G-HAAT

[cptjim]

Just noticed that G-HAAT is in Dubai for the airshow. Is this normal practice to take an aircraft out of service for an airshow? What are Herts using in the meantime?

Just curious.

Thanks

[helihub]

The old Lincs & Notts aircraft G-LNAA is covering - and happens to have about 4000 less hours on the airframe than G-HAAT..... CAA's G-INFO site notes G-LNAA had 4069 hrs at Dec09 while G-HAAT had 8309 at Dec10

But it does make you wonder why G-LNAA didn't go?

[cptjim]

Thanks for your reply, it does make you wonder, doesn't it! My only guess is that G-HAAT is more eye candy than G-LNAA, seeing as it is representing MD Helicopters.

[mfriskel]

Was G-HAAT there instead of one of the Explorers based in the region,or were there more than just the one Explorer at the show?
The more interesting question is why wouldn't one of the 4 regional Explorers be at the show instead of one all teh way from the UK? There is a nice VVIP machine 30 minutes from Dubai, two Medical machines with the newest medical kit in Doha and one owned by an operator in Kuwait with nearly anything you can install on an Explorer.

[cptjim]

As far as I'm aware it's just G-HAAT on display. You have agood point about why they didn't use any of the local machines.

[mfriskel]

Gulf Helicopters might not have wanted to give up a duty HEMS acft for a week, but the VVIP machine from Ajman or the Kuwait rescue ship would have been great to have with regional registration numbers.

[Cliff Gale]

Hi all, Below is a holding press statement I prepared in the event of any media interest of HAAT being at Dubai Air Show (non forthcoming!). I do not know if other owners/operators were approached. Cliff Gale, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust

"The Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust was approached by MDHI to see if we could help them out to display a modern MD902 helicopter at the Dubai airshow, one of the biggest aviation exhibitions in the world following the withdrawal of an associate who was due to loan them their aircraft. At this time the Herts Air Ambulance, G-HAAT, was just completing its annual maintenance service at Staverton by its owners, Medical Aviation Services (MAS). MAS provide a similar MD902 as a replacement aircraft for periods of maintenance. Following the request from MDHI, all parties agreed that G-HAAT could be shipped to Dubai as there would no loss of service to the public of Hertfordshire as the replacement aircraft would remain. Although a commercial decision, it was also felt that exposure on a world stage of a modern UK air ambulance could be of benefit to our industry."

[helihub]

I have another theory. Herts AA put out a press release Monday to mark 900 missions in a tad over three years. So that's 300 a year roughly.

Let's compare to other UK AAs.. Here's one - I found a story from Warwickshire & Northants celebrating their 9,000th mission on 2nd September 2010 having started in 2003. So that's 9,000 in 7 years, so 1,285 a year, say four times Hertfordshire's rate.

How do other UK air ambulances compare? Is Hertfordshire a "low utilisation" operation and thus ripe for their Explorer to be shipped to Dubai for an airshow?

[chopper2004]

Any pics of G-HAAT basking in the lovely Dubai sunshine, please?

[206 jock]

I have another theory. Herts AA put out a press release Monday to mark 900 missions in a tad over three years. So that's 300 a year roughly.

Let's compare to other UK AAs.. Here's one - I found a story from Warwickshire & Northants celebrating their 9,000th mission on 2nd September 2010 having started in 2003. So that's 9,000 in 7 years, so 1,285 a year, say four times Hertfordshire's rate.

How do other UK air ambulances compare? Is Hertfordshire a "low utilisation" operation and thus ripe for their Explorer to be shipped to Dubai for an airshow?

Helihub, I suspect that what you have here is lies, damn lies and statistics. On another thread one contributor listed WNAA as having a 60% stand down rate, which is extraordinarily high for an Air ambulance operation.

Knowing a little about how the various charities work, I suspect that WNAA have some sort of self-task arrangement, where they monitor 999 calls and decide if they are needed and subsequently launch. Herts definitely relies on a paramedic staffed tasking desk, and Cliff Gale et al have worked hard to improve the quality of tasking for Essex and Herts, rather than the quantity. I get the uneasy feeling that WNAA are rather more interested in launching at the drop of a hat, which strikes me as rather pointless.

In the summer I was running a training event in Nuneaton. One of the guys attending complained of a tight chest. The onsite paramedics sat him down and before we knew it, the WNAA flew in. It turned out that he had overexerted himself at the gym the night before. This was probably listed as a full-on shout!

Anyway, as Cliff said, they already had another airframe in place. G-HAAT is a pretty striking colour scheme and probably a nice example, better to send that one.