Crew and Fleet
Our Crew
A highly qualified and experienced Pilot, Critical Care Doctor, Flight Paramedic and Air Crewman are on board every RACQ CareFlight mission 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Our pilots join the RACQ CareFlight crew with extensive experience in the military, para-military or aero medical industries.
Our Doctors are employed by our medical division CareFlight Medical Services (CMS) and are specialists in emergency medicine, anaesthetics or critical care.
Our Flight Paramedics are highly experienced members of our crew, seconded from the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS).
Each crew member plays a vital role in the RACQ CareFlight team each time they are tasked to a mission.
Our Fleet
RACQ CareFlight owns and operates a fleet of five rescue helicopters – three Bell 412s, a Bell 230 and the AS350BA Squirrel.
RACQ CareFlight’s Bell 412 helicopters are designed to carry up to 15 people, including one or two pilots, with 13 passenger seats fitted to the rear cabin.
RACQ CareFlight has configured its Bell 412s to carry up to 10 people, comprising four crew and six patients, although between one and three patients are typically carried. The Bell 412 is also fitted with a winch for rescues and a hook for external load carriage, including fire-fighting buckets.
The Bell 412 aircraft (left) are also fitted with powerful ‘Night Sun’ lighting to assist the crew when carrying out night missions.
The Bell 230 is a twin-turbine, single-main rotor, intermediate-lift helicopter designed to carry up to eight people including one or two pilots, with six passenger seats fitted to the rear cabin.
RACQ CareFlight has configured its Bell 230 (below right) to carry up to six people, comprising four crew and two patients.
Four crew members operate the RACQ CareFlight Bell helicopters: a pilot who operates the aircraft, a crewman who co-ordinates the response, and a doctor and paramedic who provide specialist medical care to the patient.
The Squirrel AS350BA helicopter is primarily designed to take one pilot and six passengers, or two pilots and four passengers. In its medical configuration it is equipped for a single pilot, two crew members and one patient. The crew consists of a pilot, paramedic and critical care doctor. The helicopter can be equipped with an electric winch for rescue missions.
Due to its size, the Squirrel is limited to only one patient, however its size and simplicity means it can get off the ground in five minutes and can access areas that are too tight for RACQ CareFlight’s bigger aircraft, the Bell 412 and the Bell 230.