OAMTC, February 05, 2019 - HeliAir technicians completed the first OAMTC’s H135 emergency medical helicopter’s upgrade from version T2+ to T3.
“For us, it’s a matter of constant development and improvement of our fleet, so we can provide our patients with comprehensive care at the highest possible level of quality and safety”, said Reinhard Kraxner, director of OAMTC’s air-rescue services.
“An obvious component of that, beyond simply investing in new helicopters, is bringing our existing fleet up to date with the newest available technologies.”
The upgrade were extensive, and included switching the main rotor blades, the drive shaft, horizontal stabilizers as well as several cockpit instruments.
“Four technicians have been working on the helicopter for about eight weeks”, reported Martin Weger, the maintenance director for HeliAir.
As the company’s maintenance staff are certified to repair both the 135 airframe and its Turbomeca (Safran) turbines as well, the upgrades required no additional technical training for the mechanics involved. “With over 190,000 flight hours combined, our technicians know this helicopter down to the smallest detail”, said Weger.
The time in the workshop was also used to conduct the necessary safety checks, perform routine maintenance and install electronic updates.
During the upgrade, the helicopter was also outfitted with KOKON, the world’s first self-adhering interior paneling, designed and developed by HeliAir.
OAMTC invested around US$ 685,000 in these upgrades. After 2.5 days of test flights, as well as the mandatory flight clearance from civilian aviation authorities, the finished helicopter returned to service on February 5 at Innsbruck’ Christophorus 1.
“With these upgrades, which will now be repeated on helicopters across the fleet, OAMTC guarantees that it’s air-rescue fleet will remain up-to-date and action ready for the next 10 years or more”, Kraxner clarified.
About HeliAir: With Helikopter Air Transport (HeliAir), the ÖAMTC Air Rescue Service has its very own maintenance facility with European aviation legislation approval at its bases in Innsbruck and Wiener Neustadt, a facility that enjoys an excellent reputation also at the international level. Helicopters and engines from all over Europe are serviced and maintained at Innsbruck and Wiener Neustadt.
HeliAir also operates its own design and production facility, developing mission equipment for helicopters and compiling all the approval documents required by the European Aviation Authority. In all its areas of operation HeliAir has established quality standards that are on a par with the systems implemented by major airlines.
“For us, it’s a matter of constant development and improvement of our fleet, so we can provide our patients with comprehensive care at the highest possible level of quality and safety”, said Reinhard Kraxner, director of OAMTC’s air-rescue services.
“An obvious component of that, beyond simply investing in new helicopters, is bringing our existing fleet up to date with the newest available technologies.”
The upgrade were extensive, and included switching the main rotor blades, the drive shaft, horizontal stabilizers as well as several cockpit instruments.
“Four technicians have been working on the helicopter for about eight weeks”, reported Martin Weger, the maintenance director for HeliAir.
As the company’s maintenance staff are certified to repair both the 135 airframe and its Turbomeca (Safran) turbines as well, the upgrades required no additional technical training for the mechanics involved. “With over 190,000 flight hours combined, our technicians know this helicopter down to the smallest detail”, said Weger.
The time in the workshop was also used to conduct the necessary safety checks, perform routine maintenance and install electronic updates.
During the upgrade, the helicopter was also outfitted with KOKON, the world’s first self-adhering interior paneling, designed and developed by HeliAir.
OAMTC invested around US$ 685,000 in these upgrades. After 2.5 days of test flights, as well as the mandatory flight clearance from civilian aviation authorities, the finished helicopter returned to service on February 5 at Innsbruck’ Christophorus 1.
“With these upgrades, which will now be repeated on helicopters across the fleet, OAMTC guarantees that it’s air-rescue fleet will remain up-to-date and action ready for the next 10 years or more”, Kraxner clarified.
About HeliAir: With Helikopter Air Transport (HeliAir), the ÖAMTC Air Rescue Service has its very own maintenance facility with European aviation legislation approval at its bases in Innsbruck and Wiener Neustadt, a facility that enjoys an excellent reputation also at the international level. Helicopters and engines from all over Europe are serviced and maintained at Innsbruck and Wiener Neustadt.
HeliAir also operates its own design and production facility, developing mission equipment for helicopters and compiling all the approval documents required by the European Aviation Authority. In all its areas of operation HeliAir has established quality standards that are on a par with the systems implemented by major airlines.
See also |
EC135 in HeliAir
EC135 in ÖAMTC
Christophorus 1 ÖAMTC Austrian air rescue
Airbus H135 / EC135T3
ÖAMTC with HeliAir Kokon at Helitech 2017