Tanis Aircraft Products announces the successful operation of its aircraft preheat system in a fleet of Augusta helicopters operated by LifeFlight of Maine.

LifeFlight of Maine highlights the functionality and features of Tanis’ helicopter preheat systems. Tanis preheat technology allows an operator to preheat critical driveline components and fluid reservoirs prior to flight. Tanis preheat also reduces electrical loads on cold engine starts and protects moving components.

Thomas P. Judge,
Executive Director
of LifeFlight of Maine, commented, “The Tanis preheat systems have been a great addition to our Agusta aircraft. We work in an extremely cold climate. The heaters are installed on the main rotor gearbox, tail rotor gearbox, both engines, hydraulic oil tanks, and battery. We power the heaters in the aircraft with a separate shore line system.”

Judge continued, “With over six years of operation, the Tanis systems have been extremely reliable and maintenance free. Operation is simple—we plug them in shortly after the last flight while the oils are still warm, keeping our aircraft ready to go. While difficult to completely calculate ROI, our previous aircraft did not have the Tanis preheat systems and we certainly see a difference in operations.”

About LifeFlight Foundation
The LifeFlight Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that provides fundraising and public relations support to LifeFlight of Maine. The Foundation raises funds for aircraft, hospital helipads, statewide aviation improvements and the many training outreach programs offered by LifeFlight staff, including trauma and critical care, brain injury, ground safety, cardiac care and injury prevention programs at elementary schools.

About LifeFlight of Maine
LifeFlight of Maine presently operates two Agusta 109E Power helicopters, a search-and-rescue/medevac/utility model, capable of cruising at speeds in excess of two nautical miles per minute with a range of at least 240 nautical miles. This means a trip from Bangor to Caribou (Maine) can be completed in about one hour. The two new twin-engine Agusta 109E Power model helicopters were placed into service in January 2005. One helicopter, based in Lewiston-based, is capable of transporting two patients at a time, at the discretion of the flight crew. Another Bangor-based helicopter can transport one patient at a time, but is equipped with an auxiliary fuel tank for increased range.

** See Tanis Aircraft Products at HELI-EXPO 2012 in Dallas, Texas, from February 12-14. Tanis booth number 7523. **