Perth Royal Flying Doctor service gets Hawker 800 jet aircraft

[AVIATOR]

THE Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) will hit new heights when its jet service takes to the skies this month.
The jet service, the first in Australia for the RFDS, was launched at Jandakot Airport last Wednesday.
The Rio Tinto Life Flight, a Hawker 800XP, will help cut travel times in half for critically ill people in country areas taken to Perth. It will service WA, and parts of Australia and the Cocos and Christmas islands. Rio Tinto Iron Ore helped establish the service with a $5 million injection.   

Specifications (Hawker 850XP) General characteristics

• Crew: 2 pilots
• Capacity: 8 passengers typical, 13 maximum
• Length: 51 ft 2 in (15.6 m)
• Wingspan: 54 ft 4 in (16.5 m)
• Height: 18 ft 1 in (5.5 m)
• Empty weight: 15,670 lb (7,108 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 28,000 lb (12,701 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Honeywell TFE731-5BR turbofan, 4660 lbf () each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 448 kts (514 mph) 830 km/h
• Cruise speed: 402 kts (463 mph) 745 km/h
• Range: 2,642 nm (4,893 km)
• Service ceiling: 41,000 ft (12,497 m)

           

[Webmaster]

Good for them.

But just a note, Hawker 800XP looks like this. The posted artist impression looks to be a Learjet 60.

[AVIATOR]

Well you know me. Always leave an opening for an answer.

[Webmaster]

Hehehe  Seriously though, I can't seem to find any Rio Tinto or RFDS photo of the real thing yet. Last wednesday you say, hehe, maybe we're impatient.

[AVIATOR]

What amazes me is that someone went to a lot of trouble to put that aircraft illustration on the net. My guess is that it is an employee of Rio Tinto who knows even less about aircraft than I do. A Spitfire would have done.
Having viewed it in conjunction with the news item, I didn't look at it hard enough and subsequently concluded that it must be a Hawker 800 XP and I used it for the forum article.
 And I'm supposed to be the 'Hero of Flight' here. Bloody hell.

[AVIATOR]

OK finally got to Saturday morning from the 'no photo Wednesday'.
Here is a proper photo of the new Royal Flying Doctor Service Hawker 800XP jet aerial ambulance at Perth.
Note the registration. VH-RIO. Much of the money donated came from the mining giant Rio Tinto.

Rest easy Niels.

[RecceJet]

Nice serial. I didn't know that personalise number plates have made an influence to aviation serial numbers.

[AVIATOR]

Money talks Rek. Especially that kind of money and leverage. Don't expect to get your Cessna done though.