20/February/2019 – C.A.R.E. Flight Maintenance – “C” Shift

Two Med-Trans mechanics took advantage of the rainy Wednesday to perform an 18 month inspection on the C.A.R.E. Flight Helicopter based at Colleton Medical Center. C.A.R.E. Flight was out of service for the day due to the poor weather conditions. The helicopter, which is a partnership between Med-trans and Fire-Rescue, was taken to the Lowcountry Regional Airport to have the service work performed. Part of the 18 month servicing involved the deployment of the Dart Flotation Devices mounted to the skids in gray tubes. The mechanics used low pressure air to deploy the bags and left them inflated for eight hours, checking periodically to see if the bags lost any air pressure. C.A.R.E. Flight is the only medical helicopter in the Lowcountry that is equipped with the floatation devices which allows it to fly over aquatic areas that other aircraft must navigate around. The three year inspection, will require the system to be deployed using the high pressure canister mounted under the aircraft. The floats are designed to support the helicopter if it had to land on water and they do not block the doors, so the crew or rescuers can enter/exit the aircraft while the floats are inflated.