The Flying Hospital organisation is considering acquiring a second flyable Lockheed L-1011 TriStar to operate as a medical evacuation aircraft for the US Department of Defense. Although no firm details of the proposed medevac version of the L-1011 have been released, the Flying Hospital says the configuration will be "completely different" from its current L-1011-50 aircraft.
If approved, the medevac version would support US Air Force and Navy-operated Boeing C-9 and C-40 medical-equipped aircraft.
The present Flying Hospital version has a three-station surgical suite, a 12-bed pre/post-operative area, a dental treatment suite, a pharmacy and a classroom seating up to 67 medical staff. It is used to provide free humanitarian medical and surgical care in developing countries.
Details of the potential modification of a second aircraft came late last month when Delta Air Lines donated its last operational TriStar, a 22-year-old L-1011-1, to the organisation, following the type's last revenue flight on a flight from Orlando to Atlanta on 31 July.
Source: Flight International