Rockford Memorial Hospital’s REACT helicopter program recently began training flights on a temporary aircraft.

Working with our aviation partner, Air Methods, REACT pilots and mechanics are now training on a Eurocopter EC135 aircraft housed at the hangar on the North Rockton Avenue campus. Flight nurses have resumed staffing critical care ground transports throughout the region and are working in the Emergency Department. The crew is also acquiring equipment and training necessary to resume regular transport flights with the temporary aircraft and that is expected to begin within the next month.

The permanent replacement aircraft, also a Eurocopter EC135, will be outfitted with a variety of new technology, including night-vision, terrain avoidance, and auto-pilot. This aircraft is currently being outfitted and painted and is expected to arrive within one to two months.

HeliHub.com editor notes.  The unwritten part of this story is that the REACT program is currently suspended following a fatal accident on 10th December 2012 with their BK117 which we recorded on this page.  File photo