'eocvictim' To answer some of yr Q's here
Ambo's park close to the A/C for a variety of reasons. The weather for one, it's pouring rain, night time with no cover to transfer a patient onto the A/C stretcher, remember these stretchers are not comparable with rd trucks (a huge bone of contention that one!!!) so req man handling. Doing that a fair distance away from the plane is unacceptable due patient req's & common sense. Also the area's that are used for transfer at small country strips are often very small. With rain soaked grounds often the only place to do a transfer is right beside the plane & I mean within a couple of feet! Hence the dangers of the canard, it's academic as to what it's function is it's too risky to have such an A/C under the above described conditions (personal opinion there) & it would only be a matter of time before a 'Pig' airframe would become the local kids cubby house at the local airstrip!
The high tire pressure would kill the 'Pig' for some of our ops, plain & simple, no contest there with the old ugly truck Beech:-)
The life-port system won't work for our ops, OH&S issues knock that one out. Powerful unions involved, good or bad.
So the 'Pig' will never be a feature in & around the Vic Ops for many years if ever, same as the SE A/C, another no contest with the Vic ops, Ambo's unions won't allow it as far as I know & for good reason, too dangerous but as you said, let's leave sleeping dogs lie there
As for the contract? Well too many spies in here, not for me to say, lets just say that nothing is 4ever & somebody is going to regret a certain decision am sure (again personal opinion)!
Wmk2