At the Air Medical Transport Conference in Ft. Lauderdale last October, Bell announced that Air Evac Lifeteam had placed an order for sixteen Bell LongRanger IV helicopters.  HeliHub.com has heard that one of these has been allocated to their base at Woodward in Oklahoma, whch opened in May 2007, and went live on 1st July.  The extra available load and power gives the base better clearance operating into valley or canyon locations, and could also allow more fuel to give greater range.  The helicopter is also fully NVG equipped, particularly beneficial when trying to land and take off safely at night or in  in difficult terrain.

local Air Evac Program Director Marc Hansen noted that the Woodward base is “currently averaging 20 to 25 flights a month,” with the majority being hospital to hospital patient transfer flights. According to a press release, other features of the new Air Evac helicopter include new 800 Mhz radio equipment, Garmin GPS capabilities, a state-of-the-art satellite phone system, and a new built-in storage bin for medications.  Most of this equipment is not new to Air Evac’s helicopters, but just has been upgraded to the latest and greatest models in the new aircraft, Hansen said.  Soon the new aircraft will also be fitted with a new cardiac monitor utilizing the latest technology as part of “company wide upgrades to onboard equipment,” he said.

William P Johnson, HeliHub.com US correspondent