PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Alouette III, Air ambulance
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Old 22nd Jun 2016, 05:15
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Rotorbee
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Europe
Posts: 434
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Well, the Alouette III has been used for this role for a very long time.
It certainly worked well for the REGA and other rescue operators back in the stone age. Today ... I am not so sure. AH will not like you, since they really would like to stop having to produce parts for it. I think they even gave a date once, when they will stop. I don't remember when this will happen.
Other helicopters have been used in this role for years. Even a JetRanger would be a good alternative for a region where no such service exists and would save lives from the start. Even a R44 could do quite a bit of good only by transporting a doctor to a remote area.
A JetRanger or a LongRanger would be much easier to maintain and operate.
To start such an operation I would recommend not to use a legacy helicopter, that will be harder and harder to maintain. The low prices of Alouettes have a reason.
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