The first operator of an EMS-configured Bell 429 light twin reports it is “more than happy” with the helicopter and its performance after flying 65 missions in less than a month. Des Moines-based Mercy Medical Center’s Mercy One placed its 429 into operation on April 10. Through early May it had flown the helicopter on a variety of missions, including scene work, hospital transfers, neonatal intensive care transport (NICU), dual-patient transport and IFR. Mercy One executives praised the 429’s speed, spacious and versatile cabin, and overall reliability.
“We’ve had this helicopter for 26 days and it has been rock solid,” said Dan Keough, Mercy One’s director of emergency transport services. So far the only real problem Mercy One has had with the helicopter were some door hinges that broke during the first few days of operation, but he said Bell fixed them in short order. “Neil Marshall [429 program director] and the crew from Bell were here almost instantly,” Keogh said.
Plenty of Room for Patients
Mercy One crews appreciate the 429’s speed. “The aircraft’s speed and power have well exceeded our expectations,’ Keough said. “Missions that used to take 45 to 50 minutes to fly [in Mercy One’s Eurocopter EC135] we can now do in 37. The 135 was a good workhorse, but with the 429 we can still make 130 knots across the ground into a 30-knot headwind. It’s a Corvette. This thing is fast.”
More In Rotorcraft
