Hawker Pacific, the leading aircraft sales and product support company in Asia, Pacific and the Middle East has today announced a demonstration tour of a Bell 429EMS helicopter in EMS configuration across New Zealand and Australia – a first for the region.

Arriving this week, the aero-medical configured helicopter will visit New Zealand in August before continuing its tour throughout Australia in September where it will be demonstrated to potential buyers and EMS operators.

Tony Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Hawker Pacific Asia said, “The Bell 429EMS sets a new standard for the EMS solution, and we are very pleased to be able to showcase these state-of-the-art capabilities to the industry.

“The combination of a remarkably large flexible cabin, exceptional handling characteristics and low cost of operation make the Bell 429 a smart addition to any aeromedical fleet and is already attracting significant interest.

The Bell 429 is the only light twin-engine helicopter on the market with true two-litter capability, featuring enough cabin space for two medical attendants and two crew members,” he added.

The Bell 429 also offers exceptional flight performance with a fully integrated glass cockpit, advanced drive system and best-in-class WAAS navigation and IFR capability. It is the first helicopter certified through the MSG-3 process, resulting in reduced maintenance costs for operators. The Bell 429 also features a spacious cabin and extra large 60 inch side doors, as well as Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) capability certified for single or dual pilot operations

Its large 5.78m3 contiguous cabin can accommodate two patients and two medical crew, one patient and up to three medical crew, or a neo-natal EMS unit and up to three medical crew.

The Bell 429EMS will tour New Zealand from August 11 – 21, 2014, before heading to Australia from September 1 – 19, 2014.

Images Copyright of Mike Condon (top) and Václav Kudela and used with their permission.  Mike’s photo is from Ardmore in New Zealand this week