German air ambulance operator Aero-Dienst has said goodbye to one of its King Air 350s. Previously owned by a building contractor, the company could only watch wistfully as the turboprop was recently sold. Nevertheless, says ops manager Carl Wagner, the company still operates two other King Air 350s and they are put to very good use.

He told EBAN: “We would love to have had the funds to buy the aircraft but that is simply not possible right now. We were mainly flying this particular 350 to central Europe, for short-range work, and we used it for its load-carrying capacity. We’re very happy with the other two 350s that we operate. I don’t think there’s anything else in that size bracket that will carry a load over the same distance with as little problem as this.”

Aero-Dienst’s remaining two King Air 350s are dedicated air ambulance aircraft. Once in a while, said Wagner, they are used for night-time freight operations, “a little icing on the cake”.

For the purposes of ambulance services, the Nürnberg company has a deal with ADAC (the German automobile club), which runs an insurance scheme. Indeed, ADAC owns Aero-Dienst and as Wagner says: “We fly only for the ADAC and the ADAC flies only with us.”

Aero-Dienst also flies two Hawker 1000s and a Lear 35, which are all dedicated for ambulance work. Said Wagner: “We’ve flown as far afield as Hawaii and Vladivostok. With these three different aircraft, we’ve been able to adjust to the needs of the patient, in whichever location.

“Usually the King Air would be flown for the shorter distances like Italy and northern Spain. We use the Hawker for the long-range work.”

While the King Air and Hawker are equipped for intensive care, the Lear 35 is “more for broken ankles”.

Following a recent announcement by the UK’s Gold Air International that they will be operating what’s believed to be the first air ambulance Lear 45, by the beginning of next year, EBAN asked Aero-Dienst what it thought about this aircraft for such services. Wagner said: “In the long run, the Lear 45 will make a good air ambulance aircraft, particularly because of its interior space.

“However, we maintain them at present and we do find that they are on the ground quite often. Also, they still don’t have the CG envelope we would need for that kind of work and I think the max gross weight has to be increased to make it a viable aircraft. From our own point of view, it doesn’t quite have the range we need.”

With regard to other aircraft that have yet to be converted for air ambulance work, Wagner believes that, “leaving all other problems aside,” the Hawker Horizon would make the ideal air ambulance. He said: “You have stand-up room, a bit more range and all the little extras. It seems to be an excellent all-round aircraft with a lot of payload. Once it’s available, I think it will be ideal.”

Aero-Dienst says business is stable right now. In the near future, the company will be replacing its Lear 35 with another Lear 35 which will be RVSM capable. In addition, it will be getting more aircraft in the form of a couple of Lear 31s and a Challenger 604. All will be operated on behalf of private owners.