Aircraft Is Exclusively Dedicated To The Children's Mercy Hospital

We often hear someting is "for the children", but this time it's actually true. American Eurocopter says LifeFlight Eagle has taken delivery of a new EC145 that will be exclusively dedicated to The Children's Mercy Hospital (Kansas City, MO) Critical Care Transport program for the care and transport of pediatric and neonatal patients throughout the region.
           
The brightly-painted aircraft sports a "Just for Kids" paint scheme that clearly demonstrates the hospital's mission of caring for children. The EC145 is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics and can be flown single-pilot IFR. Night Vision Goggles will continue to be used for night operations.

"We chose the EC145 because we felt it was the aircraft that could take us into the future," said Sherry McCool, Director of Transport Operations. "In addition to its reliability and enhanced safety features, the EC145 offers an optimal medical configuration for our crew to provide in-flight critical care to our patients."

Children's Mercy Critical Care Transport has utilized Eurocopter aircraft for many years, relying on the BK117 to fulfill their mission objectives. This EC145 is an upgrade to that model and it is the first aircraft that the program has purchased directly. "As a long-time operator and first-time customer, we are pleased that Children's Mercy Critical Care Transport chose the EC145 for such an important mission as transporting children and infants requiring critical care," said Larry Roberts, American Eurocopter Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support. "The EC145 is the perfect combination of size, performance and advanced technology for EMS operations and continues to be the platform of choice for this segment of the industry." American Eurocopter is the nation's leading provider of rotorcraft to the EMS industry.

"The EC145's interior ... allows for crew seating that is better-suited for our missions. We also have better access to our patients during transport," added McCool. "The increased visibility with the EC145 is also a big plus for our night vision goggle missions."

Children's Mercy Critical Care Transport performs over 5,000 transports annually utilizing ground, helicopter, and fixed-wing services. The aircraft is scheduled to officially enter service the week of September 21.

FMI: www.eurocopterusa.com