Key Facts
| Current Title: |
| Air Ambulance Victoria |
| English Title: |
| Air Ambulance Victoria |
| Abbreviation: |
| AAV |
| First Established: |
| 1962 |
| ICAO Code: |
| (None) |
| Country: |
| Australia |
| Status: |
| Active |
History
Narrative Summary
The Victoria Civil Ambulance Service (VCAS) was established in the city of Melbourne in 1916. Elsewhere in the state, many regional ambulance services came to be formed. In early 1959 the Peter McCallum Cancer Institute began to charter aircraft to bring patients from around the state to Melbourne for treatment. In 1962 a formal Victoria Air Ambulance service was created, chartering aircraft as required to transport patients to hospitals in Melbourne. In 1965 a dedicated aircraft was chartered, to deliver a better service than the previous ad-hoc operation. The aircraft fleet soon expanded, with successive charter contracts placed for bigger and better aircraft.
In 1986 the first helicopter was obtained, allowing emergency retrieval of patients. Circa 1988 the VCAS became the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS), following the merger of a number of smaller services. Although focussed on delivering ambulance services in the greater Melbourne area, the MAS continued the Air Ambulance operation inherited from the VCAS. In a similar move outside of Melbourne, five regional ambulance service were merged into Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV) in 1997 (1998?). On 1 July 2008 the MAS and RAV were merged to form a single state-wide ambulance service, known as Ambulance Victoria (AV).
Key Dates
| 1916 | Victorian Civil Ambulance Service (VCAS) established. | |
| 1959 | Ad-hoc use of chartered aircraft for patients begins. | |
| 1 May 1962 | Victoria Air Ambulance starts operations for VCAS. | |
| 29 June 1965 | Dedicated air ambulance aircraft chartered. | |
| 1986 | First helicopter acquired. | |
| 1988? | Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) created from merger of VCAS with smaller services. | |
| 1997 | Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV) formed from merger of five regional services. | |
| 1 July 2008 | Ambulance Victoria formed from merger of MAS and RAV. |
Current Status
AAV aircraft and helicopters are fully operational.
Future Plans
No plans known.
Markings
Special Markings
AAV helicopters have operated with a white cabin and red tailboom, and red/white stripe along the fuselage underside. The AV insignia appears on the cabin door and the titles AMBULANCE appear on the tail boom. The AW139s have a modified colour scheme, with a broad blue band marking the division between the red and white areas.
The fixed wing aircraft operate in an overall white colour scheme with a blue/white/red fuselage cheatline, AMBULANCE VICTORIA titles on the rear fuselage and the AV logo on the fin.
Aircraft Serial Numbers
The VAS aircraft and helicopters initially carried standard Australian civil aircraft registrations, e.g. Cessna 402 VH-BUS, but more recently carry registrations in a special VH-VAx sequence, e.g. Super King Air 200 VH-VAI.
Unit/Base Codes
Coding system not used.
Aircraft
Aircraft Designations
None – Manufacturers designations used
Current Aircraft Inventory
| Aircraft Type | Total Del’d | Total Active | Still on Order | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospatiale AS365N Dauphin 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | EMS |
| AgustaWestland AW139 | 2 | 2 | 0 | EMS |
| Beech Super King Air 200 | 8 | 4 | 0 | Air Ambulance |
| Bell 412 | 4 | 4 | 0 | EMS |
All-Time Aircraft Used List
| Aircraft Type | Quantity | Service Entry | Out of Service | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero Commander Shrike Commander | 5 | 1962 | 1979 | contractor |
| Aerospatiale AS365C Dauphin 2 | 1 | 1986 | 2001 | contractor |
| Aerospatiale AS365N Dauphin 2 | 1 | 2001 | current | contractor |
| AgustaWestland AW139 | 2 | 2016 | current | contractor |
| Beech 55 Twin Bonanza | 2 | 1965 | 1971 | contractor |
| Beech Super King Air 200 | 8 | 1998 | current | RFDS |
| Bell 412 | 4 | 1987 | current | contractor |
| Cessna 402 | 9 | 1979 | 1989 | contractor |
| Cessna 404 Titan | 6 | 1989 | 1998 | contractor |
Aircraft NOT Used
No false reports known.
Aircraft Losses and Incidents
To be added.
Organisation
Main Headquarters
Ambulance Victoria, 375 Manningham Road, Doncaster, Victoria 3108.
Organisational Structure
No subordinate units.
Current Unit Assignments
Table of current unit assignments
Historical Unit Assignments
Not applicable.
All-Time Flying Units List
Not applicable.
Air Bases
Current Air Bases
The five helicopters are based at based at Essendon, Bendigo, the Latrobe Valley and Warrnambool. The fixed-wing aircraft are based at Essendon airport.
All-Time Air Bases Used List
As above.
More Information
Books
None known.
Magazines
To be added
Websites
Air Ambulance Victoria
Air Ambulance Victoria
wikipedia: Air Ambulance Victoria
Youtube: Air Ambulance Victoria
Air Ambulance
jetphotos.net: Air Ambulance Victoria
helis.com: Air Ambulance Victoria
Air Ambulance