Air medical program managers from around the country currently operating an Airbus EC145e have announced their support for this one-of-a-kind aircraft, Metro Aviation said. HAI Heli-Expo 2020 attendees can see the airframe up-close. The aircraft is available in both visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) configurations, allowing it to the meet the requirements of any mission.
West Michigan Air Care:
“WMAC [West Michigan Air Care] transitioned to the EC145e from an AS365N2 Dauphin,” said Matthew Heffelfinger, program director, WMAC. “We have been in this airframe for over a year and our ground handling/lift off times are comparable to those experienced in our previous aircraft. The availability of the wheeled stretcher in the EC145e has improved our overall time for completing flights. The Metro Aviation-configured EC145e is an awesome airframe for use in both scene work and complex critical care interfacility transports.”
University of Utah AirMed
“My favorite feature of the EC145e is definitely the patient access in the patient cabin,” said Frankie Toon, program manager, University of Utah AirMed. “The ability to get to the patient from head to toe regardless of their condition or position has been instrumental for our teams. The loading system was also very attractive to our program. We can easily load in and out on a regular stretcher without having to have another configuration. We’ve received nothing but positive feedback from our crews. They love the medical configuration, access to the pilot, and the communication system. One of the main reasons we chose EC145e was because of the safety features.”
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
“We chose the EC145e, because it has a lot of safety features,” Stacie Spicer-Gordon, program director, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “The space inside is significant and our crews’ ability to see outside the aircraft for safety reasons is very important to us. It has a terrain awareness system and a wire strike system designed to cut power lines should we ever make contact. It just offered a very customized interior to provide the best care for our patients. We see why everybody loves it. It is the best that you can fly in, and our crew can take better care of patients during critical care transports.”
GundersenAir
“When we were deciding which aircraft we wanted to purchase, we realized we would be able to accept a lot of the flights previously missed if we had IFR capabilities, especially being close to the river and river valley — there is a lot of fog,” said Stephanie Hill, program director, GundersenAir. “The crews love the aircraft. They like the cockpit room and it’s lighter so we can take more equipment and heavier patients if we need to.”
The EC145e is currently available to customers worldwide with a starting price point well below comparably sized aircraft. Given the limited amount of availability, Metro recommends those interested contact the Metro team ASAP.
