Summary: Reduced the weight of a hospital’s neonatal incubator transportation unit, lessened electrical power usage, and provided STCs for change in type design for Bell 430 Helicopter and Twin Commander 695 Airplane.

Project Name: Neonatal Transportation Unit Modification

Client: Emanuel Children’s Hospital of Portland, Oregon

Client Request: To reduce the overall assembly weight of the hospital’s neonatal transportation unit for a Bell 430 Helicopter and a Twin Commander 695 airplane.

Project Summary: Emanuel Children’s Hospital of Portland, Oregon, transports critically ill neonatal infants with their Bell 430 helicopter and Twin Commander 695 airplane in an incubator that attaches to a Lifeport, Incorporated click deck litter. Several staff members have suffered workplace back injuries as a result of the excessive weight of the entire assembly. The hospital asked Fliegen Works to modify the design to reduce the overall weight of the assembly and to get the system approved for operation in the Bell 430 helicopter.

Results: Fliegen Works replaced the oxygen shroud with mounted ventilator, patient monitor, and two E cylinders of the Lifeport ITM with lighter weight equipment. The new medical cylinder shroud houses two cylinders, has a new Broncotron mechanical high frequency ventilator, and new Crossvent regular ventilator with monitoring functions. The ProPaq patient monitor mounts to the new shroud with a lighter attachment. In addition to lightening the assembly, the ventilators use less electrical power than the original ventilators.

FAA Approvals: STC for change in type design for a Bell 430 Helicopter (ST02257AK) and a Twin Commander 695 Airplane (SA01620SE).