Two new state-of-the-art helicopter ambulances go into service in Harrisonville and Trenton, Missouri.

LifeFlight Eagle purchased the new aircraft as part of the non-profit organization’s fleet replacement program.

The aircraft look very similar to the 10-year-old Bell 407 helicopters they replace, but inside the changes are remarkable.

The most dramatic difference is in the pilot’s cockpit. Gone are the array of analog dials, now replaced by two large, glass flat-panel displays and electronic controls for the aircrafts’ systems.

The pilot has a primary flight display in front of him, with a secondary display that can hold information like a moving map, airport information and engine monitoring instruments.

“The Garmin G1000H avionics suite is a very dynamic tool,” said Stu Buckingham, a pilot and business operations manager for LifeFlight Eagle’s air operator, PHI Air Medical.

“It enhances safety in a number of ways, most importantly, it assists the pilot in maintaining situational awareness through the twin screens. It displays things like converging air traffic, obstacles and terrain, and it has a terrain avoidance warning system to alert the pilot if the aircraft is approaching the ground unknowingly.”

“It also reduces pilot workload by presenting visual navigation and color-coded graphs of engine monitoring and aircraft performance. The pilot can take this information in at a glance; more quickly than with traditional gauges.”

The aircraft also features a two-axis autopilot system for altitude and heading control.

LifeFlight Eagle is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides helicopter transport to communities within a 150-mile radius of Kansas City. It provides two Bell 407GX and two Bell 407 helicopters from bases in Trenton, Harrisonville, Odessa and Clinton, Mo. It also owns a larger Eurocopter EC-145 helicopter, which is dedicated to the Children’s Mercy Critical Care Transport Team.