iscover
The aeromedical organisation said four laser strikes have been reported on LifeFlight Australia helicopters this year, compared with two in the whole of 2025, with the three most recent in Goodna, Caboolture, and South Brisbane.
The RAC Rescue helicopters will commence the “enhanced physician-paramedic model” with Jandakot on 14 September, followed by Bunbury in 2027. The service will also be integrated into WA Country Health Service's Command Centre and WA Health's State Operations Centre (SHOC).
Set to arrive over four years from 2028, the new aircraft – replacing the existing King Air 200 fleet – will be fitted out with a bespoke Aeromedical Mission System (AMS) from Sunshine Coast-based company HeliMods.
Part of the 2026-27 State Budget, the funding will support RFDS operations across regional, rural and remote parts of NSW, including primary care, dental, mental health, retrieval services and patient and clinician transport.
VH-VHD “Snowbird 1”, operated by Skytraders, responded to an “urgent request for assistance” at US-operated McMurdo Station late last month, taking advantage of a “narrow weather window” to perform the evacuation to New Zealand.
Based at Perth’s Jandakot Airport, VH-AW2 was funded by mining billionaire Gina Rinehart through her Rinehart Medical Foundation and Hancock Iron Ore, and is the first PC-12 PRO to join RFDS WA as part of a fleet renewal program.
PROFILES
Raising the Bar in Commercial Laundry: How Rinse & Repeat Is Redefining Service for Aviation
Raising the Bar in Commercial Laundry: How Rinse & Repeat Is Redefining Service for Aviation
UPRT Australia- Transforming Aviation’s Greatest Risk into Its Greatest Asset
UPRT Australia- Transforming Aviation’s Greatest Risk into Its Greatest Asset
