MVW naming ceremony

Health Minister names new RFDS aircraft

On Wednesday 17 July 2008, the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Nicola Roxon, MP, officially named the latest aircraft to join the fleet operated by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (South Eastern Section). The naming ceremony took place at SydneyAirport.

The Beechcraft King Air B200C VH-MVW aircraft is named RFDS Friends. The name was chosen in honour of the ‘Friends of the RFDS’ who made substantial donations to the capital appeal for aircraft replacement, under the inspired leadership of Michael Crouch AO. The appeal raised $10 million to purchase the new aircraft.

RFDS Friends has undergone world-first modifications, using a modular fitout, to become the most advanced ‘flying intensive care unit’ operating in Australia. There are obvious economic advantages to the new medical fitout. The module can be pre-manufactured, so aircraft spend less time on the ground before they go into service, and at the end of their usable life span with the RFDS, the retro fit before resale will be easier, faster and therefore less expensive.

RFDS aircraft operate under unique conditions, often in exceptional circumstances and therfore need an unprecedented level of flexibility and adaptability.

Operational benefits of the new design are significant. A hydraulically operated cargo door (another first) means doctors and flight nurses (who often travel alone) are under less strain. The new overhead stretcher lifter is a very stable patient loading platform with improved load bearing capacities. The new stretcher litters have been designed for greater flexibility to respond to different situations, including, where necessary, transporting a patient to the aircraft from an inaccessible location in the back of a utility, and stretcher pods can be converted into additional sideways facing seating if required. Intercom facilities built into all seat armrests keep medical staff in constant touch with the pilot and allow them to communicate with ground services such as ambulance and hospitals.

These advances will make a real difference to the work of the RFDS and patients will benefit from safer, more comfortable transfers and staff will enjoy greatly improved working conditions.  

The new design will assist the RFDS in coping with the challenging conditions it encounters in its everyday work, delivering emergency medicine and primary health care to remote parts of rural and regional Australia.

The RFDS (South Eastern Section) gratefully acknowledges the support of:

Founding Friends

Mr Len Ainsworth and Mrs Gretel Ainsworth

Mr Michael Crouch AO

Mr John B Fairfax AM

The late Lady (Vincent) Fairfax OBE Hon DL itt

The Maple-Brown Family Charitable Trust

The Profield Foundation

Rabobank Australia Ltd

The Bruce and Joy Reid Foundation

John Swire & Sons Pty Ltd

Tenix Foundation Trust

Tzu Chi Foundation Australia

Friends

Mr Robert O Albert AO RFD RD

Mr Jack Cowin (in association with Hungry Jack's)

Mr Maxwell & Mrs Gwen Coy

Mr Andrew and Mrs Jenny Cummins

Mr George & Mrs Kerry Gillott

Grosvenor Foundation

Leighton Holdings Ltd

The James N Kirby Foundation

Ms Helen Lynch AM

HV McKay Charitable Trust

The Mordant Family

Mr Andrew Murray

Mr Peter Ritchie AO

Sydney Airport Corporation Limited

Mr Julian Tertini

Thakral Holdings