Today, we have a fleet of 47 fully instrumented aircraft with the very latest in navigation technology. Many of our emergency retrieval aircraft are equipped with state of the art medical equipment and, in effect, are flying intensive care units. The planes which have not received a full medical fitout provide non urgent inter-hospital transfers for patients travelling long distances for routine treatment or tests.
Our 146 pilots annually fly the equivalent of 25 round trips to the moon and are responsible for the care of nearly 240,000 patients!
14 aircraft service the South Eastern Section of the RFDS from bases at Broken Hill, Dubbo, Bankstown, Mascot, Essendon and Launceston.
Our Super King Air planes will fly more than 11,000 emergency flights each year, helping all those who live, work and travel in remote and regional Australia.
This remarkable aircraft has:
- a top speed of approximately 490km/hr
- a cruising altitude of 24,000 to 27,000 feet
- a fully pressurized cabin
- a take off weight of 5,700 kg
- is powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines
- can carry two patients and a medical team in aeromedical configuration
- costs more than $8 million to purchase and equip as a flying intensive care unit