Phoenix Heli-flight braved the elements the night of Dec. 11, 2019.
Helicopter HERO-1 performed a medevac near Janvier, which is 95 kilometres south of Fort McMurray.
However, Environment Canada issued an extreme cold weather warning that night as temperatures dipped to -35 C.
Chair of the Local HERO Foundation, Paul Spring said how emergency crews were able to reach the male patient.
“The call came in for a medevac to Janvier. Our crews checked the weather and temperature, and we were just inside our limit for the HERO-1 helicopter, which is -35 C.”
He said they completed the medevac transporting the patient to Northern Lights Regional Health Centre.
Daring flight
Spring said they have a backup plan, should their helicopters be unable to take to the skies.
“Anytime we get to either fog, freezing rain, visibility, ceiling or temperature limits, the Fort McMurray Fire Department responds with a road ambulance to the patient. In this case, the temperature was steady so we were able to go.”
Spring said there were past instances when helicopters had to turn back from halfway due to visibility limits.
Coincidentally, HERO helicopters also have a ceiling for extreme heat between 40-50 C.
Spring said during in his time as a pilot in Wood Buffalo, the warmest temperature he experienced is 36 C.
He added performance degradation, especially to the helicopter’s rotor blades is something HERO keeps in mind.
“Conversely in the wintertime, as long as we’re not as our cold limit we get great performance out of the aircraft: Better speed, better fuel economy, and greater lift because it is cold and the air is dense.”
Spring also mentioned a timely upgrade to HERO-1 that allowed the medevac to go ahead.
“Just last week, we upgraded the computers that run the engines: The digital engine control units. So we went from -20 C to -35 C for that aircraft.”
He said the HERO Foundation hopes to have a helicopter with a wider temperature range.
All HERO aircraft have negative and positive temperature limits.
HERO-1 pilot Todd took photos of the helicopter and medevac in action.
