Deal forms part of Toll’s 10-year aeromedical contract with NSW Health.
Toll will build and operate Australia’s first AgustaWestland-authorised training centre for helicopter pilots.
The move is part of Toll’s 10-year aeromedical contract with New South Wales Health it finalised in December last year to service the southern half of NSW and the Australian Capital Territory.
The contract requires the company to buy eight purpose-built AW139 helicopters and build and operate an aeromedical training centre at Bankstown Airport in southwest Sydney – a first for Australia.
Finmeccanica – AgustaWestland is one of the world’s leading helicopter companies, and Toll says the deal to make the centre AgustaWestland-authorised means staff will be trained to international standards using the latest training programs, techniques and technology.
The centre will include a $15 million CAE 3000 Series AW139 full-flight motion simulator, which is the most advanced civil helicopter simulator available and one of only eight in the world.
“This massive investment by Toll and NSW Health will redefine best practice in pilot training and safety,” Toll Resources and Government Logistics CEO David Jackson says.
“Having this authorised training centre in Australia will allow us to deliver world’s best training to our people, so they can deliver the world’s best helicopter emergency retrieval service for NSW Ambulance.
“Currently, the closest authorised AgustaWestland simulator is located in Malaysia so new pilots-in-training have limited opportunity to gain the approximately 80 hours of training required.”
The centre will also include advanced underwater escape training complex and wet and dry winching practice towers, and is expected to be operating mid-to-late 2016.