No.132 Topics about helicopters

Air Self-Defense Force Fuchu Base Helicopter Boarding Experience
On October 29th, I had the opportunity to board a transport helicopter called CH-47J from the heliport at Fuchu Air Base. This transport helicopter is used to carry the necessary equipment to the air base and radar site.

In the normal experience flight, 30 people board, excluding the crew, but due to the infection control of the new corona, the number is half, 15 people. .

It was my first experience to board a helicopter, let alone a Self-Defense Force aircraft, so I was a little nervous, but the takeoff and landing gave me the impression that they were very polite, and the aircraft was very stable during flight.

After taking off from Fuchu Air Base, we flew over Nerima Ward in no time. I felt a sense of security that this quick response system would be a driving force in the event of an emergency.

Tokyo Metropolitan Doctor Helicopter begins operation
In order to improve the emergency medical system, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has newly started the operation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Helicopter in the Tama area from March 31 this year. A doctor helicopter is a helicopter that carries the medical equipment and medicines necessary for emergency medical care and rushes a doctor, etc., to start treatment at an early stage and facilitate the transportation of patients to medical institutions. Normally, it is parked at the transmission base of the Tokyo Fire Department Air Corps Tama Air Center in Tachikawa City, with Kyorin University Hospital as the base hospital, and Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center and Tokyo Metropolitan Tama General Medical Center as cooperating hospitals. Please support me.

A rendezvous point is a place where a doctor helicopter takes over a patient from an ambulance, and the city designates it as a helicopter activity base in the local disaster prevention plan. At the moment, we have designated four locations: (1) Inagi Central Park General Ground, (2) Complex Facility Friend Hirao Ground, (3) Sports Nihon University Athletic Park Inagi, (4) (Public Corporation) Kudan Ground. In preparation for full-scale operation on March 31, the city conducted flight training on March 11 at the Inagi Central Park General Ground. On the day of the event, the Tokyo Fire Department Air Corps Tama Air Service Center, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health, Kyorin University Medical School Hospital, and the Inagi City Fire Department worked together to train a series of procedures from requesting a medical helicopter to transportation.

In addition, the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Helicopter participated in the Inagi City disaster prevention drill held at Tamagawa Ryokuchi Park on November 6, and the drill was conducted in cooperation with the Inagi Rescue Team.

With the start of operation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Helicopter, it has become possible to save the life of critically ill patients more quickly, and the safety and security of citizens has taken another step forward.

Response of Inagi City
Learning from the large-scale fire that broke out in Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture in December 2016, the city felt that it was extremely effective and necessary to get an overview of the disaster site from above, and decided to implement the plan in the FY2017 budget as soon as possible. I just accounted for the purchase of an airfoil drone. It is difficult for the city to own and operate helicopters on its own, but technological innovation has made it possible to easily achieve things that were not possible before, even with the materials and equipment that the city can equip.
We will continue to strive to introduce cutting-edge technology in the city while utilizing the equipment of the national and metropolitan governments.