Vincent Aviation Secures Novel “Air Ambulance” Contract.

Wellington-based Vincent aviation recently completed a conversion of one of its Beech 1900s (ZK-VAB) as an “air ambulance” for the Central Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service (CQ Rescue), which is a based in Mackay, Queensland. The initial contract between Vincent Aviation and CQ Rescue is for a period of up to a year.

The Vincent Aviation aircraft will not be used in the conventional emergency “ambulance” role. Instead, it will be used in an entirely new role to undertake patient transfer operations specifically intended to maximise the efficiency of tertiary hospital care.

At present, because of the logistics of organisation, and the vast distances involved in transporting recovered patients around Australia, many patients often spend unnecessary time in hospital after they have recovered until transport can be arranged home—often only individually and at significant expense. Until now, the need to arrange and wait for suitable transport has proved expensive for the hospitals and governments concerned, and has also “clogged” hospital beds that could have been used more effectively to admit patients waiting for treatment. The introduction of the new aircraft will free numerous hospital beds quickly, while simultaneously reducing unnecessary costs.

Vincent Aviation’s 1900 has been specially outfitted to transport as many as eight patients at a time (three stretcher patients and five seated patients—along with three medical specialist carers) around the country quickly and efficiently.

Peter Vincent of Vincent Aviation, and Peter Bastable and Phillip Dowler from CQ Rescue agree that the Beech 1900 is likely to be popular with patients, and even more so with those responsible for managing their care in flight, as it provides six feet of stand-up headroom and lots of interior space, unlike most of the “air ambulance” aircraft in widespread use.

John Goldswain of Wellington-based Unique Technical Solutions has designed and produced an innovative, lightweight patient-handling system for the Vincent Aviation aircraft. The system does not require any permanent modification to the aircraft and thus negates any requirement for obtaining certification for permanent “mods”.

Goldswain’s fully-portable lightweight patient-handling “lift” (which is independent of the aircraft’s power supply) can be configured by a single crewmember within minutes and incorporates a secure platform on an angled ramp that is capable of raising or lowering up to 240 kg. The system is already attracting interest from air ambulance/EMS operators around the world.

Electrical cabling to run medical equipment, and an intercom between the flight deck and passenger compartment have been the only alterations to the standard Beech 1900, which can be returned to its full 19-seat passenger configuration within a matter of hours. This flexibility will allow the aircraft to be available for use in emergencies such as the recent Victorian bushfires if required.

Vincent Aviation will be basing two pilots and an engineer (Captain Simon Doré, F/O Mat Judd and engineer Paul Guthrie) in Mackay and VAB will be operated under Vincent Aviation’s Australian AOC (Air Operating Certificate).

Doré and Judd ferried ZK-VAB from Wellington to Mackay on the 8th of May, stopping at Auckland, Norfolk Island and Brisbane on the way.