Austin F1

[katismo]

Watching f1 practise and nothing happening. EMS helicopter is not in its position at the track and they stopped driving. What's going on in there? F1 requires to have helicopter available at the time when they're driving. Quess how expensive this is for TV stations?:D

[hookes_joint]

Helicopter is ready and available but unable to lift due to the fog. Can't race unless the helicopter can get from the track to the hospital pad. I'm sure with all the commercial breaks the tv stations are making plenty $$

[Ian Corrigible]

Maybe Raikkonen wasn't the only one who hasn't been paid. Did the HEMS driver have to undergo back surgery at the last minute...? :E

I/C

[Ian Corrigible]

US GP: helicopter issue caused FP1 interruption (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111340)
The issue was a loose antenna which meant the helicopter was unable to communicate with the tower

I/C

[John Eacott]

F1 rules: although The Alfred is a 2 minute drive from the Melbourne Albert Park track, we had to be there and ready for any F1 race or practice plus be running for the start of the actual race.

When a marshal was killed by a loose wheel some years ago, I transferred the poor bloke only with the express permission of the race officials that we could be back for any further accident sooner than the response car would get there. Otherwise they were ready to stop the race until the backup helicopter arrived, not that there was a backup anyway :hmm:

[Nigel Osborn]

At the Adelaide F1 races we had to start the helicopter a few minutes before the cars took off & announce we were serviceable & ready. We had to keep running till the cars had completed 2 or 3 laps before closing down. I also had to do some practice landings at the 2 hospitals & brief the track medical staff.

[skadi]

So to be there with two ships makes sense...

Common practice at some "remote" F1 circuits like Nurburgring/Germany

By the way, the DTMseries practice in Moscow this year was stopped, because the presidential A/C of Mr. Putin departed a nearby aerodrome and the airspace was closed completely...

skadi

[Sir Niall Dementia]

Bahrain was run exactly as Nigel describes, and the medical centre would have put any UK NHS hospital to shame.


SND

[helimutt]

Ive been in medical centres in East Africa which put NHS hospitals to shame, (blood test results in 15 mins etc) so it doesnt really say much for NHS hospitals does it. :eek: