strengthen aircraft support for Australasia customers. Eagle represents BLR Fastfin® System for the Bell 204, 205, 212, 412 and UH1 models as well as 38 | heliweb magazine
the Dual Tailboom Strakes for the Bell 206 Series including the Bell OH-58 and Agusta Bell Models. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with BLR Aerospace and supporting our customers. It’s our primary focus to ensure that our customers fly and we take care of the rest!” Says Eagle Australia CEO, Grant Boyter.
H145M completes first flight with HForce weapon system
the H145M performed its first flight with a complete HForce weapon system in Donauwörth. Thanks to this modular weapon system designed by Airbus, the H145M can be equipped with all kind of guided and ballistic armaments such as missiles and laser guided rockets, guns, machine guns and rockets. The qualification of HForce for use on the H145M is planned for 2018. “The next steps prior to qualification include a firing campaign, testing the whole fire mission spectrum through guns, cannons and rockets in Hungary as well as tests on the laser-guided rockets in Sweden before the end of the year,” said Jean-Luc André, HForce Program Manager at Airbus Helicopters. “As the launch customer for the H145M with the HForce weapon system, the Republic of Serbia has ordered nine H145M aircraft, including four attack helicopters equipped with HForce”, he added. HForce is a comprehensive, modular and cost-efficient weapon system that can be used on any military version of Airbus’ civil helicopter range (H125M, H145M and H225M). The flexible weapon management system enables armies around the world to complement their fleets with specialised versions of light attack helicopters. The H145M is the military version of the twin-engine H145 civil helicopter that was first delivered in 2014.
Leonardo: Major support of Hurricane Harvey disaster relief efforts through products and technology As the communities along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana begin to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey, a number of Leonardo products and technologies have been activated in support of disaster relief and recovery, including satellites, aircraft, and helicopters. In addition to the images from through the e-GEOS joint venture (Telespazio/ ASI - Italian Space Agency) - is providing images, maps and services based on satellite data from the radar constellation COSMO-SkyMed used in Texas to monitor the effects of rains and, specifically, to control the flooding along the coast. The U.S. Coast Guard deployment the Leonardo-built C-27J guaranteeing the transport of crews, equipment and medical supplies in support of aid efforts. On the helicopter side, flying for disaster relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana are Leonardo’s AW139 operators based along the Gulf Coast,
including ERA Helicopters as pictured above. These AW139 operators will continue to support rescue and relief operations in the days and weeks ahead. The AW139 with its long endurance, combined with large cabin space and
ease in configuration for; FLIR stations, medical treatment and casualty evacuation. search and rescue and patient transportation, is well suited to be flying in the post hurricane/ adverse weather conditions in support of these critically needed local and regional relief efforts.
Aviation Industry Pleads With Congress: Remove ATC Privatization From FAA Reauthorization Bill Helicopter Association International has joined forces with five other general aviation organizations forming a unified front to get the very controversial proposal to privatize the nation’s air traffic control system stricken from the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill. And these six organizations are not alone in this fight. A vast majority of the general aviation community, along with many small airports, mayors, business leaders and other advocacy groups have voiced their opinion as well, and with good reason. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 2997, dubbed “the 21st Century AIRR Act,” will add nearly one hundred billion dollars to the national deficit. That office also noted that a recent Government Accountability Office report concluded that Air Traffic Control modernization is on schedule. In a letter drafted to Congress, the group of aviation organizations stated that their belief on modernization of Air Traffic Control should be done by implementing
targeted solutions that identify challenges and allowing the completion of a comprehensive, bipartisan, and more long-term FAA reauthorization. This approach the conglomerate of industry groups believes would allow harmony inside the aviation system between the traveling public and the airline industry. As it stands now, currently the only real group in favor of Title II of H.R. 2997 is the airline industry, which makes perfect sense financially speaking. “The only groups to seemingly support any part of the ATC privatization proposal are the airlines,” says Matt Zuccaro, President and CEO of HAI, “That makes sense, since the commercial airlines are the only aviation-related businesses that will benefit from this plan.” The letter drafted to Congress also included some very alarming numbers that stress the importance of striking this legislation down. There are roughly 500 cities in the United States that have scheduled airline service, but well over 5000
small towns with airports providing access to general aviation. The access to airports and the nation’s airspace creates jobs, generates economic activity, and helps make America’s aviation system work for all Americans the letter went on to state. To put the importance of general aviation into context, you must remember that we are talking about a million jobs across the industry, an industry that does over 200 billion dollars in economic activity each year. The aviation organizations represented in the drafted letter to Congress include: HAI president and CEO Matthew Zuccaro, National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Mark Baker, Experimental Aircraft Association CEO and Chairman Jack Pelton, General Aviation Manufacturers Association President and CEO Pete Bunce, and National Air Transportation Association President Marty Hiller. September 2017 | 39
CHALLENGE & RESPONSE CHECKS?
OPENING A DIALOGUE ON ENHANCING SINGLE PILOT AIRCRAFT SAFETY
Story by
Dan Foulds The time to discuss enhancing safety procedures for our single pilot HEMS crews is not next Quarter or Fiscal Year, it is TODAY. As such, one easily incorporated, procedural addition that has the possibility of reducing errors and oversights that seem to be statistically common in single pilot aircraft, is by the use of a short secondary checklist that is conducted by a second crew member after the pilot’s initial checklist has been completed. This can be accomplished by the incorporation of medical team members flying in single-pilot aircraft for challenge-and-response before-take-off confirmation checks. Our objective is the safety and success of all HEMS/HAA flight operations. In addition to the tragedy for those involved in a mishap, the catastrophic loss of an aircraft or team significantly damages the reputation and standing not only of the program involved but of all programs engaged in HAA operations. For this reason, we have agreed to join with other industry stakeholders and advocate for a best-practice concerning the incorporation of trained and briefed medical flight team members for 40 | heliweb magazine
confirmation checks immediately prior to lift off in an EMS helicopter. At present most EMS helicopters in the US are flown by a single pilot. These pilots routinely start engine(s) and prepare for takeoff using a cockpit “flow” or “wipeout,” that is to say they “DO” start their aircraft from memory, and one or more times during the preparations sequence they are responsible to pick up their checklist and, scanning it rapidly they “VERIFY” that all required steps have been completed. This enables a much more rapid departure than would be possible were the pilot to proceed down the checklist line-by-line. While some programs do adhere to a line-by-line method of checklist accomplishment by a single pilot, having one person responsible for doing and verifying creates the opportunity for a single-point-of-failure with tragic consequences. In HAA operations, safety is paramount, but a timely departure is important too, and do-verify has worked well in the vast majority of HAA flights over the years. Having said that, there have been instances in which a pilot, for various reasons, fails to properly configure the aircraft for departure. In response to these events, some operators have added a “confirmation checklist” to
be used immediately prior to liftoff. Typically included on this confirmation checklist would be items that, if overlooked, could cause the loss of the aircraft and/or the crew. A customary method of posting the confirmation checklist is for it to be printed on a vinyl sticker which is then affixed to the instrument panel in plain view of the pilot. Unfortunately, the same human-factors which cause a pilot to overlook an item on the do-verify engine start and before take-off checklist procedures can cause a pilot to overlook the same items on the confirmation sticker. Such errors of omission have resulted in damage or destruction of several aircraft, serious injury to crew members and pilots, and, in at least one incident, a fatality. The tenets of crew-resourcemanagement dictate that we use “every resource available to us” for the safe, orderly, and expeditious accomplishment of our assigned flight tasks. A medical team member, while not “flight crew” per se, and while not regulated by the FAA (second crew member for NVG flight ops below 300 feet excepted) does, over time, become intimately familiar with flight operations. As well these medical team members have a vested interest in
safety, as their lives are on the line right next to the pilot’s. In many US flight programs, the decision has been made to have a medical team member serve as an additional layer of safety by having that person read a before take-off checklist or confirmation checklist in the manner of “challenge and response,” This practice does not absolve the pilot of his or her responsibility to ensure that all steps are accomplished. It simply incorporates a resource that is sitting there. At times the medical team is busy caring for a patient – but the request by the pilot for the “checklist please” is a clear alert that the aircraft is preparing to depart. This enhances everyone’s situational awareness, and in all but the most extreme patient-care situations (for example, CPR in progress), at least one team member can take the few seconds required for the challenges. Examples of the items that might be included in a challenge and response confirmation checklist are: (these are only examples, your results might differ) Engine controls set to fly. (at least three Agustas extensively damaged for one engine at ground idle during takeoff. At least three instances of a Dauphin taking off with one engine at ground idle) Hydraulic switches set and checked. (at least three Astars have been damaged or destroyed for hydraulic switch(es) set incorrectly. A news copter in the US was also destroyed for this error of omission and a person on the ground was killed).
BTO checklist). In more than one instance, an aircraft has departed without the required meds or equipment. This renders the aircraft and team not-mission-ready, and often requires a time-consuming delay, which is less than optimal for patient care.
Emeritus board member -The National EMS Pilots Association. Retired EMS pilot. Retired Army Aviator.
Obviously, the number of items on the confirmation checklist should be kept as short as possible. In this case, the medical team member calling out the challenge would either respond him or herself or would look to the second medical team member for a verbal response.
Kurt Williams, Immediate past president of the National EMS Pilots Association. Former EMS pilot. Manager for a large HAA provider.
Summary Over the years, and with the experience and visual clarity of hindsight, it is apparent that the vast majority of HAA flight operations are conducted smoothly, safely, and to the benefit of the patients we fly. But our goal is ZERO aircraft destroyed and ZERO crew/pilots/patients injured or killed. The recommendation we have laid out here will not cost any extra money, other than the cost of stickers with checklist items printed on them. The practice of having a team member challenge a pilot will not significantly delay patient care – at most a 10 or 20 second delay may be encountered. But if one life is saved, we think it’s worth it. Please consider incorporating this recommendation as a “best practice” for HAA operations. This practice has been endorsed by: Dan Foulds, Owner - HelicopterEMS. com, Owner - AMRM Training Solutions,
Miles Dunagan, Current president of the National EMS Pilots Association. Active EMS pilot.
Rex Alexander, Past president of the National EMS Pilots Association. Former EMS Pilot. Former regional manager for Omnflight Helicopters. Industry expert. Justin Laenen, Member, National EMS Pilots Association Board of Directors. Current EMS pilot. Sam Matta, Co-founder of E.C.H.O. Active EMS flight nurse. Combat veteran. Krista Haugen, Co-founder of the Survivor’s Network for Air Medical transport. Trained AMRM facilitator. Flight Nurse. Crash survivor - takeoff with one motor at ground idle. Additionally, some variation of this practice is already in effect at numerous flight programs across the United States. Disclaimer: This is not intended to suggest any action not in accordance with federal aviation regulations. Consult appropriate oversight personnel before implementing any change to flight procedures.
Fuel transfer switches set “ON.” (At least two BK-117 aircraft have been extensively damaged due to the transfer switches set to “off.” One pilot was paralyzed. In Scotland, a police helicopter crashed through the roof of the Klutha Pub after supply tanks became empty with transfer pumps off, killing several persons on the ground in addition to the crew on board). Internal and external light switches set, caution panel checked. (In a BK-117, having the instrument light potentiometers/rheostats set to “on” during periods of daylight renders the caution segments and master caution lights too dim to see. This error of omission strikes in conjunction with the fuel transfer switches being left off. When the low fuel lights and master caution lights come on the pilot can’t see this during daylight conditions). Drugs and mission equipment checked. (This is an example of an optional item that may be included in a confirmation or September 2017 | 41
Aeromedical Innovation Australasia TILTROTOR TECHNOLOGY IS PROPOSED FOR TOOWOOMBA BASED TRIAL
Story by
Jacinta Cummins WHEN Dr. Paul Adams and his family moved to Mount Isa, a largely isolated area of tropical far north Queensland in Australia, he was confronted with the harsh reality that living in “the bush” can cause when his two-year-old daughter fell critically ill. His issue, the same one faced by the relatively small populous of Australians that live in remote enough areas that critical medical assistance can often be hours away. This, an issue that can often mean the difference between life and death in the remote outback of Australia. There simply isn’t the same access to critical care services enjoyed by 95% of Australians that live within reasonable distance from a level one trauma center or intensive care unit. “My daughter was fortunately stabilized in Mount Isa, but as a doctor, it really hit home that if she needed specialist pediatric intensive care, there’s no quick solution and we’d have a nervous wait,” Dr. Adams said. Dr. Adams’ father was a flight engineer, so he grew up around aviation. While working 42 | heliweb magazine
as a paramedic in rural Queensland while training to become a doctor, Adams formed his first idea, now called project Thunderbird, which, with several other initiatives now make up the entity the name of Aeromedical Innovation Australasia (AIA).
Starting From Scratch Adams established AIA in 2015 to support project Thunderbird, an idea he conceived in 2013, to increase the response time of critical care service and improve accessibility to the best aeromedical care for patients in “the bush” as it is known to Australians; to outsiders, the bush is the most remote areas of inland Australia that stretches for thousands of kilometers and has remained very sparsely populated. Those that live in the far inland areas of the outback, usually farmers, used to living sometimes a four-hour drive to the nearest town. Some even having to drive that far just to visit their nearest neighbor. Although the farming life is often handed down from generation to generation and isolation is a way of life for many, as expert as those living in the bush become at staying self-sufficient, it is the unexpected
events like sudden illness and injury that can’t be planned for and even though Australia has a vast network served by the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS), some areas where injury or illness occur are not always accessible by the conventional PC-12 fixed wing aircraft of the RFDS, so Adams idea, one that he is pursuing with gusto, is to introduce Australian air medical services to a tiltrotor based operation. The operation planned by Adams in Project Thunderbird would not only speed up response times, but allow remote treatment at the scene of an accident over greater distances than capable by a conventional rescue helicopter at speeds equal to that of an RFDS response, but with the ability to land where needed.
Tiltrotor History Tiltrotor technology was looked into as far back as World War II, but it was only successfully adopted by the U.S. Military into an active role in 2007. The tiltrotor program currently centering on only one model, the Bell-Boeing V-22 flown by the United States Army, Air Force and Marine Corps who each use the tiltrotor for varying missions in the United States and abroad.
What is hoped to be the second generation of Military tiltrotor technology by Bell Helicopter, currently the only contender in the military space is the Bell V-280 Valor. The civilian side however has seen its setbacks, with the long-awaited AW-609 having only recently returned to after a crash in 2017 that killed test pilots Pietro Venazi from Italy and American Herb Moran.
this is where service level gaps exist currently due to funding and geographic constraints,” said Adams.
Increased Efficiency
Leonardo still remain positive that the airframe will see success after certification from the FAA and EASA that the company hopes to obtain in 2018. Once civil certification is achieved in the United States, Dr. Adams is leading the way by laying the foundations for a speedy transition to medical operations Australia. “Existing services offered by the Royal Flying Doctors Service, EMQ and LifeFlight are essential, but service delivery is designed to service the most number of residents. I’m proposing to use tiltrotors for increased access in areas where the population density drops off because
“Everyone deserves the same access to healthcare, and because any delay to adoption might be the difference between life and death. Tiltrotors not only allow better access, but they can also reduce the number of parties needed for patient transport.”
Dr Paul Adams at the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport when he inspected the site’s potential to host a tiltrotor trial. Photo: Paul Adams.
In current air medical evacuations the patient would normally need to be delivered to a local airstrip, then be flown to an airport near the destination hospital, and then be driven from the airport to the hospital in an ambulance, which can involve three or more switches between transport modes, all of which increase time before treatment can be received. The tilrotor initiative would reduce the patient movements to the same as a traditional helicopter pickup, yet add the ability of a substantial increase in response area that an aircraft such as the AW609 could potentially cover.
AW609 on static display in 2011, at a museum in Volandia, Italy.
Photo: Klaus Nahr, CC-BY-SA-2.0
September 2017 | 43
The AW609 Tiltrotor which will be used if AIA is able to conduct a trial from Wellcamp Airport. Photo: AWPC.
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“We are currently making a documentary about a helicopter pilot who sustained severe head injuries after a crash while cattle mustering in Australia’s Northern Territory. In his case, it took three aircraft and 10.5 hours to get him to advanced care, tiltrotor technology by comparison could accomplish that task in half the time and only one transfer” Dr. Adams admits the aviation industry may be slow to adopt tiltrotors in the global commercial market until the way is paved overseas, but he believes the benefits it offers are too attractive. Whenever a new technology comes along, people want to see it work before they use it, but the reality is there will always be a risk. “There is a risk with helicopters and airplanes, but their use is common place because of careful necessary implementation.”
Testing The Waters Dr. Adams approached the director of Wellcamp Airport, John Wagner in
2016, about hosting a tiltrotor trial to service south western Queensland out of Wellcamp to which he has agreed to support. Wagner agrees that Wellcamp Airport is an excellent location due to its proximity to medical centers in Toowoomba in Northern Queensland. “Wellcamp doesn’t have the curfews which apply to larger airports, our runways can take a Boeing 747 and it is uncontrolled airspace class G, so we are not constrained with air traffic control and we can easily train people there,” said Wagner. Dr. Adams will attend the AMTC conference in Fort Worth, Texas this month with seven other AIA delegates in the hopes of raising international attention to the project and the potential for other nations to investigate using tiltrotor technology in their air medical operations in the future. The delegation will continue on from Ft. Worth to the Leonardo helicopters factory to tour the AW609 production facility and look at how to further their ambitious project as the first of its kind.
Bringing the Ideas to Life In November of this year, AIA announced it would also host a two-day seminar in Brisbane on the potential that application of tiltrotor technology could have on the Australian aeromedical services industry if the project succeeds. Although a new program, there is clearly interest on many levels within Australia, as the seminar has already attracted a confirmed attendance of over two hundred attendees from aviation and air medical services, government bodies and regulators such as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) together with investors, developers and media are expected to attend. Dr Adams said that the Australian seminar could be the make or break point for the project. As there is a lot of money that would need to be invested in the project for a successful outcome, but with the right industry partnerships, sponsorships and subject matter experts that are as passionate as he is get involved and assist in the project’s success, that collectively, he believes the team can make this project a reality.
This is a proposed mobile simulator of the AW609 tiltrotor. Dr Adams is trying to get one to help ensure the trial at Wellcamp Airport goes ahead. Photo: Tristan May.
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MED-TRANS AND COLLETON COUNTY OPEN NEW BASE
A community partnership began recently in South Carolina between Med-Trans Corporation and Colleton County Fire Rescue to form the recently launched CARE Flight program on June 15th, 2017. The hybrid partnership between MedTrans and Colleton County Fire Rescue is a first in the state of South Carolina and is different from conventional HEMS programs across the nation. With this partnership, Med-Trans is responsible for providing the aircraft, pilots, flight nurses, and a mechanic, while Colleton County Fire Rescue is responsible for providing paramedics. This partnership is noted in the helicopters bold paint scheme which includes a winged Maltese Cross, the symbol for firefighters, with a Star of Life centered inside. The layout of Colleton County poses several challenges and the new program is already making leaps and bounds to address these challenges in the short time since its inception. A majority of the 46 | heliweb magazine
1,100-square mile county is considered rural with a population of only 38,000 people. In comparison, neighboring Orangeburg and Charleston counties have a population of 90,000 and 350,000 people respectively, but are nearly the same size geographically. Due to the distance from many medical and trauma emergencies to the nearest appropriate medical facility, air based transportation had been utilized heavily in Colleton County, credited with saving many lives. In many cases, a critical patient doesn’t have the time required for ground based transport.
A PROGRAM IS BORN Speaking with Colleton County Fire Rescue Chief Barry McRoy it was clear only a few minutes into the conversation that a change was needed. The department had what he referred to as “several issues” with the previous
Story and Images by
Colt Roy
community based model air medical provider in the area. The Fire Department wasn’t alone with these issues, which lead the Colleton Medical Center to decline the renewal of the lease with the previous air ambulance service. The medical center’s decision forcing McRoy to search for a solution better suited to the needs of the county. Conversations between Colleton County Fire Rescue and Med-Trans began in October 2016 where previous concerns were brought to the table. The suggestion was made by Med-Trans to look at bringing a hybrid program into the county, and the rest as they say, is history. When the previous providers lease expired at Colleton Medical Center on May 31st, the partnership had a program that was turnkey ready for operation, and on June 15th CARE Flight officially opened their doors to accept their first patient. Since that day, there has been very little downtime for the operation, one of the key issues that they struggled with under
the previous operation. While officials from Med-Trans wouldn’t divulge the total number of transports to date, we do know CARE Flight handles on average a minimum of one transport per day.
A ROLEMODEL SYSTEM What Fire Chief Barry McRoy called the most impressive aspect of the CARE Flight system, he best descried as a “Fully integrated system where the fireambulance-helicopter-trauma center all works with seamless integration to provide the best level of care for the patient.” The biggest benefit with this integration comes from the reduction in time it takes for the helicopter to be called. In the world of EMS, minutes are a valuable commodity that most patients deemed critical enough to warrant an air transport simply don’t have extra time to wait. Not every transport is flown from a scene, as many of the flights involve facility to facility transports in addition to scene flight calls. The real win for the Fire Department is that Med-Trans reimburses the department for the flight paramedics. What this means for Colleton County
Fire Rescue is that all the added benefits of this hybrid system and the service to the citizens they are charged with protecting comes at virtually no cost to the department. The service to the community doesn’t stop there, currently the program is working on providing a ground based service for the flight crew to operate during the times weather prevents flights to be made. If the final approval is given for this venture, a ground ambulance would be staffed with a Paramedic and a Registered Nurse, which exceeds the level of care a typical Advanced Life Support ambulance can provide.
NEW DELIVERY While the first three months of CARE Flight’s operation took place utilizing a Bell 407 built in 2014, the program recently took delivery of a brand new 2017 Bell 407 GXP. The 407 brings a huge upgrade over the previous provider’s capability which includes a stronger lift capacity. The new helicopter also boasts a number of safety features designed to
reduce the pilot load, and allow the pilot to focus on the safe operation of the helicopter. The 407’s Garmin 1000 places all avionics and terrain avoidance data directly in front of the pilot. This data can prove valuable in the event of an in-flight emergency. Other safety features installed in CARE Flight’s new Bell 407 GXP include a pop out float system, essential for this operation in a single engine helicopter that operates over many large bodies of water in their coverage area.
TRAINING With any new program, there are things that work brought across from previous operations, while others will not. Another unique aspect of the CARE Flight program is while pilots are required to complete quarterly check rides every 120 days, so too are the flight crews. Check rides are completed with the entire crew aboard, adding to the overall realism by having the crew aboard to simulate a real flight condition and reality that all of the lives aboard need to be preserved.
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LEADING THE CHARGE
DOWNUNDER
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Story by
Ryan Mason Images by
Ryan Mason Mark Watterson | 49 September August 2017 2017| 49
History RACQ LifeFlight began operations on the Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia’s north in 1981, continuing gradual expansion over the past three decades to become an easily recognizable icon in Queensland’s skies that has become a lifeline to those needing immediate help in the golden hour, treating and transporting over 45,000 people in its years of service in Queensland. Air Ambulance services in the country’s remote north were mostly limited to service from the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) would fly to the airport nearest a patient to pick them up and transport them to a hospital that could provide the critical care needed. That all changed for the people of Queensland as a team headed by current CEO Ashley van de Velde and a team of volunteers
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gathered the funding and resources to start what was known then as the Gold Coast Helicopter Rescue Service (GCHRS). The service was established to bring rapid rescue response to the many hundreds of pristine beaches frequented by tourists from around the world, along with providing a state of the art search and rescue capability to the far reaches of Queensland that had for too long been without rapid rescue capability. Using helicopters to significantly improve patients chances of survival, GCHRS was able to land directly at remote hospitals or at road accident scenes, lowering the amount of time within the “Golden Hour” that a patient sat waiting for specialized treatment. In 1992 the service expanded, changing its name to CareFlight Group QLD Limited, increasing its footprint to also service citizens in Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales.
Sponsorship The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) became the naming rights sponsor of then CareFlight in 1993, donating vital funds to help keep the service airborne. The partnership between the service and RACQ, still standing today is one of the longest partnerships in Australia for any air ambulance service. LifeFlight has a long standing relationship with RACQ dating back to 1993. “We’re proud to hold one of Australia’s longest sponsorship arrangements which has grown and strengthened over the decades to become a genuine partnership. This partnership was forged for a number of reasons, but most obvious for RACQ as the State’s peak motoring organisation was that it helps ensure round the clock peace of mind for our
LIFEFLIGHT AUSTRALIA members, just as our roadside assistance does” said Ian Gillespie, Group Chief Executive Officer of LifeFlight’s major sponsor RACQ. During the 1990s, the service looked at other ways to help fund and support the now vital community rescue program by seeking out other key partnerships within Australia’s corporate world. This approach helped to grow into one of Australia’s most expansive air-medical services as it stands today. LifeFlight also has a longstanding partnership with the Queensland Government, the service now providing Queensland Health with more than 120 doctors and support staff on helicopters and fixed wing aircraft across the State. As word of the positive outcomes led by the success of the program, several other sponsors also came on board to assist with the annual costs involved in running the program that included one of the Asia Pacific area’s most successful law firms. Established in Sydney in 1827, MinterEllison operates in Australia, Hong Kong, mainland China, Mongolia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The service also has several key partnerships with media organizations and other businesses around Queensland.
Expansion The program that was to become LifeFlight continued their expansion efforts to touch on areas of need that would provide services that were vital to not just their program, but others in the area by looking at what training needs the industry had, which led to the beginning of what is now a premier suite of helicopter training courses, starting their first with a Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) course. This course, along with many others are now undertaken by
thousands of aviation, medical and media professionals annually at LifeFlight’s training center located at Brisbane Airport. In 1995, LifeFlight identified the need for twin engine helicopters and received the first of six Bell 412 helicopters that would allow the service to travel farther, in all weather and at night, to help those in need. LifeFlight continued to break new ground at the turn of the century. CareFlight Medical Services, now known as LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine, was established to provide training of doctors and medical crew. Queensland Health awarded the organization the highly sought after contract to provide doctors on both fixed and rotary wing aero-medical services throughout the State. In 2004, the organization’s fleet expansion continued with the purchase of a Learjet 45 and LifeFlight’s Air Ambulance retrieval September 2017 | 51
service began. In South West Queensland, patient demand saw a part-time base established in Toowoomba in 2006, purchasing a Bell 230 the following year to service the region. Further acquisitions and growth followed in 2008, with the purchase of a second Learjet and the opening of the LifeFlight Training Academy on the Gold Coast in 2009, the same year a second Bell 412 helicopter was purchased to service the Toowoomba region. In 2010, the Toowoomba service became a full time operation and a year later the Surat Basin Gas Industry Aeromedical Service (now Surat Gas Aero-Medical Service) was created. The Curtis Island Rotary Wing Aeromedical Service followed and three additional Bell 412 helicopters were acquired to service both these commercial contracts.
Merging for Success In July 2013 LifeFlight took another major step forward, merging with the iconic Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service (SCHRS) operating out of the Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg. The merger brought together two of Australia’s most capable helicopter rescue services and significantly streamlined airmedical care for patients in the process. SCHRS brought to LifeFlight a long and illustrious history dating back to 1979. The service began with match funding from the Queensland Government and in 1985 purchased a Bell LongRanger using a $450,000 Government grant. In 1997, the first of two BK117s were purchased and a year later the service expanded north into Bundaberg. The decision to merge the two iconic charities combined a mutual desire to improve patient outcomes and maximize service delivery. Long-time partner RACQ supported 52 | heliweb magazine
LIFEFLIGHT AUSTRALIA the merge by extending its naming rights sponsorship to include both helicopters. Together the merged entity offered the community a combined 66 years of experience In 2014, the Air Ambulance division acquired a new Bombardier Challenger CL-604 and added two new AW139 helicopters; marking the first time in the service’s history that a new, rather than repurposed aircraft was purchased. Another major acquisition in the same year was the purchase of a Thales Reality H Full Flight Simulator (FFS,) also the first AW139 full motion flight simulator certified for use in Australia. The 139 simulator purchase also serving the training requirements of the rapidly increasing number of AW139 operators in Australia and the Asia Pacific area. The following year, LifeFlight continued their growth by reaching agreement to merge their services with Mount Isa-based North Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service (NQ Rescue) while simultaneously launching a new base at Brisbane Airport. The services Brisbane and Mount Isa bases expanding LifeFlight’s footprint significantly to include 41 council regions across the three states of Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. As the service celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2016, the final name change to the current name of the service, LifeFlight, was completed. The final piece of the funding for the program was launched in 2017 as the service created the LifeFlight Foundation, formed to support the growing needs of the organization through a range of different fundraising programs. The Foundation raises nearly 30% of annual operating costs to ensure the service can continue to function on a long term basis. September 2017 | 53
Fleet LifeFlight currently operates thirteen helicopters and two jets in their growing fleet. In 2014, LifeFlight acquired the first two of its three Leonardo AW139 helicopters. The purchase of the state of the art helicopters was made possible by government funding of the service and the continued support of the community who donates to keep the service flying. The AW139 was selected by LifeFlight for its safety design features, performance capabilities, state-of-the-art cockpit and avionics system, and a much larger working space for the medical crew in the rear of the aircraft which life flight believes is tailor-made to suit the demanding aero-medical environment their crews work in. The first of LifeFlight’s first AW139 helicopters began operating out of the Brisbane Airport Base in September 2015. In addition to the two Learjet 45’s owned and operated by LifeFlight
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for air medical retrieval flights, LifeFlight owns and operates five Bell 412s and one Bell 230 and an AS350 in addition to the larger AW139 fleet, each of the services 412 helicopters have been customconfigured to carry up to four crew and two patients with the capability of taking additional noncritical patients on board if needed for mass casualty evacuation for patients still ambulatory. Each of LifeFlight’s Bell 412’s are winch equipped for rescues conducted in mountainous or inaccessible areas where landings are not possible that include evacuating injured passengers and crew aboard ships passing along the coast of Queensland. LifeFlight’s Bell 412 fleet is fitted with NVG compliant cockpit lighting modifications that greatly enhances mission safety and patient outcomes during night operations, especially in the remote outback areas of Australia that offer little to no ambient light sources in some cases. In addition to the industry leading safety and rescue
LIFEFLIGHT AUSTRALIA equipment aboard each helicopter, each 412 also carries a wide range of world-class medical equipment on board with additional storage for items needed for specific missions kept in the tail boot locker. The increasingly uncommon Bell 230 belonging to the service operates out of LifeFlight’s Mount Isa Base and is equipped to deal with both trauma and medical patients during medical evacuation flights in the remote northern area of Australia. LifeFlight’s two BK117 aircraft operate out of the services Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg bases and are used for rapid response medical emergencies, inter-hospital transfers, neonatal retrievals and search and rescue operations regularly. Although the BK117 is waning in popularity in other parts of the world for air medical work, the BK is still actively used across Australia and still a popular choice as an EMS helicopter due to its
rear opening clam shell doors that assist with the easy loading and unloading patients with a drop leg stretcher. Both LifeFlight’s BK117 aircraft (A B2 model at the Sunshine Coast and C1 at the Bundaberg base) are also equipped with rescue winches capable of winching two adults simultaneously, in addition to 30kg of medical equipment when needed. On the pilot side, the BK117’s are equipped with a digital autopilot and flight director system, making it possible for them to be flown by only one pilot, which is becoming more and more prevalent in air medical operations in Australia, who have slowly started to transition from dual pilot operations in the air medical operations field. Also fitted are advanced weather radar and two Garmin 430 GPS receivers with GPS navigation and instrument approach capabilities. LifeFlight’s AS350, in previous years served as a frontline
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medical helicopter configured to launch with a single pilot, doctor, paramedic, and provisions for one patient. Today however, it is used for training and check ride flights of LifeFlight pilots and crew, particularly in the area of gaining night vision goggle (NVG) certification and currency. The AS350 is also used for educational purposes, including RACQ’s ‘Streets Above’ safety program for school children. The AS350 is still considered an active asset available for emergency use and can also be equipped with a winch for rescue missions due to its compact size and single engine. The helicopter can be airborne in under five minutes and can safely land in small areas that are too tight for the larger aircraft in the fleet, making it still a worthwhile asset for the service.
Safety Standards To LifeFlight, quality and safety is not just a catchphrase but rather 56 | heliweb magazine
a company-wide responsibility involving every employee. Their operational and technical staff are among the highest qualified in the Australian industry. LifeFlight has a positive internal culture, cultivated, and developed over the past 35 years. Showing their commitment to safety is deeply ingrained in the organization at all levels, evidenced by their impeccable aircraft safety record and zero accident history. The combined maintenance experience of the Lifeflight team is now in excess of over 100 years of operational aviation experience.
Safety Management System A key component to the success of safe operations for LifeFlight is utilization of the operations Safety Management System (SMS,) which provides a common understanding of the definitions and elements of the SMS. LifeFlight utilizes the Air Maestro® web-based software application to enhance the safety,
compliance and efficiency of their personnel and operational environment. The Air Maestro® system enabling an open reporting conduit for every team member to identify, report and improve the systems and procedures at LifeFlight. Their team crediting their integrated Environmental Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) as the guide to their evident safety culture that motivates each team member to continue maintaining their industry leading accident avoidance rate. LifeFlight’s EHSMS is aligned with Australian industry recognized best practice and international standards including ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, ISO 31000 Risk Management Systems and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.
Maintenance LifeFlight is a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approved maintenance facility that operates an in-house engineering facility
LIFEFLIGHT AUSTRALIA at Archerfield Airport in the state capital of Queensland, Brisbane that supports the rotary and fixed wing aircraft in the operation supported by on-site line maintenance staff that are also augmented by other facilities located at Brisbane Airport, Toowoomba, Townsville, Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, and Roma in Queensland’s north. LifeFlight’s engineering team maintain the operation’s aircraft to the highest level of safety that allows them to achieve a very high level of aircraft availability on both rotary and fixed wing sides of the operation that they credit to their highly qualified technicians and specialists dedication to the mission and use of industry best practice systems.
Emergency Coordination Center The center of LifeFlight’s life saving work revolves around the round-
the-clock coordination center, staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, staffed by aviation and medical coordinators specializing in medical management, emergency response, commercial and military aviation disciplines, and emergency retrieval medicine. LifeFlight’s coordination center is the operational hub that provides the coordination of the organization’s extensive fleet of air ambulance assets around the three states and international destinations aircraft may be operating. A typical day for the staff of LifeFlight’s coordinators could include managing the activation and tasking of rescue helicopters and air ambulance jets, securing landing permits for international flight destination, flight planning, obtaining customs and immigration clearances for aircraft and staff that are dispatched to international pick up locations for medical
evacuation, ground ambulance coordination, scheduling the refueling of aircraft and tracking the flights of the many LifeFlight helicopter and fixed wing assets that can be in operation 24/7. LifeFlight’s coordination center also provides Telephone Medical Advice Services (TMAS) on behalf of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and is the point of contact for all Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) class ships within the Australian Search and Rescue Region who could require medical advice at sea.
Management Structure & Executive Leadership The executive structure that ensures the ongoing funding and operation of LifeFlight is headed by CEO Ashley van de Velde who envisaged what the LifeFlight program would become today. A
The Honorable Robert Borbidge AO, Chairman of LifeFlight
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dogged and determined attitude along with the help of many volunteers and what has become a small army of medical, aviation and administration professionals help van de Velde continue to build on the original mission he started in 1981 as a volunteer crewman on the helicopter while a full time police officer with the Queensland Police, assigned to the water police squad. As one of Australia’s most experienced CEO’s in the complex aeromedical industry, van de Veld is a master at developing solutions in challenging situations, helped by five non-executive directors and a non-executive vice chairman and chairman to ensure LifeFlight’s long-term sustainability. Chairman of LifeFlight, F Rob Borbidge, who became Chairman of LifeFlight
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in July 2013 after the company merged with the Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service was the 35th Premier of Queensland. Borbidge led a minority National Liberal Coalition Government from 1996 to 1998 and served in senior Cabinet posts, serving as Deputy Leader and Leader of the Opposition party before retiring in 2001 after serving more than 20 years as the Honorable Member for Surfers Paradise in the State Government.
Helicopter Rescue Services Every year LifeFlight’s iconic blue and yellow helicopters help thousands of sick and injured patients. With a Critical Care Doctor on board each flight, LifeFlight’s rescue helicopters are regularly sent to serious accidents, where
early medical intervention can often be the difference between life and death. Crews are typically made up of a Pilot, Critical Care Doctor, Aircrewman, and Intensive Care Flight Paramedic or Nurse who can be in the air within minutes of being tasked to a mission. Most missions are performed by the organizations eight helicopters based out of Mount Isa, Bundaberg, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Brisbane bases. Unlike many community based search and rescue or air ambulance services, LifeFlight also services a commercial contractor, providing aeromedical helicopter services to a consortium of oil and gas providers in Australia’s northeast that both benefits the local
LIFEFLIGHT AUSTRALIA communities by providing work, but also provides residents emergency care, every day of the year while helping offset the operational expenses of the entire LifeFlight program. Currently, LifeFlight has one such service in operation: The Surat Gas Aero-Medical Service, that operates two helicopters out of bases located in Roma and Toowoomba that LifeFlight calls its ‘profit for purpose’ commercial enterprise. This particular service helps fund the charitable side of LifeFlight services while surplus profit from the ‘profit for purpose’ side is used to ensure that each helicopter remains on standby 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Air Ambulance Retrievals In more than 10 years of Air Ambulance operation, LifeFlight
has repatriated over 1,600 patients in need of medical care throughout Australia, the Asia Pacific and beyond via LifeFlight’s dedicated fleet of medically configured Air Ambulance jets. LifeFlight’s fleet of Learjets and in-house aviation and medical crews make up Australia’s only fully integrated and dedicated jet air ambulance service. As a leader in the industry, LifeFlight will work directly with most major insurance and travel assistance companies, hospitals, governments, the cruise line industry, embassies, administrative bodies, as well as travelers and their families for the sole purpose of getting patients to the right care as quickly as possible and providing them with the finest aeromedical care in flight.
Each jets carries a critical care doctor and intensive care flight nurse on board all flights, and can respond to both domestic and international medical evacuations in as little as 60 minutes.
External Training Services/ LifeFlight Training Academy LifeFlight’s state-of-the-art Training Academy allows external customers and their own staff to train in a practical environment with a virtual reality flight simulator and training provided by highly qualified instructors. As an Australian Registered Training Organization (RTO,) LifeFlight can provide training specifically tailored to an organization’s needs, either on or off campus to conduct any of
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the academy’s CASA approved Training Courses offered that meet current and projected international and national training program requirements. LifeFlight endeavor to provide course materials and practical simulation system training to reflect the environment and situations that students may experience in their aviation workplace at the academy, making every effort to add realism to the training offered.
Instructors All LifeFlight instructors are highly qualified with operational aviation experience Instructors come with both military and civilian experience in a wide variety of Aviation and Helicopter emergency medical and rescue mission profiles including Search and Rescue, 60 | heliweb magazine
Winching, Air Crewman, Rescue Crewman, and Marine Safety Survival Technicians.
Training Equipment LifeFlight utilises purpose built Aircraft Underwater Escape Trainers (AUET) to simulate helicopter ditching situations. The AUET is not meant to replicate any particular type of helicopter, but requires students to operate a variety of exit systems, enhancing the abilities of students to retain underwater egress skill sets that include opening hinged and sliding doors, jettisoning doors underwater, and pushing out exit windows to affect a successful escape as they would in the real world. Students are also required to locate exits and egress while wearing blackout masks, and perform secondary exit egresses.
Two LifeFlight instructors are in the water every course to handle water safety measures should any student develop difficulties during their evacuation training, with the added ability of LifeFlight underwater training devices having the ability to be safely raised from the water within 5 seconds if needed as an additional safety measure.
Simulators Located within the LifeFlight Training Academy at Brisbane Airport, the training center also operates the Thales LifeFlight Simulation Centre. The center provides a customer-focused environment for flight simulation training in a dedicated facility featuring the first Thales-built Reality H AW139 Level D Full Flight Simulator, an innovation for AW139 aircrew training.
LIFEFLIGHT AUSTRALIA
Specifically designed for oil and gas, search and rescue, emergency services helicopter operators, the Reality H AW139 Level D Full Flight Simulator provides outstanding realism for mission training. Compliant to Level D CASA/EASA regulation requirements, the Reality H AW139 Level D Full Flight Simulator enables pilots to maintain their qualification required by regulatory authorities that features a hexaline electric motion system and 235° by 80° visual display. Pilots using the simulator are able to train in the no risk environment of a simulator on training items such as annual recurrent training requirements, type and class conversions, both initial and recurrent IFR training, or initial and recurrent NVG training needs.
Statistics In LifeFlight’s over thirty-six years of operation, the organization has recorded over 49,000 missions flown and lives saved by the more than 50 pilots, 130 doctors and nurses currently employed by LifeFlight have performed services that have contributed to saving lives all over Queensland, interstate and in many overseas countries. The 2016-17 year was a record year for LifeFlight air crews, who assisted in a total of 5252 lives being saved through the direct treatment and transportation of patients by the organizations fixed wing and rotary assets. Achievements in the LifeFlight program were not limited to flight crews alone, as LifeFlight’s engineering team also performed over 25,000 hours of scheduled
and unscheduled aircraft maintenance during the calendar year recorded in 2016-17 From rapid response to interfacility transfers, the LifeFlight team of more than 400 staff of aviation crew, support staff and more than one hundred doctors and nurses are a lifeline to the people of both suburban and regional Queensland in Australia. LifeFlight’s 13 rescue helicopters and three air ambulance jets continue to see an increase in calls each year, which has driven their continued expansion which appears to show little sign of slowing down as the organization continues to look for avenues that strengthen its position in the air medical and search and rescue field to continue to find more ways to serve the residents of Queensland. September 2017 | 61
University of Cincinnati Medical Cen Story & Photos by:
Ryan Mason
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nter
AIR CARE
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UC HEALTH Air Care
It is 2 am, a black and red Airbus Helicopters H145 speeds through the night, aboard the helicopter is flight physician Julie Tueber, flight nurse Susan Kuerze and highly skilled pilot Matt Johnson, a pilot for Metro Aviation; that when not flying to save lives, spends his time away from University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC) Air Care program shaping the next generation of pilots and flight instructors as an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE). Such is the experience of many that are part of UCMC Air Care program, having decades of experience in their chosen field of skill, each having a passion for their trade that extends well beyond the bare minimum, continuing their education and industry knowledge to each become leaders in their field. This day, like many others, the crew of this UCMC Air Care helicopter is 64 | heliweb magazine
on the way to save a life. The path that these three professionals each took to be a part of this emergency room in the sky is different, yet the mission the same - to provide critical lifesaving medical treatment within the “Golden Hour” after a life-threatening illness or injury, that after which, the chances of a full recovery significantly diminish. The University Health Emergency Medicine program is recognized as one of the best Emergency Medicine programs in the country. The hospital system’s Emergency Medicine training program, established by the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, was the first program of its kind when it began in 1970. All UC Health Emergency Medicine physicians are residency-trained in Emergency Medicine, a program that provides four additional years of specialty
training including rotations as a flight doctor as part of each physician’s residency program. The UCMC emergency medicine program that incorporates an air medical component was the first in the air medical industry when it was commenced, and has since become a key component of every emergency medical physician’s training during residency in the highly respected and sought after residency program at UC Health that adds a different perspective to the complex world of emergency medicine. The University of Cincinnati Medical Center is the Cincinnati area’s only Level One trauma center, equipped to treat the most complex medical cases – including victims of road trauma resulting in life threatening injuries. The Air Care and Mobile Care portion of the UC Health
program transports victims from all over the state of Ohio to their central Cincinnati hospital location to receive the specialized care that the hospital is able to provide over lesser capable hospitals in the region. UCMC Air Care performs more than one thousand patient flights with its two hospital owned Airbus H145 helicopters, one based at UC Health Medical Center in downtown Cincinnati, a second based out of Butler County Municipal Airport and a third aircraft, a BK117B2, leased back to the program by provider Metro Aviation located out of Mt. Orab, Ohio. A fourth BK117 that is also leased from Metro is utilized by the program as a backup aircraft for any of the three active bases that have aircraft maintenance requirements, providing a
consistent service with little to no down time thanks to years spent perfecting their approach to air medical care, which UCMC program director Matt Gunderman states is finally at its most impressive point in the programs history thanks to the cooperation between the hospital program and Metro Aviation staff charged with ensuring the success of the UCMC Air Care program. In addition to the Air Care portion of the program, UCMC Mobile Care ambulances are also responsible ofr the safe transport of over 10,000 ground transports annually across the tri-state area served. UC Health, is also one of only five medical transport service programs in the nation to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services
(CAMTS) in four separate levels of care, now operating in its 33rd year of serving their community. UCMC’s program has seen several providers supply aircraft and maintenance services since its inception, including PHI and Air Methods, but the program struggled to maintain the operational readiness desired by UC health under previous operators, which led the program to put the Air Care program contract out to bid, which was successfully bid by Metro Aviation after other programs proposed aircraft that were smaller than UCMC’s BK117 fleet, which when coupled with undesired maintenance down time for the program from previous operators, UCMC’s administrators decided it was time to try a new operator in Metro Aviation as the company
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UC HEALTH Air Care
continued its rapid growth in supplying the air medical industry with new, modern aircraft such as the H145 flown currently by the operation. With the addition of the H145 to the fleet, the UCMC Air Care program added seven inches in width and thirteen inches in length to their effective space available to treat patients in the rear of the aircraft over what was available in the older BK117s. Small by comparison to fixed wing aircraft, but adding an ease of access advantage for crews who work to treat patients in confined spaces where adding additional space to move and increasing the effective treatment space can add a significant advantage when compared to older, more cramped air medical helicopters. “It’s substantially wider and that makes a big difference when working with patients,” said Air Care flight nurse Joe Gucwa. “We’re also getting substantial equipment upgrades with this aircraft—new heart monitors with 12-lead EKG and EKG transmission capability and military spec ventilators” he added. An interdisciplinary committee of UC Health Air Care personnel, including flight nurses and physicians, mechanics and pilots, worked with Metro Aviation to custom design the interior of their helicopters to include a modular system for storing medical equipment inside the aircraft. Gucwa was part of the team that designed the interior. He says that while previous helicopters were designed only to fit the equipment of the time, the new aircraft is designed “like a giant Lego.” “As medical devices evolve, we’ll be able to add in new equipment very easily,” he says. “Our helicopter won’t be obsolete in 20 years—and it will keep Air Care open to new technology.” Enhanced safety features of the H145 include an all-glass cockpit with night vision goggle
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compatibility, built-in weather radar and airport landing maps, energyabsorbing seats and fuselage, and avoidance systems to detect both other aircraft in the area and obstacles near the landing zone. “It detects aircraft farther than we can see sometimes,” says pilot Bob Francis, “it sounds a verbal warning when the aircraft are within a twomile bubble of the aircraft. From a pilot’s perspective, we’re very excited to fly it. It’s a top of the line aircraft that uses all the available technology to improve the safety of our mission.” The UCMC Air Care program functions as a traditional air medical model, utilizing UCMC medical staff consisting of a flight doctor or nurse practitioner and flight nurse that are capable of providing a higher clinical standard than a standard program of a flight nurse and flight paramedic as some other programs offer around the country. While each of the programs medical staff arrive ready to work the helicopter in flight suits, UCMC Air Care flight doctors and nurses when not providing lifesaving treatment during air medical flights also provide hospital based support and regularly respond within the hospital’s emergency department to augment treatment provided by directly hospital based doctors and nurses as needed during their assigned shifts. Each handing those responsibilities back to ground based staff as soon as alerted of a flight request. Pilot staffing at UCMC Air Care consists of a total of twelve pilots and an aviation manager who is also a qualified as a pilot and fills in as needed. The medical portion of Air Care is filled by a team of sixteen flight nurses, a total of fifty flight physicians that rotate shifts working on the helicopter who are supported by sixteen communications specialists who handle flight tracking and emergency calls, and six administration staff who keep the program functioning. September 2017 | 67
UC HEALTH Air Care
To keep the aircraft ready and available, Metro Aviation provides two base mechanics for each location and a lead mechanic as part of their contract with UCMC which also includes a unique rooftop maintenance facility at the program’s main base on the rooftop of UC Health’s Cincinnati Medical Center hospital campus in downtown Cincinnati. The UCMC Air Care program flies and has maintained an average of flying over 1500 flight hours each year between all aircraft in the program, which has never dropped in their years of operation, instead, growing steadily each year as they continue to expand to meet the demands of the community need for air medical operations. 68 | heliweb magazine
The program commenced operations with an MBB BO105 before transitioning into the BK117 aircraft before their final switch to flying the H145, which according to program director Matt Gunderman has increased the effectiveness of UCMC’s Air Care program in addition to the increase in service provided by Metro Aviation, who Gunderman says they continue to be impressed with as they continue to strive to improve the program’s effectiveness in many ways, including maintenance down time which has improved over previous providers from a ratio of downtime of the program aircraft from 1.17% downtime to 0.07% under Metro Aviation management. Gunderman stated that they had also sought out a new provider that would fully manage the operation and take the
excess task load away from hospital administrators of the program that found themselves managing the contract pilot needs and sometimes maintenance issues, which under Metro has been eliminated entirely, allowing the hospital program to focus its resources solely on the medical side of the business and hand off the maintenance and flying responsibilities and day to day management back to the contractor. Gunderman also went on to explain that when switching vendors three times over twelve years, that although areas of dissatisfaction forced their vendor changes, they insisted on retaining the pilots of the aircraft as a condition of their new vendor contracts as the pilots, although working for a contractor, were considered part of the UCMC
medical family and part of the successful dynamic that makes the program as successful and safe. Always looking for ways to collaborate with others in the industry, UCMC last year started a tri-state regional air medical meeting that was open for attendance to anyone in the region from the air medical industry that included competitors and even previous vendors to their program, seeing the information sharing and safety benefits of this first of its kind collaborative approach as one that would not only help their program, but provide a safety advantage to all operations in the area, regardless of operator that they hope will contribute to safety improvements and advantages over other areas where no such safety
initiative has been launched. One of the outcomes of the first meeting was the development of a working group and end use product being a guide to hospital landing zone setup and teaching those unfamiliar, the finer points of developing their own setup process. UCMC Air Care while a for profit service, bases their needs and payment structure around industry minimums in charging for their services and works directly with the community to provide services regardless of a patients ability to pay, writing off millions of dollars in air medical transport charges at a loss rather than pursuing those unable to pay the cost of emergency transportation through lack of available income to pay, or for those uninsured while still providing some
of the most modern equipment in the air medical industry about their Air Care H145s which includes being the only air medical aircraft in the tri-state area from Lexington, Kentucky to Indianapolis to carry blood aboard their helicopters, offering yet another lifesaving service that others cannot – yet another example of the program’s “think outside the box” approach to patient care and air medical services of the highest standard that will hopefully become the higher level of air medical care by which others are judged as the benchmark for the future. This unique approach to air medical services by UCMC demonstrates the program’s dedication to their mission of always considering the safest way to do things, with the patient’s safety as the first priority. September 2017 | 69
WHAT’S UP DOC?
Q&A with Dr Bill Hinckley
Story by
Matt Johnson 70 | heliweb magazine
We recently sat down with Dr Hinkley at University of Cincinatti Medical Center to ask him a few questions about his life as a Flight Doc, here’s what he had to say...
What do you enjoy most about your position?
the very brink of death, or maybe even in full-fledged cardiac arrest. Through the application of training, skill, and experience (and maybe a bit of luck) those few patients are able to make it *all* the way back. Meaning: they can play hide and seek with their kids, crack jokes, hold down the same job they had before, and live life to the fullest. Those cases are addictively rewarding. And yet, when you do that resuscitation in the hospital, you know that there was an immense team of nurses, techs, and specialists who were all there backing you up and making that great outcome possible. Which is fantastic. But, when you and your partner are able to do the same thing in a roadside ditch or a cornfield or a small standalone ED—to bring somebody all the way back from the very brink of death, because you were able to bring world-class critical care to a previously resource-poor environment—that’s a feeling that’s probably more addictive than heroin. Especially when, later, you have the opportunity to reunite with that patient, get to know them and learn from them, and see them living their life to the fullest once again.
The typical full-time ER doc has maybe 2 or 3 patients per year who fully recover after having come in literally at
I love that this job can still give me butterflies in my stomach after 16 years. I love that after 3 exhausting flights in
•
How long have you been an MD?
I graduated from IU School of Medicine with my MD in May 2000. •
How long have you been a flight MD?
My first flight (not including orientation) as a flight doc was July 5, 2001 (as a second-year Emergency Medicine resident). So, that’s 16 years down, 34 to go. I’m going for 50. I’ll be 77 then. My dad finally retired from his construction job at 77. He was 77, still hauling packs of shingles around on people’s roofs. I figure, while HEMS is sometimes physically challenging, it’s indubitably much easier than what my dad did. So, if he could work construction until he was 77, why the heck can’t I do this that long? •
a 12-hour shift, and my relief arrives in 15 minutes but the tones drop again to send me out on my fourth flight, I still feel completely stoked and gleeful that I get to go out there one more time today. I especially love the last couple of minutes of the flight en route to the patient’s location, when all the info you’ve been able to gather from the ground is that this patient is one of the really sick ones, and through self-talk and tactical breathing you bring yourself into “The Zone” and you say to yourself, “This isn’t going to be easy, but *this* is freaking Emergency Medicine. This is exactly what I signed up for.” Being the medical director of an academic HEMS program affiliated with an EM residency is particularly challenging, because it means that every year we have a minimum of 14 new flight team members to get trained up to a very high standard. But that’s also incredibly rewarding, constantly bringing in extraordinary new enthusiasm and new ideas. I often have the privilege, over a period of several years, to watch someone grow from a medical student into an attending physician, or to grow from a new-grad nurse into an experienced flight nurse or NP, who far exceeds my own knowledge and capabilities. September 2017 | 71
When you can think to yourself that you played some small role in that person’s massive success and growth, that’s as rewarding as it gets. •
Had you not went through the UC Emergency Medicine residency do you think you would have ended up as a flight doc? Or did UC’s residency program help you catch the aviation “bug”?
I already had the bug, actually, which is exactly why I ended up at UCEM for residency. Some background for those who may not know: The University of Cincinnati formed the first EM residency program in the world in 1970. Air Care was born in 1984, and from the very beginning Air Care and UCEM have been inextricably linked, with all UCEM residents serving as flight docs for the final three years of their fouryear residency. Folks don’t come to Cincinnati for EM residency unless they want to fly as a flight doc. When I was in my final year of medical school at IU in 1999, I had the chance to do an “away rotation” at the prestigious Denver Health Medical Center ED. While I was there, I somehow unearthed the opportunity to spend a day riding along with St. Anthony’s Flight for Life (which was the very first civilian HEMS program in the US, beginning in 1972). That day was pure magic, and it changed my life. In 12 hours we did four scene flights that day, in the gorgeous Rocky Mountains, and each of those patients was “Goldilocks sick”—sick enough that they really needed HEMS, but not so sick that there was nothing you could do for them. After that day, I knew that I had to find a way to make HEMS a part of my career. A few months later, when I was travelling around the country interviewing for an EM residency spot, I really only had one question: “How much can I fly here (if at all)?” UC had the best answer to that question. And we still do. That said, opportunities for ER docs to work as flight physicians after residency are unfortunately extremely 72 | heliweb magazine
rare in the US (unlike Europe, Asia, and Australia). There is absolutely no doubt that my experience as a flight doc as a UCEM resident (more than 200 flight missions completed during residency) made it possible for me to end up in one of those very rare positions. One of the things we’re most proud of here is the success that UCEM / Air Care have had in developing many of the leading flight docs and HEMS medical directors around the country. Prior Air Care flight docs are now on the medical direction teams at DHART, U of Michigan Survival Flight, U of Wisconsin Medflight, and Airlift Northwest, so our impact certainly extends far beyond Greater Cincinnati. •
Outside of being an aficionado of Taco Bell, Pepsi Max and heavy metal music what is one thing that most of your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you?
I’m off the Pepsi Max! It just stopped tasting good to me. I switched to Diet Dew. I’m a card-carrying member of American Coaster Enthusiasts. The fact that there are three truly worldclass roller coasters within 15 minutes from my house (at Kings Island) makes me ecstatic. I ran cross country and track (distance) during my undergrad years at IU
Bloomington. I was honored to be teammates with two-time Olympian Bob Kennedy. I didn’t run with Bob; I ran far behind him—but it was still an honor. I’m a huge fantasy dork. My wedding ring is a reproduction of Tolkien’s One Ring. I’m currently having a fantastic time reading The Lord of the Rings aloud with my kids, Charlie (12) and Hank (10). •
What sets the UC program (flight) apart from other air medical programs and how have you contributed to that difference?
HEMS basically boils down to a set of high-stakes decisions that have to be made correctly, consistently, day in and day out. Air Care’s been a leading program, I think, largely because our founders (Dudley Smith and Dr. Dan Storer) set us up from day 1 in 1984 with a crystal-clear algorithm for how we’re going to make decisions at this program. When we have a decision to make, we always ask ourselves two (and only two) questions, in the following order: 1. What’s the safest way to do this? 2. What’s best for the patient? And that’s it. There is no number 3. I think a lot of HEMS programs sometimes get themselves into trouble
don’t carry. We’ve got the training and the equipment on every flight, every day, to do procedures that few other HEMS programs in the US can do: field amputation, lateral canthotomy, perimortem C-section, or Minnesota Tube placement for massive upper GI bleed. If we can think of a new way to bring definitive care to the patient, we’re all about it.
by allowing some third factor (usually in the realms of business or PR) to contribute to their decision-making. The other main philosophy that sets Air Care apart gets down to another really simple question: “What do you do every day?” I think that if you ask most HEMS providers at most programs that question, they’d say, “Well, you know, we bring critically ill or injured patients from wherever they are to definitive care.” That’s true, of course. But here at UC Air Care that’s not our focus.
Another thing that sets Air Care apart is some truly amazing people. People like Diana Deimling, who’s been a flight RN here since Day 1 in 1984, and is still going stronger than ever. I simply cannot conceive that it’s possible that there’s ever been a better flight nurse anywhere, in the history of the planet. Diana’s drive for excellence inspires all of us to keep working harder and learning more, for our patients’ benefit. Finally, what sets Air Care apart is a pretty extraordinary health system that we’re a part of: UC Health. Air Care is undoubtedly uncommonly ambitious; we strive to be worldclass in everything we do, both in the aviation and clinical realms. And that’s an expensive way to operate. I’m so grateful that the leadership of UC Health, despite today’s challenging healthcare financial landscape, has always been and remains willing to support Air Care and our drive to operate in the safest and most clinically efficacious ways possible. •
Do you have a “most memorable” patient flight? What happened?
Why was it so memorable? What was the patient’s outcome? As you’d imagine, I’ve seen my share of crazy stuff in the trauma realm, including plenty of tragic outcomes and plenty of miraculous outcomes. A patient entrapped in a car suspended in the branches of a huge tree overhanging a river, who nearly died of a tension pneumothorax before we could get to her and decompress it. A guy with a gunshot wound to the chest in traumatic arrest from hemorrhagic shock, whose bleeding I could tamponade by sticking my finger in the wound and compressing his subclavian artery against his clavicle, who we got all the way back. A mass casualty situation from a drunk driver plowing into a motorcycle rally. But the case that sticks with me the most started off seemingly much more routine. It was a scene flight for a motor vehicle crash, and as we did our recon prior to landing, I saw the car and thought to myself, “There’s barely any damage at all—I’m surprised we got called for this.” We landed and assessed the patient, who I’ll call Mr. S, in an ambulance, and it became clear why we’d been called. He was in florid shock, but there wasn’t a mark on him. It turned out he’d ruptured a previously undiagnosed abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA: an extremely life-threatening situation) while driving, which caused him to pass out and crash his car. The ground EMS crew,
Instead, we focus on bringing definitive care to the critically ill or injured patient, wherever they are, and not just the reverse, so that the moment we arrive at the patient’s side, they’re already enveloped in UC Medical Center-level critical care. That’s why there’s been an emergency physician or an acute care NP on every Air Care flight mission since 1984. That’s why we’ve flown with packed red blood cells for 33 years, and why we now also fly with liquid plasma. That’s why we fly with video laryngoscopy, hypertonic saline, point-of-care lab testing, ultrasound, and many advanced medications that other HEMS programs September 2017 | 73
my partner, and I were able to sort this out and get Mr. S somewhat stabilized by transfusing him packed red blood cells and plasma in flight, and by arranging for vascular surgery to meet us in the ER at UCMC. He went to the OR about 30 minutes after arrival at UCMC, his AAA was repaired, and he did phenomenally well. A few months later Mr. S called me, thanked me gratefully for the care he’d received that night (although he recalled none of it), and invited me to a Rotary International meeting he’d be attending; he said he wanted to thank Air Care publicly and to educate his fellow Rotarians about the great work that we do. When I arrived at this meeting, I realized that Mr. S wasn’t just a member of the Rotary; he was the District Governor. He was leading this meeting of several hundred community leaders from all around the state; leading their efforts to achieve big-ticket, moonshot aspirations like eradicating Polio from the face of the earth. I was completely humbled to witness this gentleman’s leadership, his greatness as a human being. And it struck me that when I first met him in the back of that ambulance at that scene, Mr. S had looked just like any other sick patient. It’s pretty easy to get jaded in my line of work. Mr. S taught me that we never really know, when we meet a patient in the heat of battle, what sort of greatness that patient may be capable of. It’s just a little extra incentive for me to give every patient every single ounce of my best effort. •
What research projects (if any) have your worked on recently or plan on working on?
Air Care & Mobile Care won the Best Research Presentation at AMTC 2016 for our work on how a few tweaks to your HEMS logistics can get STEMI (widowmaker heart attack) patients reperfused (get the culprit blocked artery opened up) much faster, and that work was just published in Air Medical Journal. Last year we had a high-profile publication in Journal of Trauma showing that HEMS scene patients in hemorrhagic shock who need blood transfusion have a significantly higher chance of death for every 10 minutes’ delay in getting that blood. This is definitely the most compelling paper 74 | heliweb magazine
arguing for the effectiveness of HEMS crews carrying blood in the world’s literature, to my knowledge. Kudos to my friend and colleague Dr. Liz Powell, who led this research. We’re currently working on other research in the realms of: optimizing airway management success in HEMS, preventing hypothermia in trauma (because cold patients bleed more), and the use of a very old and cheap medication called TXA (tranexamic acid) for hemorrhagic shock and for traumatic brain injury (because it seems to allow bleeding patients to form more solid, stable clots and therefore bleed less). •
What is the most “challenging” part of your role as a flight physician?
Two things come to mind. First, delivering really bad news to the family of a patient who has died or is dying never gets remotely easier. You get better at doing it, maybe, but it’s still heartbreaking every time, especially when that patient is a kid. And of course, you don’t want this part of the job to become easy, because if it does, you’re burned out and it’s probably time to retire. Secondly, at the other end of the spectrum, it’s not infrequent that I get called to fly a patient either from a scene or a small ER, and after a few minutes of assessing the patient, it becomes clear to me that they don’t need to fly; that they’ll do just fine going by ground ambulance instead. That can, as you’d imagine, become a very challenging situation, where you’re balancing what’s best for the patient medically, what’s best for the patient and the health system financially, what’s safest, and you’re also having to manage the emotions and egos of the folks who called you in the first place because they felt that patient needed to fly. US HEMS gets a lot of criticism about inappropriate utilization, and for the most part, rightly so. If anybody ever wants to criticize Air Care’s utilization, though, I can show them ten instances in the last year alone in which my partner and I went with a patient by ground, not because of poor weather or a helicopter maintenance problem, but simply because we determined that they weren’t going to benefit
from the risks and costs and stresses of flight, and I feel very good about that. International programs on other continents do this all the time, but our backward US HEMS financial system completely disincentivizes doing this. •
What do you hope to see changed in the HEMS/HAA industry in the future?
First off, I’d like to see that HAA terminology go away. HEMS has mojo, and HAA’s got none of it. The rest of the world uses HEMS. Let’s stick with that. That “M” is important. It stands for medical. We can’t lose sight of that. HEMS, AAMS, AMTC, CCTMC, AMPA, NEMSPA—all of those M’s stand for medical or medicine. What we do isn’t about the metal or the flight, and it sure as heck shouldn’t be about making
money for some shareholder (which is why I also despise the term industry when applied to what I do); it’s about a critically ill patient, and it’s about maximizing their outcome. Too many people in this HEMS community in the US have completely forgotten what the “M” stands for. The financial incentivization of US HEMS is currently 100% perverse. You are incentivized financially to fly everybody (and to not only never provide constructive criticism to folks who call you inappropriately, but to actually encourage inappropriate utilization), to push weather, to push maintenance, to fly the cheapest aircraft / crew / medical equipment possible, to call yourself “critical care” when you’re really just advanced life support, and then to charge the patient as much as
you think you can get away with. This has to change. We have to financially incentivize aviation quality / capability and clinical quality / capability. In life in general, I’m a pretty conservative, pro-capitalism type of guy. But capitalism doesn’t work when the person who orders the pizza isn’t the person who gets the bill for the pizza. HEMS patients have, 99% of the time, absolutely no input into the decision to call a helicopter, or which HEMS program to call. And then, too often, they get hit with a massive bill that lands them in medical bankruptcy. It’s unconscionable. It also doesn’t make any sense to me that there are more HEMS helicopters / bases in Missouri than in the entire nation of Canada. This situation arises from the fact the US HEMS is governed
under the federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which is explicitly designed to encourage competition. That’s a good thing when I’m on Expedia booking my flight to Fort Worth for AMTC, so that my ticket doesn’t cost me $2000, but it’s not a good thing when it comes to HEMS. As the late, great Army and civilian HEMS pilot Dr. Michelle North insightfully said, “Competition is the dragon in disguise” when it comes to the dismal safety record of US HEMS. We’ve got to carve HEMS out of the ADA, and give states the right, if they so choose, to develop a Certificate of Need process for HEMS, just as they can for ground EMS and hospitals. If you think that the astonishingly competitive environment of US HEMS isn’t a major contributor to our accident rate, you’re kidding yourself. September 2017 | 75
Pilot Profile EMILY HILLER
Story by
Jason Jorgensen
Images Provided by
Emily Hiller 76 | heliweb magazine
Anyone thinking that great pilots knew from a young age that they wanted to fly obviously hasn’t met Emily Hiller. Growing up in a tiny town of 1600 people in northern Vermont, in an area known as the Northeast Kingdom, Hiller had what she describes as an “amazing childhood.” While she was young, Emily’s engineer father built their home, and being the oldest of three daughters, Hiller developed her love of making and creating things, her love of helping people, and a deep love of family. During those younger years though, her exposure to General Aviation was extremely limited, so she did not really have the opportunity to develop a love of flying back then. Honestly, you’d
never know that by seeing her today, an accomplished HEMS pilot, with over 3300 hours under her belt and time in eight different airframes. Emily feels right at home in the sky, especially in the skies over the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
The Dog Days of Summer Hiller discovered her desire to pursue an aviation career in 2006, whilst experiencing a summer of serious self-growth. “I had left my corporate, pharmaceutical research job a few years earlier, concluding that I just wasn’t built to work inside the same 4 walls and attend the same circular meetings week after week for 35yrs.”
That particular summer season, Emily was living in a wall tent 11 miles up the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, AK, training sled dogs. “27 people, 300 dogs, terrible weather, no cell service or internet, 1 day ‘on the ground’ per week (if weather was flyable) to do laundry and shower. We had one stretch of 12 days that no helicopter could reach camp with supplies. That was my first exposure to helicopters and after working with the pilots all summer I realized flying would check a lot of boxes for me; outside, remote, technical, independent & travel, to name a few. When the season ended I moved to Seattle, started flight school and never looked back.”
BACKGROUND IMAGE: MENDENHALL GLACIER DOG SLED CAMP It is here that Hiller spent the summer prior starting flight training in Seattle
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#Rotorheads Turning Point After her move to Seattle in 2006, Hiller started flight training at Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle, WA where the weather, scenery and airspace coalesce into what she considers to be a fantastic location to learn to fly. Not only did her decision to move to Seattle launch the beginning of her aviation career but the week before her commercial checkride that decision launched her along the journey into an incredible new chapter in her personal life as well. Despite vastly different backgrounds and career paths, life, in its gloriously enigmatic way, introduced Brandon Hiller to Emily. At that point, Brandon had been an aviator for nearly 10 years and already had an established career. Yet, even knowing firsthand the monumental amount of work ahead of Emily professionally, Brandon didn’t flinch; he was completely supportive of her path. They fell in love and in addition to working on building ratings, hours and experience, Emily and Brandon married in 2009 and have been an amazing piloting power couple ever since. 78 | heliweb magazine
Gaining Experience During the better part of the next two years, Emily conducted flight instruction and flew tours and photo flights in and around Seattle. Later, in Las Vegas, she was a Grand Canyon tour pilot as well as a company instructor and maintenance
pilot. She also integrated her IP time with a few private training and ferry flights here and there, noting that one particular EC130 ferry flight from Los Angeles to Savannah was a strikingly beautiful trip. Interestingly enough, HAA/HEMS flying was not her first choice in aviation
PILOT PROFILE | Emily Hiller
careers, mostly due to its reputation for politics. However, after a few more years of tours and instruction in the city, she began to realize that perhaps a career in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services could actually fit well with many of the hopes and dreams the Hillers had for their future both
professionally and personally. Flying for an HAA operation would let them live and fly in the more rural and beautiful areas they desired, as well as help her maintain a degree of connection to the medical/science field which she left years earlier but still held a keen interest in.
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#Rotorheads During our interview, I asked Emily what words she had for others to help encourage them to chase and achieve their dreams, she replied; “There are a lot of choices in this life and each one builds on the next. Look ahead. Make good choices.” Her commitment to following her own dreams in that very same manner is readily apparent by the decision to make a move to Eastern Oregon in 2013, a move which let both of 80 | heliweb magazine
the Hillers become Helicopter Air Ambulance pilots for LifeFlight Network.
Life as an Air Ambulance Pilot LifeFlight Network covers the majority of the Pacific and Intermountain Northwest, with both fixed wing and rotor wing bases across OR, WA, ID, and MT. The network operates on a closest-aircraft available basis, so there have been instances when Emily has
dropped a patient off in Washington and then been dispatched to Montana, or flying home from Portland and been dispatched to somewhere in Washington. “Because of the networkcentral location of our particular base, it is common for us to be in 3 states in one day. And these are big states. Good thing we fly a fast helicopter, lol.” And fly a fast helicopter, she does! Presently, Emily pilots one of LFN’s AW119Kx Koalas, which, in her opinion is
PILOT PROFILE | Emily Hiller
“There are a lot of choices in this life and each one builds on the next. Look ahead. Make good choices.”
a fantastic HAA aircraft due to its speed, stability, cabin layout and capabilities. As is common practice among HEMS pilots, Emily works seven, 12 hour shifts in a 3day/4night or 4day/3night rotation. When asked about what it is like to work for LifeFlight Network she replied that she is completely spoiled by the integrity and professionalism of the people she works with. “They are dedicated, respectful, hard-working, team-players who
prioritize safety above all and bring an incredible variety of experience, common-sense, heart and humor to a very demanding job. I respect and adore my colleagues, aviation and medical alike. The safety culture here is second to none and so far unparalleled in my aviation career. We operate in a vast, rural, rugged area and often fly many hundreds of miles in one shift (I think my record is somewhere around 800nm?) and depend on each other for so much.”
In addition to working with the spectacular team at LFN, Emily loves the immensely variable weather, geography and terrain. “The seasons are distinct and present different flying challenges, the weather can be extremely fickle, and the terrain we fly rises from sea level to the towering, iconic volcanoes of the Cascade Mountains (Hood, Rainier, Adams, St Helens, etc) and literally thousands of acres of agricultural fields and everything else you could imagine. September 2017 | 81
#Rotorheads 82 | heliweb magazine
PILOT PROFILE | Emily Hiller
The entire Northwest is so amazing; it’s a gorgeous place to fly.” Flying over topography like that on a daily basis, including areas so deep in the mountains it’s very unlikely anyone has ever stepped foot before, it’s no wonder that she feels that one of the better bits of advice given to her over the years is: “Never fly in anything you wouldn’t want to hike in (clothing/gear).” Another aspect of the job that Hiller cherishes is that the people in the region are very grateful for the work she and her flight crew perform. “It is a very long drive in every direction on difficult roads to (get to) specialty medical care and we get them there so much faster. I commonly get
hugged and thanked and peppered with WOW type questions from the families of people we are flying. I love that!”
Baby Steps into the Future In addition to loving and enjoying the life they’ve crafted together and both of their careers with LFN, in the spring of 2016, Brandon and Emily celebrated the birth of their adorable daughter, Ruthie Winter. When I asked Emily what goals she has over the next few years, on top of spending time with her amazing family and traveling, she replied with; “I am very satisfied with my current status. I fly a great aircraft over gorgeous terrain, work with phenomenal people whom I learn
from and enjoy their company every day. I would like to finish all of my FW add-on ratings in the near future; it’s really just a matter of finding the time in our busy lives!” Emily believes that to make a helicopter career work, “Planning and persistence are your best friends.” Following her own advice, I’m certain that she will find the time and ability to accomplish anything she chooses. It appears quite clear that in the years to come, both Brandon and Emily Hiller will continue to help save and touch the lives of countless individuals and families throughout the Northwest, as they fly over the breathtaking vistas and across the stunning skies they call home. September 2017 | 83
Photo credit: Dan Megna, Mesa Police Aviation Unit. Mesa, AZ
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