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Trinity Mother Frances Hospital To Receive EC145 Eurocopter By Mike Mitchell |
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September 15, 2009, Grand Prairie, Texas, American Eurocopter to deliver an EC145 to Trinity Mother Frances Hospital’s Flight For Life program based in Tyler, TX. The aircraft is slated for completion at Metro Aviation, based in Shreveport, Louisiana, where it will be completed and configured for its EMS mission. The EC145 will replace the organization’s venerable BK-117 and is expected to enter into service during the first part of 2010. “Trinity Mother Frances Hospital’s Flight For Life has been a customer for many years,” said Larry Roberts, American Eurocopter Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support. “We are pleased that the program has chosen to stay with us and upgrade to the EC145. We look forward to providing the hospital with the support services they require so that they can continue to perform their missions throughout east Texas and the surrounding areas.” |
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Trinity Mother Frances Hospital’s Flight For Life aeromedical program was started in 1985 to fulfill a need for rapid transportation for patients needing critical care in east Texas. The program is based in Tyler, TX, and serves a 150-mile radius covering a 32-county area. Flight For Life averages 600 to 700 transports each year and transports critically ill and injured patients to east Texas’ busiest Emergency Care Center at Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler that sees over 65,000 patients per year. “The EC145 was a logical upgrade for us,” said Ray Thompson, FACHE, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics, and chief executive officer, Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler. “The BK-117 has been the focus of our air medical fleet for over 20 years. Moving to the EC145 gives us all the advantages we enjoyed with the BK-117, plus the newer technology, safety equipment and the large cabin will allow us to expand our scope to meet the needs of our growing service area.” “The EC145 is becoming the preferred platform for EMS missions across the state and across the country,” explained Roberts. “When organizations like Flight For Life choose the EC145, you know it is because they have found the right combination of safety, performance, size and reliability.” |
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The EC145 provides the largest cabin size in its class, which allows for maximum flexibility and configuration options. It has become a platform of choice for many missions, particularly EMS, because of its high set main and tail rotors, rear-loading clamshell doors, large cabin, extra payload capacity, unmatched visibility and additional safety features. Powered by two Turbomeca ARRIEL engines, the aircraft offers excellent performance, a fast cruise speed of 133 kts and advanced technologies. The EC145 is offered in single pilot IFR and dual pilot IFR configurations. Both options are equipped with the modern MEGHAS glass cockpit and digital autopilot, which can greatly reduce pilot workload. American Eurocopter is a helicopter manufacturer that produces, markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and para-public helicopters offered by any manufacturer in the United States. The company is a subsidiary of EADS North America Holdings, the North American operations of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services, and is an affiliate of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world. American Eurocopter’s product line represents the most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters, ranging from light single to heavy twin, serving all markets and missions. Company headquarters and main facilities are located in Grand Prairie, TX, with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, MS, that produces the UH-72A for the U.S. Army’s Light Utility Helicopter program. |
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