A King Air B200 has been added to DRF’s fixed-wing fleet. The aircraft had previously been operated by ARA-Flugrettungs (Air Rescue Austria), a partner in the air rescue alliance Team DRF. \r“The aircraft offers a number of advantages,” said Frank Spirgatis, DRF’s director of worldwide repatriations. “On operations that are too long for helicopters but too short for jets, it really fills that gap. Secondly, it requires a much shorter runway than a Learjet, which is especially useful in the Alps and on small airfields.\r“The King Air offers a lot of space; you can easily fly in double-stretcher configuration. All of our aircraft are operated with one doctor and one paramedic on board,” he added.\rThe non-profit organisation also operates three Learjet 35s and a Learjet 55. In addition, DRF and its partners in the air rescue alliance operate 58 helicopters at 43 HEMS bases in Germany, Italy, and Austria. The King Air’s home base is in Baden-Baden, Germany, but it operates mostly in Austria and Italy. \r“The aircraft operates primarily around the Alps. In a usual year we can easily fly 800 hours or more and most of the downtime is scheduled, as it’s a very reliable aircraft,” concluded Spirgatis.