EXECUJET AUSTRALIA INTRODUCES MEDICAL EVACUATION JET SERVICE

Leading Australasian business jet operator ExecuJet Australia today announced a special medical evacuation (Medivac) jet service from Sydney, to meet strong demand for emergency air transport services throughout Australia and the South-West Pacific.

The company has introduced a special conversion kit, which enables a Cessna Citation V Ultra aircraft to be transformed from a nine-seat business aircraft to an intensive care air ambulance in less than one hour.

The aircraft concerned features a special 36 inch-wide doorway for maximum access, compared with a 24 inch main doorway on a standard Citation.

Once converted, the aircraft can accommodate the commonly-used Model 9 Ferno stretcher, oxygen canisters, medical equipment and six seats for medical staff and relatives of the patient.

The kit includes a stretcher bridge, which enables medical support equipment to be carried on the stretcher, above the patient. This allows fast transfer from a road ambulance to a secured position in the aircraft, without the need to disconnect then reconnect equipment.

A special fold-away loading system is also incorporated into the Medivac jet, to minimise lifting of the loaded stretcher onto and off the aircraft - a benefit for both the patient and medical staff.

The Managing Director of ExecuJet Australia, Mr Ian Vanderbeek, said a Medivac jet based at Sydney Airport offered the fastest means of transporting seriously ill or injured patients in comfort to expert medical care, particularly from remote communities, mining and resource sites and locations and destinations as far afield as New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Where required, medical specialists can also fly from Sydney to the patient, enabling expert treatment to be delivered quickly and provided during the flight back to Sydney or another major centre.

"Speed, comfort and a long flying range are vital in emergency medical transfers," said Mr Vanderbeek. "A jet aircraft is the logical solution - but there are few available in this market to meet such demand.

"Our aircraft is certificated to land at more than 280 airfields throughout Australia, and has a typical fully-loaded flying range of 2,600 kilometres, enabling it fly non-stop from destinations as far afield as Alice Springs, Cape York Peninsula, New Zealand or even Noumea to specialist medical care in Sydney.

"This jet can also fly at altitudes up to 45,000 feet, at a typical cruise speed of 660 kilometres per hour, enabling it to climb quickly through turbulent weather and above the levels normally flown by passenger jets. Turboprop air ambulances, while expertly equipped, cannot fly at these altitudes or speeds."

Mr Vanderbeek said the Medivac configuration of the ExecuJet aircraft was designed to maximise comfort for the patient and work space for medical staff.

The oxygen cylinder rack is designed to accommodate four standard "D" size cylinders, each of which can be independently secured and removed. It is also designed so that cylinders are staggered in height, enabling regulator gauges to be easily viewed from the nurse's station, as well as helping to prevent oxygen lines from becoming tangled.

The stretcher base is designed to enable the storage of equipment underneath, providing ease of access during flight.

The aircraft provides 24/28 volts and up to 20 amps of electrical power for medical equipment, which can be connected via a standard three-pin plug.

There is also a small refreshment centre aboard the aircraft, providing catering and hot and cold water for medical crews, who often work very long hours without breaks during emergency evacuation missions.

The Medivac jet is available not only for charter by hospitals, emergency response groups and medical specialists, but by corporations whose employees are located in distant destinations and may need urgent transfer.

ExecuJet Australia is part of the ExecuJet Aviation Group, with associated companies in Europe, Scandinavia, South Africa and the Middle East, whose collective services include aircraft charter, flight department management, maintenance, aviation services and aircraft sales.