Townsville QGAir AW139 helicopter clocks up 10,000 flying hours reaching global milestone

After nearly two decades of service, a helicopter that plays a vital role in saving the lives of Queenslanders has hit a global milestone. See how many hours it’s dedicated to supporting the region.

Queensland Government Air (QGAir) is celebrating a significant, world-first, milestone in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), with one of its Townsville helicopters becoming the first in the world to surpass 10,000 flight hours dedicated to saving lives.

A Townsville-based aircraft has become the first in the world to reach a major flying milestone, clocking up over 10,000 hours in the sky and delivering life saving emergency medical services across the region.

Aviation Capability Group Chief Superintendent Marcus Hill said the AW139 helicopter has been in service for 17 years and ticked over the global milestone on December 1 this year during an aero medical job at a mine site west of Townsville.

“Nobody else in the world has achieved this (milestone),” he said.

“It’s an outstanding result, not only for the airframe but also for the people who fly the aircraft, our aircrew, our pilots, and also those that most importantly look after the aircraft.”

While the aircraft is set to retire soon after nearly two decades of service, it has played such a vital role in saving the lives of Queenslanders.

“As we head into the Christmas break it’s important to recognise the contribution that these aircrafts will make to our road safety and the survival of people on our road networks,” Mr Hill said.

Aviation Capability Group Chief Superintendent Marcus Hill acknowledged the important role these aircraft play in protecting the welfare of Queenslanders. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Tragically throughout the holiday season we do see people lose their lives through road crashes but many people survive because of the helicopter emergency medical services provided in this state in which QGAir (Queensland Government Air) contributes.”

Chief aircrew officer for Queensland Government Air, Greg Gill said despite the lengthy service of the aircraft it looked as good as the day it started.

“It looks like it came out of the factory yesterday and that’s due to the ongoing support of the engineering maintenance team and the effort they put into the aircraft to keep them online and enable us to be able to fly the aircraft everyday,” he said.

The helicopter was given a water cannon salute on Tuesday to celebrate its achievement.

Originally published as Townsville QGAir AW139 helicopter clocks up 10,000 flying hours reaching global milestone