The Royal Flying Doctor Service will be able to reach West Australians in need even quicker than before with a first-of-its-kind plane taking to the skies.
A new Pilatus PC-12 PRO aircraft has landed at the RFDS’ Jandakot base, which will be the first of eight to replace retiring planes by 2030.
RFDS WA chief executive Judith Barker said the new aircraft, which brings a leap forward in technology and efficiency, was made possible by Gina Rinehart through $8 million from the Rinehart Medical Foundation and Hancock Iron Ore.
“This new aircraft is an absolute game changer for us with new avionics and great safety features and we’re excited to be able to use that,” she said.
“Patient care, patient safety, and getting to those people quickly is important to us. This new aircraft uses less fuel, it’s lighter, it’s faster, and it’s state of the art equipment.
“This is so very important to the care we provide to Western Australians.”
The plane marks the beginning of a new era for RFDS operations with the aircraft able to fly faster and further than its predecessor.
It has a maximum speed of more than 530km/h — around 50km/h quicker than the current PC-12s — and can travel up to 3200km before needing to refuel.
The plane also features a digital touchscreen cockpit, real-time data monitoring, and an enhanced weather radar for quicker route planning.
Rick Ford, who is the manager for Hancock Agriculture’s WA cattle stations, said he wouldn’t be here today without the RFDS.
He was at Fossil Downs Station in the Kimberley tagging the ear of a feral bull when the animal’s horn went through the bottom of his chin and into his mouth.
It became an emergency very quickly when his airways began to collapse and he was more than a three hour drive from the nearest hospital.
He was rushed to Halls Creek Hospital before being flown to Perth by the RFDS in a bid to save his life.
“My breathing had slowed pretty much to nothing, and I had tubes in me everywhere, so without them coming to grab me from Halls Creek Hospital, I don’t think I’d be fortunate enough to be here,” Mr Ford said.
“Our station is a half an hour drive from the Fitzroy air strip and then to be in Broome within an hour or straight down to Perth in a few hours it’s lifesaving and it’s what the bush needs.”
In 2025, the RFDS retrieved 10,578 patients across WA and flew more than 9 million kilometres.
Pilots, nurses and doctors will now undergo extensive training on the new plane before it becomes operational later this year. There will be three new RFDS planes in WA by the end of the year.
The first few planes will be based at Jandakot and Kalgoorlie before more come to Broome, Port Hedland and Meekatharra.
Acting head of RFDS flying operations and pilot Steve McLeod said the Pilatus PC-12 PRO was the latest in technology.
“It could take off from Jandakot, go to Karratha, turn around and come back on the single tank of fuel, so it enables us to access those areas in the community, which are hard to access,” he said.
“The story really is that patient out in the remote community that needs that critical care and this aircraft was perfectly designed to provide that critical care.”
Rinehart Medical Foundation and Hancock Iron Ore chair Gina Rinehart welcomed the plane’s touchdown in WA.
“In a state as vast as WA, where distance and time can mean the difference between life and death, it’s great to welcome a faster aircraft, the first of the new PC-12 PRO aircraft to WA,” she said.
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