Care Flight has pulse pumping

‘Time critical’ is an everyday thing at Redfort Logistics.

But time critical got squared when Redfort’s Michelle Young had to deliver an Airbus H145 helicopter to Australia’s critical care aeromedical retrieval service, Care Flight.

Contractual demands, mixed with modifications to the helicopter and getting it to be shipped on time, certainly raised Michelle’s pulse rate.

“We knew Care Flight wanted the helicopter to be modified for medical use and had a time-line for delivery,” Michelle says. “Airbus at Ardmore in Auckland did the modifications. Then we had two days to get it to the Port of Auckland, dismantled and lifted on to a trailer to meet loading times.”

Michelle and the team made it – with three hours to spare.

Airbus says a key design factor of the H145 helicopter is the ability to configure the helicopter to provide medical and rescue operations for specialised emergency services.

H145s can be flown by one pilot and its Fenestron technology delivers benefits such as improved flight and ground safety, as well as enhanced anti-torque control efficiency, reduced power demand in forward flight, and lower sound and vibration levels.

There are around 45 H145s in New Zealand, while the whole Airbus H145 family (BK117, EC145 and H145) has more than 1,350 helicopters in service around the world, which combined have clocked more than 5.5 million flight hours.

Redfort Logistics shipped to Port Kembla in Wollongong and then delivered it to Bankstown Airport.

During the year to April 30, 2020 Care Flight treated 7900 patients and flew almost 10,000 hours in its helicopter and turbo prop aircraft fleets, with helicopter missions increasing 33%