Capability Creator

LifeFlight puts its newest helicopter to the test! 

Queensland-based LifeFlight has provided aeromedical care and support for over four decades. LifeFlight aeromedical crews have flown to the aid of more than 60,000 people since its formation, utilising a fleet of 13 helicopters and six jets. 

The jet fleet consists of four Bombardier Challenger 604s as well as two Learjet 45s. Appearing like a corporate jet on the outside, internally they sport a custom aeromedical fit out that makes them fully functioning aerial ambulances. 

With jet bases in Brisbane and Townsville, as well as a hub offshore in Singapore, the custom configured jets offer 24-hour access to fast medical transport; overseen at all times by trained critical care doctors. 

Yet despite the impressive capability of the jets, LifeFlight’s larger and distinctive helicopter fleet is likely the first thing that comes to mind to those who know the brand. 

Three Bell 412s operate alongside one MBB/Kawasaki BK117 – each featuring aeromedical interiors. Additionally, LifeFlight utilises a single Eurocopter AS350. Each helicopter type brings its own unique capability to the LifeFlight stable. 

But it is the eight Leonardo (Augusta Westland) AW139s that form the core of the LifeFlight rotary fleet. 

AW139s perform a range of missions for LifeFlight. This includes two currently on contract to other organisations as well as two dedicated airframes that operate from Toowoomba and Roma in service of the Surat Gas Aeromedical Service, servicing the needs of Shell QGC, Santos, Arrow Energy and Origin Energy – as well as supporting Queensland Health. 

Three more AW139 aircraft aid in aeromedical and search and rescue missions. They are equipped as airborne intensive care units, with specially trained doctors and nurses, or flight paramedics aboard to tend to all manner of medical needs. 

“AW139s are widely used in LifeFlight’s fleet of helicopters. They’ve proven themselves as extremely reliable, capable and versatile aircraft, making them suitable for the wide range of tasks our service completes,” LifeFlight CEO Ashley van de Velde told Australian Aviation in April. 

“It’s their speed, range, performance, cabin size and ability to be quickly reconfigured that makes them so appealing, to us here at LifeFlight, where rural and remote airlifts are a huge part of what we do. They are a fantastic all-rounder aircraft, which can be adapted to suit many different operational requirements.” 

It was therefore no surprise in mid-2020 when LifeFlight turned to the AW139 for its newest search and rescue asset: VH-XIA. 

Known as the Land Rover LifeFlight Special Mission Helicopter (or XIA for short), it is a robust platform, equipped with a suite of features that have proven invaluable to boosting LifeFlight’s capability. 

A trusted partner

To understand the role that XIA will play within the LifeFlight fleet, one must first understand the capability of the AW139 and how this type fits into the LifeFlight operational mix. 

With a variety of rotary and fixed wing types to choose from, tasking each asset requires analysis of the mission profile, knowledge of the operational environment, as well as consideration of range and performance factors. 

“Our AW139s complement the other aircraft types in our fleet well. Each base holds the aircraft most suited to that region or the types of missions commonly seen in that area,” van de Velde says. 

“For example, the Bundaberg-based RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter is a Bell412EP, which is a versatile aircraft and suitable for beach landings required in the Fraser Coast area.” 

Similarly, jets offer LifeFlight range flexibility, particularly useful in long distance missions. Van de Velde notes that aircraft such as the Challenger 604 provide the long-range performance characteristics required to connect people in need, for example connecting “Norfolk Island or Horn Island [with] vital critical care health facilities in places such as Brisbane”. 

As for the AW139, its unique blend of size, range, payload and performance make it an appealing aircraft for LifeFlight. 

‘Each base holds the aircraft most suited to that region or the types of missions commonly seen in that area’

It is widely used across the scope of LifeFlight’s operation, with van de Velde noting the aircraft has proven to be “extremely reliable, capable and versatile”. 

“It’s their average cruising speed (250km/h) and range (650 kilometres), performance, cabin size and ability to be quickly reconfigured that makes them so appealing to us here at LifeFlight, where rural and remote airlifts are a huge part of what we do,” van de Velde added. 

Meet XIA

With the AW139 already well suited to LifeFlight missions, the model was seen as an obvious choice for the aeromedical provider when it sought to extend its search and rescue capability. 

A 2014-built aircraft, VHXIA originally flew for the UK Coast Guard as G-CLIP. It was in preparation for this role that the aircraft received some of its custom designed search and rescue modifications. 

“The many special features, which make XIA ideal for SAR (search and rescue) operations, such as the FLIR (forward looking infra-red), dual hoists, emergency floatation systems, search radar and Enhanced Flight Director with SAR and HOV (hover) modes, were fitted during manufacture,” LifeFlight commercial director (SAR) Yvette Lutze tells Australian Aviation. 

“When the helicopter became available, LifeFlight identified it as an aircraft which would enhance SAR and emergency response operations throughout Australia. We successfully procured the aircraft from Leonardo in October 2019.” 

Before moving to Australia, the aircraft underwent further customisation for its new role at LifeFlight. These works were undertaken at Leonardo’s UK facility in Yeovil, Somerset. Once completed, the aircraft was shipped to Melbourne where it was received and reassembled in preparation for Aussie service. 

While from a distance the helicopter may appear similar to existing AW139 aircraft, a closer look reveals XIA’s unique fit out; which makes it stand out among not only the LifeFlight fleet but also other search and rescue aircraft in Australia. 

“Every detail of this aircraft is specifically designed for search and rescue, emergency response operations and other special missions,” Lutze explains. 

“From the specialist mission equipment such as dual hoists, to the fully integrated technology and capability such as SAR Modes, Auto Hover, search radars and FLIR.” 

These design elements, plus an array of special features, make it one of only a handful of helicopters in Australia equipped to undertake long distance rescues, which can even see it head up to 400 kilometres off shore; day or night.

Lutze says XIA’s special features require the crew to undergo specific training at the LifeFlight Academy in Brisbane. Equipment unique to XIA include: Telefonix Search Radar, Forward Looking Infra-Red (Star Safire 380HD), Night Vision Imaging Systems, dual rescue hoists, emergency floatation systems and enhanced Flight Director with search and rescue as well as hover modes of operation. 

‘Every detail of this aircraft is specifically designed for search and rescue, emergency response operations and other special missions’

This configuration provides for comprehensive safety features for extended emergency response operations. Additionally, XIA is fitted with bubble windows, improving visibility. A cargo hook and internal roof hooks allow for rappelling to take place.

LifeFlight has also added mission specific role equipment to the aircraft’s configuration, with Lutze noting the helicopter can now be quickly “reconfigured to be used for aeromedical missions, fire-fighting, disaster response or passenger and freight transfer”. 

XIA’s key features

The capabilities of XIA sound impressive, but to those of us not involved in the daily operations of the helicopter, it may all sound a bit technical and overwhelming. 

Thus, Australian Aviation spoke with LifeFlight’s head of flying operations, pilot David Bashir, to better understand how the various elements aboard XIA support LifeFlight missions.

First on the agenda was to understand the FLIR, which are effectively XIA’s eyes. FLIR is a key feature of this particular helicopter, a feature that makes it stand out among Australia’s fleet of search and rescue aircraft. 

“The FLIR is a huge technological advantage, when rescuing people who are moving, or in low visibility conditions – for example a group of people spread out in the water from an overturned vessel,” Bashir explains. 

“The all-seeing ‘eye in the sky’ can identify and locate the position of the people who may not otherwise be visible, by picking up heat signals. It can then ‘lock on’ to the heat signature and allow the aircraft to continue to follow the person, even if they can’t be seen by the naked eye.” 

Furthermore, the FLIR’s ability to see through almost all weather conditions at all times of day or night will prove useful when called on to help authorities find people during natural disasters, such as cyclones, floods or fires. 

XIA is also configured with an enhanced Flight Director that has search and rescue and hover modes built in. This capability allows the aircraft to conduct search patterns and the use features such as auto-hover, which Bashir says has enhanced the safety and capability of operations, particularly overwater.

“They allow the aircraft to conduct a search pattern, as determined by the crew and manoeuvre into a selected hover height locked in a position over a survivor, even if the survivor is moving with a tide, or being lifted up and down in rough seas. These modes greatly reduce pilot workload and increase both capability and safety, allowing the crew to concentrate on achieving mission objectives,” Bashir explains. 

As XIA is configured as a multirole helicopter, the aircraft can be equipped with medical equipment to suit various search and rescue roles. Generally configured to carry one stretcher, the aircraft can easily accommodate a second if the mission involves aiding multiple people. 

“It normally also carries oxygen, medical equipment and some drugs, for use by the Critical Care Paramedic,” Lutze notes. “However, when operating as an aeromedical aircraft, it has the capacity to carry much more medical equipment, configured in similar fashion to the setup of our RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopters, which essentially are flying intensive care units.” 

The aircraft can perform various roles; not only in search and rescue scenarios. Additional roles include aeromedical, firefighting  and law enforcement, work to support disaster response, conduct surveillance duties or provide passenger and cargo transport. 

It is to this high degree of flexibility that CEO van de Velde attributes LifeFlight’s choice to acquire XIA. 

“For example, if passenger transport operations are required, extra seats can easily be installed, or if it’s performing aeromedical duties, the aircraft can quickly be reconfigured to carry stretchers and advanced medical equipment,” van de Velde says. 

“The crew composition can also be quickly adjusted, according to the needs of each individual mission. If it’s being used for passenger movement only, then the paramedic may not be taken, to create additional space in the cabin. Additionally, features such as the cargo hook are important for firefighting or conducting lifting operations and the FLIR is key for SAR or law enforcement operations.” 

But while the features of XIA stand out, there are no plans to reconfigure the existing AW139 fleet, which van de Velde notes is used for “aeromedical purposes, attending primary scenes, transferring patients between hospitals or from accident sites to hospitals and conducting SAR as required”. 

“Features such as dual hoist and FLIR are unique to the Land Rover LifeFlight Special Mission helicopter and aren’t required throughout the rest of the LifeFlight fleet. All the other aircraft are appropriately configured for the various roles they are contracted for,” he adds.

Put to the test

Despite being the newest member of the LifeFlight fleet, XIA has already proven its worth. In March the aircraft, along with two pilots, a winch operator and a paramedic, brought its advanced technology to bear during floods in NSW. 

“The aircraft’s special features give it incredible versatility, meaning it can be sent to disaster response zones and quickly adapted to different purposes there,” Bashir notes. 

Called upon by Fire and Rescue NSW, in the late afternoon of 23 March 2021 the aircraft flew to Moree, about 110 kilometres south of the Queensland/NSW border. 

“I was actually rostered on the helicopter for that mission. Being an aircraft certified to operate under the Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and with a fully qualified crew, meant the helicopter could transit from its base in Archerfield to Moree despite the poor weather conditions,” Bashir says. 

“We were tasked by the SES to winch four people and two dogs to safety, after they became stuck at a flooded campsite. We flew the helicopter to the area and communicated the rescue plan to the stranded campers, via mobile phone.” 

Once on location, XIA’s Critical Care Paramedic was winched down to assess the health of those requiring rescue. Ascertaining that there were no sick or injured persons in need of aeromedical support, XIA transitioned into a rescue role. 

“We winched two people up to the helicopter, separately – one with a dog – and flew them back to safety at Moree Airport. We then flew back to the flooded campsite, to collect the other two people and the second dog,” Bashir recalls. 

‘When operating as an aeromedical aircraft, it has the capacity to carry much more medical equipment’

“The survivors were very appreciative and relieved, to have been rescued. They were particularly grateful that we were able to bring their dogs to safety, too.” 

Following the successful rescue operation, XIA adapted again – this time into a transport and cargo role. Utilised to fly a member of the SES to a nearby town, on the return journey the helicopter was tasked with the safe transport of supplies to the local hospital – which was aiding those impacted by the floods. 

“This is exactly the kind of mission the Land Rover LifeFlight Special Mission Helicopter crew has been training for, and it was great to be able to use this incredible machine to help our fellow Australians, in their time of need,” Bashir concludes. 

It is this blend of the tried-and-true AW139 helicopter, a bespoke and flexible fit-out suited for multiple roles, and high-quality training of the crew that make XIA a stand out aerial rescue and aeromedical platform for Australia.