Vol. 35, No. 45, November 21, 2019 52 Ingestre Street, Wanganui. Phone 345 3666 or 345 3655, fax 345 2644, email
[email protected] Air Wanganui brings in third aircraft to meet growing demand #\ BY DOUG DAVIDSON 450 hours a year with our Air Wanganui has been providing a crucial $ " service to Whanganui and New Zealand for \ %& over 25 years, mainly as an air ambulance, P ( # O but now also as a specialist, tourist charter #\ service. about 500 patients in and out of Whanganui trans- To meet growing de- ferring them anywhere mand, they have bought It has been refurbished from hospitals in Dunedin their third aircraft – a \- to Auckland but predomi- Beechcraft King Air sentatives from Air Wan- nantly to Wellington, es- \ ganui, the DHB and local pecially for angiography The twin turbo-prop air- businesses watched as the " craft with advanced, high \ already transferred over tech avionics was wel- got the chance to have a %%P comed into Whanganui look over the plane when "&*+ƽ Airport on Monday after must be ready to go at any a three day trip from the Air Wanganui Chief time for air ambulance, Executive, Dean Martin, organ transfer and charter The Kingair was bought says, “It is a huge invest- ! " (Photo courtesy of Jono Gribble) from a private owner and ment but necessary as we ƽ \ has already been painted !" casual pilots as required 67 $ The ratio of work is 90% and without their sup- since charter work re- I think since I’ve been Air Whanganui also op- 1 %; port, Whanganui would /1 here we’ve been to every