Chart Your Course to the LifeFlight Roma Visitor Experience Centre
Mapping out your next outback adventure? Make sure to chart your course to the Maranoa region to touch down at the inaugural LifeFlight Roma Visitor Experience Centre! Go behind the scenes at this free, self-guided, family-friendly attraction, to see what it takes to be a part of a life-saving aeromedical team.
1. To infinity, and beyond!
Buzz Lightyear said it best. From humble beginnings as a grassroots regional helicopter service in 1979, LifeFlight has grown from strength to strength to become Australia’s largest aeromedical service. With eight bases across Queensland (including Roma!), the fleet of more than 15 helicopters are always ready to provide emergency rescue and pre-hospital care for anyone, anywhere, anytime.
To date, LifeFlight has been able to help more than 90,000 people across Queensland, averaging a mission every hour. That’s more than 13 times the population of Roma!
At the Centre, you’ll be able to listen to the inspiring story of how LifeFlight got to where they are today. With striking footage from missions, and informative behind-the-scenes tours from medical and engineering crew, the videos on display convey the depth of LifeFlight’s expertise and the importance of accessibility to healthcare in remote regions like the Maranoa.
2. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s superman a LifeFlight helicopter!
Not all heroes wear capes – LifeFlight heroes wear flight suits! They fly in incredible aircrafts that are custom fitted as intensive care units. No matter the time of day or night, the expert crews are ready to go at a moment’s notice.
The Centre features a large viewing window that lets you peak inside the LifeFlight Roma Base hangar. When it’s not out on a life-saving mission, you’ll be able to spy the helicopter.
The Roma-based helicopter is an AW139. It began its life in Italy, manufactured by Leonardo and shipped out to Australia to begin service with LifeFlight. This model is specially designed, then fitted out, to be the perfect flying ambulance, transporting patients and providing a safe intensive care environment 10,000 feet above ground.
3. You’re a wizard Harry!
Always wanted to see a spot of magic? It might not quite be the magic of Harry Potter, but the Centre’s greenscreen and rescue strop will let you tele-transport yourself into the dizzying heights of a winch operation!
Choose your winching background – in front of a Roma bottle tree, amongst the Carnarvon Gorge, or amongst an outback sunset – and receive a copy of the image to share with family and friends.
4. I feel the need, the need for speed
LifeFlight pilots are definitely cool enough to feature in the next Top Gun film. Fancy stepping into their shoes? Test your pilot skills by going for a ride in the helicopter simulator: take a seat in the pilot’s chair, grab the joystick, and choose a mission!
Experience what it’s like to respond to emergencies in challenging locations, from winching a patient off a yacht, to navigating the rugged Carnarvon Gorge terrain.
Curious about Roma from the skies? Take a scenic simulator flight and see if you can spot local landmarks!
5. Houston, we [don’t] have a problem!
Can you picture the mission control of a NASA space operation? Well, LifeFlight has their own version, affectionately called C3 – the Communication, Coordination and Control centre based at the Brisbane headquarters.
Staffed 24/7, the specially trained aviation experts skilfully manage helicopters and jets, handling more than 100,000 calls per year. At the Centre, you’ll be able to watch videos explaining the steps from the first 000 call to LifeFlight arriving on scene, to meeting all the incredible people who are involved in bringing lifesaving care no matter where you are.
6. Ah ah ah ah staying alive!
This iconic tune by the Bee Gees is often used for CPR, but could you help someone if they stopped breathing?
Survival starts on the ground. It’s about knowing what to do while emergency services, like LifeFlight, are on the way. At the Centre, you’ll learn about the free First Minutes Matter emergency trauma training program that helps you be prepared to react in the first few minutes of a medical emergency. Arming yourself with this vital knowledge is the best protection you can offer your loved ones and community.
Ready to chart your next adventure?
Before you take-off on your next adventure, make sure Roma is on your radar so you don’t miss the runway into the heart of Queensland’s outback. It’s a layover you won’t want to miss!
Learn more here: LifeFlight Roma Visitor Experience Centre
