PHI Inc. is unveiling the first dedicated 24-hour offshore air medical helicopter. The new air medical Sikorsky S-76 C++ is specifically designed to serve the oil and gas industry. Its unique onboard medical capabilities and clinical expertise will bring a new level of care for those working offshore. This service is a joint undertaking between PHI's oil and gas and air medical group, which safely transports 30,000 patients per year in helicopters and airplanes across the country.
The GOM certainly can support such a service....I assume this is being offered much as a community based EMS service on a pay as you go basis or have several oil companies contracted for this level of care for Medical Evacuation flights of injured/ill workers from offshore?
Or....is PHI providing this thing as a marketing tool and picking up the tab all by itself?
Rev,
We flew ol' Whack and Clack for about a year, got her painted, cleaned up, installed some new components and doubled our money selling her. We then went on to buy some new aircraft for the operation....two 500E's, a LongRanger, Cessna 208, KingAir, and a Beech Jet. There is money to be made buying and selling aircraft as well as operating them.
I don't reckon you would make the same comment to the RLC guys that are flying ex-Air Log aircraft in the oil patch with you....or would you?
In the Summer the water in the GOM is fairly benign and as you say the rigs are quite close to shore in most cases. As the fields appear further out and some are now over two hundred miles from shore then "exposure times" will begin to be more an issue.
Winter time operations already show the need for exposure gear.
Depending upon the oil companies to make the needed changes will always be a problem in advancing safety no matter if it is the GOM, Nigeria, North Sea, or Australia. Their bean counters can be a very cold hearted bunch.
I mentioned one guy as an example but you know full well my comment was based on contact with far more folks than the one guy.
Again, the perception is the truth not reality but does become reality based upon perception. If a thirty year man felt it necessary to stay off the skyline then there is that perception amongst his peers. Times might be changing but that does not mean the perception is that "silence is golden" being the best policy is not the way business is done.