Wow, that did not take long!
These two articles are taken from NORDIC ROTORS and are less than 10 days apart.
"Oh yeah, new EMS ride!"
April 24, 2014
"MediCopter's new Bell 429 enters service24 April, 2014[Visby] Scandinavian MediCopter, a subsidiary of Scandinavian AirAmbulance, has launched its Bell 429 in HEMS operations for Region Gotland in Visby. The aircraft, the first one of its type in Scandinavia, was placed in medical alert yesterday, and it has already done its first mission.
Gotland’s EMS helicopter is primarily engaged in inter-hospital transports between the island and various specialty hospitals on the mainland, but it is also used for local primary emergency responses and incubator transports. The helicopter, which flies roughly 500 missions a year, is crewed by one pilot, one anesthetic nurse, one HEMS crew member and, upon request, a doctor. The aircraft is stationed at the airport in Visby.
The contract for a new EMS helicopter was sealed in September 2012, when Gotland’s Municipality (Region Gotland) selected MediCopter as its medical air service provider for the next 5+2 years, starting from April 2014. MediCopter has been involved in the HEMS operations in Visby since 2007, when its predecessor Lufttransport Svenska purchased SOS Helikoptern Gotland.
The new helicopter (SE-JRC) replaces an EC145, a type that has been in service on the picturesque island since it replaced a BK117 in December 2005. The Bell 429 is the first Bell product to be used in the EMS market in Sweden since the Swedish Armed Forces seized its Bell 412 operations in Lycksele in December 2002."
"Well, this sucks!"
May 3, 2014
"The new EMS helicopter in Gotland has met criticism in the media due to its current weight limit in the European Union. The newspaper Gotlands Tidningar states that the helicopter’s limited maximum takeoff weight rules out the option to bring a doctor in addition to the standard crew when needed by a critically ill patient. The municipality of Gotland, “Region Gotland”, says that the hospital will use the local Search and Rescue helicopter in exceptional cases. The normal crew on board the brand new Bell 429 consists of one pilot, one flight nurse and one HEMS crew member.
The helicopter model is currently limited to a maximum takeoff weight of 3175 kg (7000 lb), which is its original weight limit. A total of 17 countries worldwide have currently approved a weight exemption for the 429, which boosts the MTOW by some ~230 kg, to 3402 kg (7500 lb). The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has not approved the increased gross weight, and neither has the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Some of the countries that have accepted Bell Helicopter’s request include Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, India, China, Mexico and Nigeria."
What the writer should understand is that the weight is not limited, but it is the CERTIFICATION max gross weight.