{"id":128990,"date":"2015-12-04T00:26:53","date_gmt":"2015-12-03T14:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=128990"},"modified":"2020-11-02T17:07:16","modified_gmt":"2020-11-02T07:07:16","slug":"foxtrot-retires-after-20-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Foxtrot’ Retires After 20 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
‘Foxtrot’ at Archerfield Airport with RACQ CareFlight CEO Ashley van de Velde on Thursday (Photo: RACQ CareFlight)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 3, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

After serving thousands of Queenslanders for two decades, RACQ CareFlight Rescue\u2019s Bell 412 XCF \u201cFoxtrot\u201d helicopter made its final flight this week.<\/p>\n

The chopper joined CareFlight\u2019s operational fleet in 1995 and was the service\u2019s first twin-engine helicopter.<\/p>\n

Since then, it has completed 10,768 flight hours, helping to save the lives of people across every corner of southern Queensland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis particular aircraft has rescued more patients than any other helicopter in CareFlight\u2019s fleet,\u201d CEO Ashley van de Velde said.<\/p>\n

\u201cManufactured in June 1981, it\u2019s actually the oldest operational helicopter in Australia; its serial number is 31.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s retirement ceremony at our Archerfield Maintenance Facility was a bittersweet moment for the pilots, crewmen and thousands of patients who came to know Foxtrot as a reliable mainstay of the rescue service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foxtrot\u2019s retirement is part of CareFlight\u2019s fleet renewal program, which began this year with the purchase of two new AgustaWestland 139 (AW139) helicopters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first time in CareFlight\u2019s history that new rather than re-purposed aircraft have been purchased, made possible by State Government funding and ongoing community support.<\/p>\n

“The retirement of Foxtrot is the end of an era in our service\u2019s history, but also marks an important milestone in our long-awaited fleet renewal program,\u201d Mr van de Velde said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis transition will ensure our fleet is equipped with an aviation capability that is more advanced and well-positioned for decades of service to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese latest-technology AW139 aircraft will revolutionise the way we save lives.”<\/p>\n

The first of the service\u2019s new AW139s became operational out of CareFlight\u2019s Brisbane Airport base in mid-November and has airlifted 17 patients in just two weeks.<\/p>\n

The second new aircraft arrived in Australia last week and is currently undergoing a medical fit-out to prepare it for service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After two decades, RACQ CareFlight\u2019s Bell 412 XCF \u201cFoxtrot\u201d helicopter made its final flight this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":128993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[54],"yoast_head":"\n'Foxtrot' Retires After 20 Years - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Foxtrot' Retires After 20 Years - southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After two decades, RACQ CareFlight\u2019s Bell 412 XCF \u201cFoxtrot\u201d helicopter made its final flight this week.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-12-03T14:26:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-02T07:07:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151203chopper1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"385\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/\",\"name\":\"'Foxtrot' Retires After 20 Years - southburnett.com.au\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-03T14:26:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-02T07:07:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/#\/schema\/person\/d43a5027bdddc95f54e9c6274d8a57ae\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/\",\"name\":\"southburnett.com.au\",\"description\":\"Kingaroy and South Burnett News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/#\/schema\/person\/d43a5027bdddc95f54e9c6274d8a57ae\",\"name\":\"Anne Miller\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/author\/anne-miller\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Foxtrot' Retires After 20 Years - southburnett.com.au","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'Foxtrot' Retires After 20 Years - southburnett.com.au","og_description":"After two decades, RACQ CareFlight\u2019s Bell 412 XCF \u201cFoxtrot\u201d helicopter made its final flight this week.","og_url":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/","og_site_name":"southburnett.com.au","article_published_time":"2015-12-03T14:26:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-11-02T07:07:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":"620","height":"385","url":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151203chopper1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Anne Miller","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Anne Miller","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/","url":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/","name":"'Foxtrot' Retires After 20 Years - southburnett.com.au","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-12-03T14:26:53+00:00","dateModified":"2020-11-02T07:07:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/#\/schema\/person\/d43a5027bdddc95f54e9c6274d8a57ae"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/12\/04\/foxtrot-retires-after-20-years\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/#website","url":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/","name":"southburnett.com.au","description":"Kingaroy and South Burnett News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/#\/schema\/person\/d43a5027bdddc95f54e9c6274d8a57ae","name":"Anne Miller","url":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/author\/anne-miller\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128990"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":283153,"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128990\/revisions\/283153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}