Helicopters Health Care District of Palm Beach orders two AW169 helicopters

Helicopter manufacturer Leonardo announced, that operator Health Care District of Palm Beach County, FL, has signed a purchase agreement for two light intermediate AW160 helicopters. The operator is also known as Trauma Hawk and is a certificated air carrier in southern Florida.

It is Leonardo´s first helicopter that is to feature a longitudinal roll-on stretcher system for speciality care transport. This will minimize the overall workload and the patient movement during loading and unloading.

Trauma Hawk has configured its AW169s in a special EMS configuration, which includes a specially configured medical cabin. This cabin will, according to Leonardo, deliver the highest quality of patient care and will meet the standards for safety and operability.

Palm Beach Country is the largest country by area in Florida. An organized instrument flight rules (IFR) infrastructure help to provide the best service as possible during the flight. With the AW169 equipped with Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) GPS, a precise landing procedure is possible. The aircraft is also capable of safe approaches and landings during low visibility.

Leonardo´s AW160 can travel up to 440 nautical miles with a top speed of 160 knots. The aircraft is capable of climbing to 14,500 feet and the latest-generation avionics with a four-axis dual-duplex digital automatic flight control system have been installed.

"Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) mode allows the AW169 cabin to stay “power on” with rotor blades stopped creating a safe, quiet and comfortable environment for care and setting a new standard for helicopter EMS operations," added Leonardo in a statement.

To date, the manufacturer has registered orders for over 220 AW169. Customers from around the world trust the helicopter in its versatileness. Operators from Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, South Korea and the UK have already purchased the aircraft.

Leonardo is a multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. The company was founded 72 years ago and currently has several aviation subsidiaries. Recently, the group decided to purchase the Kopter Group AG.