When DRF Luftrettung and LAR (Ducair) embarked on the joint venture that resulted in the establishment of European Air Ambulance (EAA), one of the main advantages was the combining of fleet and technical resources of the two well-established services.

The aircraft are modernised regularly to ensure that they are technically up-to-date. The maintenance facility at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airpark, which is EASA Part 145 approved, is operated by the DRF Luftrettung’s own team of expert technicians and highly qualified aircraft inspectors. It is here that the Air Ambulance aircraft are serviced, repaired, modified and painted. In addition, technicians install electronic devices, such as navigation systems, and mount medical equipment such as stretcher facilities and oxygen supply systems.

Some maintenance activities have been sub-contracted to different JAR or PART 145 organisations.
The following sub-contractors are used to support the current fleet of aircraft:

• Bombardier Learjet 35A Jet Aviation Flugzeugwartung Köln PART 145 LBA - 0014
• Bombardier Learjet 35A Aero-dienst Flughafenstrasse 100 D-90411 Nürenberg PART 145 LBA - 0011

Regular checks on the fleet are also carried out in compliance with aviation authority regulations and the manufacturer’s own guidelines. For the Learjet, these include comprehensive checks after 300, 600, 1.200 and 2.400 flight hours.

As with all aircraft maintenance checks, technicians examine the minutest detail of the planes to ensure safety standards are at an optimum. Engines, control systems, the undercarriage, auto pilots and the electronic equipment of ambulance aircraft are checked regularly. Extra assurance is provided by the fact that maintenance work always takes place under the supervision and control of an inspector.

In addition, compliance with security standards is supervised by internal quality audits and by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (German Federal Office of Civil Aviation) and by the Luxembourg Direction de l'Aviation Civile (Civil Aviation Authority) at the ministry of transport.

At Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airpark, DRF Luftrettung trains aircraft technicians and employs them, if possible, after the end of their three-year apprentice/training period, by which stage they have to be able to disassemble an engine entirely or to remove an engine under the supervision of examiners.

Aircraft technicians work hand in hand with avionic technicians, who ensure that all electronic devices – such as communication and navigation systems and the autopilot – function faultlessly.
After they have gained sufficient experience, technicians are permitted to take up an option to train as inspectors. Currently, 80 percent of all technicians working in the DRF Luftrettung maintenance facility are licensed inspectors.

It is the technical department that retains overall control of short-term and long-term planning of all maintenance for the air ambulance service provider. The department liaises with Ground and Flight Operations to ensure that both departments receive all the necessary information they require regarding the condition of the aircraft to enable those departments to perform their tasks efficiently.

The technical department is required to revise maintenance programs according to any amendment of maintenance manuals before submitting the program to the relevant aviation authorities.
Direct communication with the PART-145 maintenance facility is also paramount for the technical department. The department must, for instance, ensure that Technical Flight Incident Reports are correctly analysed and acted upon by the maintenance facility.

All this helps maintain the fleet efficiently, thus ensuring that flight and medical crew, and, of course, the patient can be transported safely.