Aircraft in the South Eastern section of Australia-based air ambulance operator Royal Flying Doctor Service fleet have been given a new national livery.

The organisation will progressively rollout the new paint scheme to all aircraft which, in keeping with the beautifully striking colours of our outback home, feature a red belly representing the earth and a blue tail for the sky.

As well as a repaint in the new RFDS livery, King Air 200 aircraft VH-XYJ underwent extensive avionics upgrade and interior refurbishment. The first step in the aircraft's journey was to Wagga Wagga, where it was stripped to bare metal, cleaned and repaired, primed and prepared for a brand new paint job. After weeks of work, VH-XYJ was ready to soar to its next destination at Toowoomba in southern Queensland for an avionics upgrade.

To meet Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations, several extensive upgrades were completed including the installation of a second GPS (global positioning system), second FMS (flight management system) and upgrading the current system to TCAS II (traffic collision avoidance system). The upgrade also included a new satellite tracking and communication system and CB radio. Following a successful test flight, VH-XYJ departed for the coastal city of Wollongong for interior refurbishment. As well as a general repair and refresh of the surfaces, a new cargo net was fitted at the back of the aircraft to ensure appropriate storage space.

The refurbishments took around four months to complete. The aircraft will be located at Broken Hill for service but will be regularly used across the operator's entire network.

General manager operations and service delivery Claudio Grasso says: “There was some really good work done by our aviation teams to get it to where it is today. Sometimes it's the behind the scenes people who deserve the credit, and I want to thank our aviation and engineering people who are proud to make our work possible by getting us there safely.”