|
Northland is about to get a second Sikorsky rescue helicopter to meet a growing demand for emergency calls.
The Sikorsky S-76 once owned by electronics entrepreneur Dick Smith will get a similar stablemate at its Whangarei base early next year.
The Northland Emergency Services Trust has bought another S-76 from the US and chairman John Bain and chief pilot Peter Turnbull are over there arranging the aircraft's transport to Auckland by ship.
The helicopter is expected to be modified in Auckland before entering service in Northland in the first quarter of next year.
The Northland rescue trust's first S-76 was bought for $1.7 million in 1997 by St John for emergency medical flights in Auckland.
St John did a deal with the Northland trust to swap it for a BK-117.
But it is understood the Sikorsky is ageing and upkeep costs have been rising.
Last year, the trust, which is sponsored by Northland Electricity, bought a smaller, German-built Bolkow BO105 as a back-up.
- NZPA
|
