When there's a medical emergency within a roughly 100-mile radius of the Flathead Valley, the Kalispell Regional Healthcare ALERT crew is ready - now with a new $4 million helicopter. Matthew Weller, a pilot with ALERT, walked around the Bell 407 GXP Monday afternoon, his hand running along the bright red helicopter.
In the upgraded model, the engine and flight instruments are integrated on two large LCD displays within the pilot’s reach. He then walked toward the legacy helicopter and pointed to steam gages scattered throughout its flight desk system.
“From the outside it may be difficult, but it’s pretty easy to spot which one is newer with a look here,” Weller said as he nodded toward the controls.
The new aircraft includes autopilot to help reduce pilot fatigue and workload. It also features updated traffic and terrain avoidance systems, a moving map display and a synthetic vision to reveal the terrain of the land below.