NT Aeromed
 

Only a report in the local newspaper but they normally have an element of truth.

Old medical planes 'put patients at risk' - Northern Territory News

The Territory needs to replace its aeromedical fleet as the ageing planes are putting patients at risk, a new report reveals.

So I'm guessing we are about to see a newer, or upgraded fleet......

hahaha what a load of crap!!!

if I recall rightly Pear have 4 kingair B200's on the medivac contract & the guvamint is spending 12mil PA...

wonder how many ideas they really have... PC-12's seem to be the popular choice at the moment 5-6 mil (?) a pop not going to take long to well & truely exceed 12mil

maybe they have the idea that the 'old' planes weren't so bad after all...

RFDS central section have just ordered 5 new PC12s to replace high time a/c.They might end up on the local market?

Whatever makes you say that ?? :ugh:

I gather the "Cornish Report" would refer to John Cornish who has done a lot with aeromedical operations in this country. If he is making criticisms then people usually sit up and listen (especially government departments). Pearl Aviation is a great operation but with some of their B200's approaching 25,000 hours would anyone be out of place for suggesting its time to look for new machines? How long does the NT Aeromed contract have left to run?

Henderson plays down Pearl Aviation shortfall - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The Government has cancelled Pearl Aviation's contract following a critical report which said its air fleet were ageing and inadequate.

I did read somewhere that they are not yet halfway into the 10 year contract.

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah the NT news is a sad excuse for a news paper

Just in time for the Nomads to come back into production :E

Did the article mention a Crocodile?......... its not a true story unless it features a crocodile. :}

RFDS Central Section approached the NT Government last time the contract went up for tender, however the medical staff at NTAMS would not fly on single engine aircraft.

Perhaps it's time for one of two things then. Either they are educated as to the safety of turbine singles (Wally, settle down, :E), or Pearl Av spend some money on a new fleet!

It's $12M a YEAR. Over the terms of a the contract, surely they would have been able to pay off most of the cost of new aircraft by then.

I have to agree with the article (despite there being no croc in there, :p). The fleet currently utilised by NTAMS has well and truely had it's day in this role. I'm sure the aircraft are quite airworthy, and I know 25,000hrs really isn't toooo much when you consider there's plenty of other King Air's out there with the same hours, but in the role of an Aeromedical aircraft, reliability is a major thing and I doubt a 25,000hr, 28 year old aircraft, can provide the same reliability as a brand new one.

Just my opinion, :ok:.

morno

RFDS central section have been trying to get into Darwin for more than 15 years.

Have they tried using the ILS?:}

Nice one TQ.... :D

Three late model B200's will be in Darwin early in the new year.

Shame the local operator's didn't show any interest in the contract, but I suppose one more contract for ******* Aviation.

Big opening here for an Amman Air II ?

MU-2 perhaps? :}

What were you thinking Tinny? :bored: Enough words wasted in certain books now about V1 ta much!!

BTW..can anybody enlighten me on the chopper that is on standby for aeromed at Tindal.
Is it IFR certified? Is the pilot? Able to operate single pilot IFR? Does it have
(servicable) wx radar/auto pilot?
Curious to know what yer get for $80,000 a month. :hmm:

Taking a guess it might be the CHC S-76, which is based at tindal as the RAAF's rescue chopper, If it is on stby for aero med you've got fully IFR 2 crew with radar & auto pilot sitting down there

Harry

Who is this John Cornish ?

Is he some sort of expert in Aeromed operations ?

Thanks Dan that would be it I think :ok:

I have a summary of the Cornish report but dont know how to hang a PDF on here

DD, a well versed auditor who is a very straight shooter who I personally have a great deal of respect for. He is usually engaged by various health organisations (I believe he is somewhat the leader in his field) to audit operations that conduct provision of health service related flying operations.

Away from work a thorough gentleman with whom it is a pleasure to dine, especially when the wives get together....:oh:

Tinny, if you flick it this way I can host it for you to link to.

Regards,

OpsN.;)

DD, as OpsN said, John is an independent aviation consultant to lots of state governments with a specialty for aeromed. A great guy with a wealth of experience and some great stories to tell, just mention Caribou's to get him started! If John is making negative comments about Pearl's equipment, they'll have to sit up and listen - which by the sound of it they already have.

I will step I on Wally's behalf! Enlighten us...;)

There can be no disputing the age of the Pearl fleet, they are old, as for the rest of the story, well they do need to sell papers! One could argue that for 12 million dollars per annum they are getting a bargain, it would be costing at least double that with new aircraft, even single engined ones!:eek:

Get some Caravans. cheap and reliable. even have wx radar in most of them. not as fast as a PC12 but beats walking. you could get 6 of them for 12 million.:ok:
*ducks for cover*:}

How about a Porter/Twotter/Dornier? (delete as applicable);)

See I have been paying attention!:ok:

Isn't RFDS Qld ops already using a Van in FNQ?

HH, they would all be excellent choices...........and I wouldn't ever be out of work. :}:ok:

pressurisation
 

RFDS central section looked at caravans about 17 years ago. The problem is without pressurisation you have to bounce around in turbulence below the transition level. You are limited to 8-9000ft, and it's ROUGH. I remember one trip in a chieftain when the two nurses had a bucket on the floor as they worked.

manymak,
No Caravans for QLD Section yet. They are ordered though.

They are not going to be used for patient retrieval however, strictly a people carrier for the clinics that are performed in North Queensland.

morno

Now if we had American air, we could wander around 12500ft like they are allowed to over there. I spend a lot of time in that area of the atmosphere, and it is about where the majority of the big lumps tend to stop being a significant problem. The van has Ox outlets though, so it could be outfitted without a drama.

The Caravan would be no good for a sea level cabin which is often a requirement.

The Dog

Jayrow
 

Tin,

The S76 is a Jayrow IFR machine with two IFR crew. It's primary role is for off-shore oil/gas support.

Not having looked at the figures of the P too closely but I'm sure the van could carry more specialists and equipment than a PC-12, not as fast but over an hour sector, it's only 15 minutes later...

j3

PC12?................come on:}

People, before you get too carried away with the idea of a Caravan for aeromed work please note carefully U Dog's post about sea level cabin requirements.

Head and eye injury wounds require sea level cabin pressure, premmy babies require no more than 2,000' (and thats when they travel back from Adelaide).

The Caravan has its place in aviation but aeromedical work is not it.

The old Kingairs are just part of the problem the other one is finding suitable pilots with the desired experience level and retaining them!

Those Kingair's would all be up around the 20,000 to 25,000 hour mark big dollars to maintain and a lot more time in maintenance.

Lemmeesee..this might work...





Burns 111208 Cornish Report Exec Summary

Thanks for that Tinpis, an interesting read.

He really does slam Pearl Av's King Air's! For good reason though. An unreliable aeromedical outfit, is nearly as good as nothing at all.

morno