New helicopter to serve region

IMPROVED SERVICE: TheBK117 rescue helicopter begins flying missions here later this month.PHOTO/ SUPPLIED 060415WCHELICOPTER

A new $3.6 million Palmerston North rescue helicopter begins service in Wanganui and Manawatu this month.

It will fly from the base in Palmerston North, next door to the hospital's emergency department, and be able to land at the Whanganui Hospital helipad.

The present single-engined Palmerston North helicopter has been in service for 23 years, flying 258 missions last year, 12 per cent more than the previous year.

It is being replaced by a twin-engine BK117 helicopter, the most popular rescue type in the world.

During the past nine months the new helicopter has been modified to suit the region's missions. It has a 270-kilogram rescue winch, night-vision capability and both analogue and digital communication systems.

Instead of the usual round dials on its dashboard it has video display screens in a "glass cockpit" system.

The helicopter's crews are now undergoing training in how to use the new equipment.

The new whirlybird has been paid for by borrowing, reserves, grants, bequests and contributions.

The Manawatu-Wanganui region follows others in changing to a more advanced type of helicopter. Taranaki, Hawke's Bay and Nelson have already made the change.

The local service, and others in the central North Island, is operated by the charitable Philips Search and Rescue Trust.