THE Royal Flying Doctor Service has a long history but also must keep up with the technological times so it farewelled one of its old birds in Mount Isa as it looks towards the future last weekend.
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Captain Shane Lawrey, RFDS’s head of Flying Operations, said the Beechcraft B200 plane (call sign FFI) did its last operational flight on the clinic run from Birdsville to Mount Isa on Sunday, May 1.
As it landed in Mount Isa, it was welcomed by local firies with water hoses for a fitting final send-off.
“The aircraft is now scheduled to be sold to whoever chooses to purchase it,” Captain Lawrey said.
“It will be superseded by our newer aircraft into our system because the aircraft is 34 years old and beyond its economic life at this point in time so it is time to move it on.”
Captain Lawrey said a lot of the new aeroplane equipment required under the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) legislation and services required a much higher level of avionics and auto-flight systems.
“The aircraft is not capable of being upgraded to that stage without significant economic investment,” he said.
“We’ve been implementing a plan over the last few years to supersede the old aircraft and the newer equipment will see us well into the future.”
The new plane will be one of three dedicated RDFS aircraft based at Mount Isa.
Captain Lawrey said the new plane is the same Beechcraft B200 model but upgraded.
“When you look on the inside you wouldn’t recognise it because it’s all glass cockpit with all the latest technology,” he said.
“The old plane has three-bladed propellers on both sides and the newer planes have got four.”
The new model aircraft has arrived to replace the old Beechcraft and Captain Lawrey says it is now the “pride of the fleet”.
“The 2014 model B200 has been in Mount Isa for a little while and it’s been complemented by a secondary B200 later model,” he said.
So what happens to a 34-year-old unwanted plane that doesn’t meet CASA requirements?
“Most likely it will be sold as parts, there’s not much call for an aeroplane of that age, like cars of a similar vintage,” Captain Lawrey said.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
