Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) New Pilatus PC-24 Jet VH-FMP Pops into Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport as "FlyDoc 509"

Also at Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport, also on Saturday 26 October, was a visit by Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) Central Operations new Pilatus PC-24 Jet VH-FMP.

VH-FMP at Adelaide Airport  (File photo)

The sleek little aeromedical bizjet made what is believed to be the first visit by an RFDS PC-24 into Central Queensland, operating what appeared to be a Patient Transfer flight from or back to Adelaide.  It was noted using the flight number and radio callsign of "FlyDoc 509".

VH-FMP is the first PC-24 for the RFDS Central Operations based at Adelaide.  The aircraft's Medical fit-out was done at the Pilatus Factory in Switzerland, and has a specially engineered auto-stabilising stretcher-loading device, that loads patients in a horizontal position, as opposed to other aircraft with inclined stretcher slides. The cabin has room for three stretchered patients, and two Medical Teams.

Of interest, the RFDS Western Operations based out of Jandakot Airport in Perth also has a pair of PC-24 jets.  The jets currently supplementing and eventually replacing the ageing Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft in these RFDS fleets.

Photo taken by Tony Haynes  ©