The Falcon fleet of the Aeronautica Militare has achieved the milestone throughout an emergency medical flight.

Within the afternoon of Feb. 9, 2023, a Falcon 900 of the 31° Stormo (Wing) of the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Power) carried out a medical transport mission, to hold a seven-year little one from Catania to Bergamo.

The emergency flight was requested by the Prefecture of Catania and was instantly organized and coordinated by the Summit State of affairs Room of the Italian Air Power Command which, amongst all its duties, has additionally the one in all activating and managing pressing medical transport companies carried out on a 24/7/365 foundation by plane belonging to the 31° Stormo, based mostly at Ciampino, the 14° Stormo of Pratica di Mare, and the 46^ Brigata Aerea (Air Brigade) from Pisa.

One of many Falcon 900 plane of the Wing, on readiness standing at Ciampino airport, was launched, arrived in Catania, embarked the younger affected person and took off for Bergamo. As soon as landed, the kid was transferred to a close-by hospital by ambulance; the jet returned to Ciampino airport the place it resumed its readiness service.

With right this moment’s emergency medical transport mission, the Falcon fleet of the thirty first Wing has reached 150,000 flight hours. The 100K FH mark had been achieved in 2009.

The fleet is presently made from two Falcon 50 (MM62026 and MM62029) and three Falcon 900, one 900EX (MM62210) and two Falcon 900EX-Straightforward (MM62244 and MM62245). Each frequently perform “hospital” (EMS) in addition to “humanitarian” flights. It isn’t the vary of the flight that determines the kind of mission, however the chance to plan the sortie: “Humanitarian” are these flights whose want is understood with even a bit forewarning; “Hospital” flights are these whose want was beforehand unknown and require a departure inside 2 hours. The plane used for the latter are solely the Falcon 50 and the Falcon 900EX-Straightforward that make sure the transportation on the medium-long vary and might each embark stretchers. The Falcon 50 has an endurance that exceeds the 7 hours, has 9 seats and might carry 2 stretchers. The extra trendy Falcon 900EX-Straightforward, presents elevated payload and an endurance of as much as 10 hours.

Though an identical to the 900EX (identical airframe, engine and thus endurance), the “Straightforward” has digital avionics and cabin house to hold 3 stretchers. Moreover, the plane is supplied with the EVASAN module that may present energy and oxygen to electro-medical gear.

David Cenciotti is a journalist based mostly in Rome, Italy. He’s the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of many world’s most well-known and skim army aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for main worldwide magazines, together with Air Forces Month-to-month, Fight Plane, and plenty of others, masking aviation, protection, conflict, trade, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown a number of fight planes with completely different air forces. He’s a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Power, a personal pilot and a graduate in Pc Engineering. He has written 5 books and contributed to many extra ones.