General Aviation Royal Flying Doctor Service acquires two Beechcraft King Air 350

Two aircraft will be modified as cargo heavyweight planes and are scheduled to begin delivery in the third quarter of 2018. The new turboprops will replace King Air B200 aircraft in order to modernize the organization’s patient transfer and air ambulance fleet.

The RFDS organization currently operates more than 35 Textron Aviation aircraft, including the South Eastern Section’s fleet of 18 King Air turboprops.

The two new turboprops King Air 350 are scheduled to be delivered with an 11-pax, high-density seating configuration. This configuration allows the RFDS to transport passengers from rural and remote communities to their regional health care facilities. Beside other modifications, the aircraft modifications include an added cargo door for easier patient loading and offloading as well as heavyweight landing gear that support a higher maximum takeoff weight for increased payload capabilities. The King Air 350 configured with heavyweight landing gear can operate with full fuel as well as a max payload of more than 1,100 kg that can be carried more than 2,500 km.

David Charlton, General Manager Aviation and Strategic Development for the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section said “Building our fleet through the acquisition of the Beechcraft King Air 350 advances our strategic mission to deliver more health care to those that need us most. Innovation is vital to our evolution so the Beechcraft King Air 350 are valuable additions.”