The Helicopter
Cox Air Care
"Elsie." That is how members of Cox Air Care refer to our helicopter.
The name comes from the aircraft tail number N105LC, which refers to the
aircraft type and the founder of our institution, Mr. Lester E. Cox.
A company known as Eurocopter
built our helicopter in Germany in 1987. The model is a BO105 cbs. It
is the older sibling
of the famous BK117. The aircraft has twin engines, which affords an extra
margin of safety and makes it capable of carrying two patients in addition
to the flight crew. The helicopter was built with a rigid rotor system
that is designed not to dip in heavy wind; making the aircraft safer to
approach during loading and unloading. We specifically put the main and
tail rotor blades higher off the ground and equipped the helicopter with
high skid gear to additionally increase the safety margin.
The aircraft travels about 120 knots or roughly 130 mph. This traveling
speed, combined with agile handling, small size and twin engine capability,
allows Cox Air Care pilots to put the aircraft into some very confined
Landing Zone that are common in this area. This is extremely important
when you consider that roughly 70 percent of our missions are scene flights.
For additional information on the helicopter click Eurocopter
or go to the FAQ page. |