The "Panel"

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Stephen,
> This is what needs to happen in the US but I can not foresee it occuring due
> to the free market approach we take to almost every aspect of our economy.
> If the state governments here were to take control completely, I fear we
> would see something akin to the Roman orgy of helicopter use that
> characterizes Maryland EMS.
>   

I don't think so. You could easily contract out the license to run a
station for a limited time (say 5 years). Whoever provides the best
*and* most competitive services gets the job. Isn't that free market?
> Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression (courtesy of a
> Rettungsassistent friend of mine) that the BO 105s were being phased out of
> service in most areas in favor of newer and more "well equipped" (his words,
> not mine....and I'm not sure what he meant specifically) helicopters.
>   
Your information is true indeed. The new standard machine will probably
be the EC 135, faster, more silent, more space. Which machine to run is
a decision of the provider, not the government. It is quite possible
that some day one or more state might resize the shape of a helicopter
area, but you know how fast bureaucracy works... ;-)

> Germany lost a medical helicopter because of an intoxicated crew member or
> did I interpret your statement incorrectly? If I did not read that wrong,
> when did this happen?  I know it's not an infrequent occurrence in US
> general aviation, but it sort of surprises me that such a crash would occur
> in aeromedical operations.  However, nothing truly surprises me in US
> aeromedical operations- Montana lost one back in the mid 1980s where the
> pilot (apparently encouraged by the crew, who were filming it) was chasing
> big horn sheep up the side of a mountain while returning to base.
>   

Sorry to say that, but to the best of my knowledge at least two choppers
went down for this reason (1982 and - donnow - sometime around 2000).
Both times the pilot tried to "entertain" the public / friends with
deliberatly risky maneuvers during flight shows. *This did not take with
patients aboard*. But that does not make the dead alive, does it?

Mathias

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