BMA CQ Rescue has celebrated another huge milestone, welcoming its second full-time AW139 helicopter to the fleet.
At sunset, on Wednesday 18 June, VH-XQ7 flew into the Mackay Airport, where 200 invited guests watched on as pilot Owen Maitland delivered the state-of-the-art machine to the region.
Earlier, Tom and Kristine McMillan had been privileged to be the first to fly in XQ7, winning the honour at the annual fundraising charity gala ball.
The three-year journey with helicopter manufacturing company Leonardo has been a long one and BMA CQ Rescue CEO Tim Healee said this achievement was one he was immensely proud of.
“We’ve worked really hard to bring these state-of-the-art machines to the regions,” he said.
“They don’t belong to us, they belong to every single person who supports us, because without that support, I would not be standing here today with this brand new aeromedical facility ready to service the region.
“Thank you to each of you, for helping us save lives.”
While VH-XQ7 was being welcomed to the region, the on-duty helicopter spent the day flying two urgent care missions from the regions, to Townsville.
“The crew missed the celebrations, but that’s the nature of what they do. When the community calls, they fly to the rescue, that’s always our priority,” Mr Healee said.
It was a momentous day, with the BMA CQ Rescue fleet now complete with two full-time helicopters now visible in the sky.
You can’t miss them, they are orange, white and blue!
They also proudly display major partners’ logos, with BMA CQ Rescue displayed loud and proud.
