Over the past few days, HeliAir technicians have put the finishing touches on OAMTC’s first H135 emergency medical helicopter’s upgrade from version T2+ to version T3.
“For us, it’s a matter of course to constantly develop and advance our fleet, so we can provide our patients with comprehensive care of the highest possible level of quality and safety,” said Reinhard Kraxner, director of OAMTC’s air-rescue services. “An obvious component of that, beyond simply investing in new helicopters, is bringing our pre-existing fleet up to speed with the newest available technologies.”
The renovations were comprehensive, including switching out the primary propellers, the drive shaft, horizontal stabilizers as well as several cockpit instruments.
“Four technicians have been working on the copter for about eight weeks now,” reported Martin Weger, the maintenance director for HeliAir.
As the company’s maintenance staff are certified to repair both the 135 series as well as its Turbomeca turbines, the upgrades required no additional technical training for the mechanics involved. “With over 190,000 flight hours combined, our technicians know this helicopter down to the smallest detail,” said Weger.
The time in the shop was also utilized to conduct necessary safety checks, perform routine maintenance and install electronic updates. During the course of the work, the helicopter was also outfitted with KOKON, the world’s first self-adhering interior paneling, designed and developed by HeliAir.
In total, OAMTC’s Air-Rescue Services invested around US$685,000 in the upgrades. After 2.5 days of test flights, as well as the obligatory flight clearance from the aviation authorities, the finished helicopter returned to service on Feb. 5 in Innsbruck as Christophorus 1.
“With these upgrades, which will now be repeated on vessels across the fleet, OAMTC guarantees that it’s air-rescue fleet will remain up-to-date and action-ready for the next 10 years or more”, Kraxner clarified.
