Pilatus PC 24
The Australian outback is sparsely populated, and even more sparsely equipped with hospital facilities. 5 hospitals are serving an area 56 times the size of Switzerland, which has 276 hospitals by comparison. Air Service is essential for medical care in Australia, and the Royal Flying Doctors Service has a fleet of aircraft linking remote areas across the continent.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service is essential in medical care and emergency evacuation in remote areas, such as where the test took place near Glendambo in South Australia. The highway serving these rural areas is 1,740 miles in length with more than 2.1 million people. RFDS currently has 81 aircraft providing aeromedical services nationwide, including three Pilatus PC-24 jets and 31 Pilatus PC-12 turboprops.
RFDS recently acquired the Pilatus PC-24 twin jet, known for its rugged capabilities. A test landing and take-off was performed on the A87 Stuart Highway, with the PC-24 twin jet landing on an outback highway for the first time. The PC-24 is known for its capability to land on unimproved fields and is the only business jet that combines that characteristic with high speeds and a 3,000 km range needed for long-range emergency missions.
The video below, supplied by Pilatus via YouTube, shows that the highway was closed to traffic, and an aiming point was painted across the highway for the test. The landing and takeoff went smoothly during the successful test flight.
