From Prototypes to Patient Care: Northland and Auckland Aeromedical Programme Takes Flight
From early prototypes to operational aircraft, discover how Flight Structures brought together design, manufacturing, and certification expertise to deliver complete aeromedical fitouts for Auckland and Northland Westpac Rescue AW169 helicopters.
When the Flight Structures (FSL) team sees the Northland Rescue AW169 helicopters flying missions, there is always a strong sense of pride and achievement. We understand the vital work the crews and wider teams carry out across their regions, and we also know what it takes behind the scenes to get these aircraft commissioned, equipped, and operational.
The AW169 was first introduced into the Auckland fleet in 2019 with a Flight Structures rear cabin fit-out.
Since then, three additional aircraft joined the fleet operated by Northern Rescue Helicopters Ltd (NRHL) that will replace two existing S76 aircraft and a BK117. The original RULS fit out had already proven itself in service, and the strong working relationships and accumulated aircraft knowledge allowed Flight Structures to further develop the system to meet regional requirements.
Like many successful engineering projects, this programme started with concepts, discussions, and plenty of practical problem-solving. Plywood mock-ups and 3D-printed prototypes were used to work through the details before progressing to production components, manufactured equipment, and certified aircraft modifications.
The programme has delivered a complete aeromedical equipment package, including:
Stretcher and rotating bridge assembly
Loading and stretcher systems
Storage racks and equipment lockers
Internal trim panels to accommodate fleet communications and avionics configurations
Oxygen supply system
Engineering and certification to support cabin reconfiguration
Aeromedical projects are particularly rewarding because they bring together two very different, but equally important, requirements. Equipment must support the practical needs of patients, medical crews, and rescue operations, while also meeting the engineering, safety, and airworthiness standards required for aircraft certification.
Achieving that balance requires close collaboration, careful design, and attention to detail. It also depends on the involvement of operational crews and maintenance teams, whose practical experience helps shape the final solution. Equally important are the engineers, designers, and technicians who keep projects moving when inevitable challenges arise.
On a programme of this scale, with many moving parts and multiple stakeholders, things do not always go exactly to plan. What stands out is the commitment of everyone involved to work through those challenges and deliver the right outcome while meeting demanding timelines.
At Flight Structures alone, 27 team members have contributed across design, manufacturing, certification, and support. The programme has also taken us beyond the workshop, with numerous trips to Ardmore and Whangārei to work alongside the NRHL team on design reviews, trial fits, installations, and operational feedback.
The project has also supported a wider network of New Zealand aviation businesses. Alongside our own team, subcontractors and suppliers have contributed to areas including composite manufacturing, anodising, and component supply.
From the earliest design discussions through to manufacturing, certification, and installation support, this programme has drawn on expertise from right across Flight Structures. It is a good example of how our design, manufacturing, and certification teams work together to turn concepts into practical, operational solutions.
A big thank you to everyone at Flight Structures and Northern Rescue who has contributed to the journey.
There are far too many people to name individually, but every contribution has played an important part in delivering this capability.
We are proud to have played a role in the programme and look forward to seeing these aircraft continue supporting the important work carried out across Northland, Auckland, and the Coromandel for many years to come.
What’s Been Happening at Flight Structures
There’s been plenty happening at Flight Structures since our last update, from celebrating a major milestone with our new Part 146 and Part 148 certifications to supporting the successful first flight of Te Hokioi with the University of Waikato Astronautics Club.
We’ve also wrapped up five years leading the Royal Aeronautical Society’s CPD programme, and we’re proud of the people, partnerships and progress that continue to shape our journey.
A Major Milestone for Flight Structures Ltd
We’re delighted to announce that Flight Structures Ltd has received its new Part 146 and Part 148 certifications.
This was one of our key business goals for 2026, and we’re incredibly proud to have achieved it following a clean audit.
This milestone also brings some exciting developments for the business, including:
A new delegate joining our books
New Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
A significantly expanded scope of capability
It’s a fantastic result for the entire Flight Structures team and an important step forward as we continue to grow our capabilities and deliver the highest standards to our customers.
A very happy Quality and Safety Manager
CPD for the Royal Aeronautical Society
Flight Structures has been proud to lead the Continued Professional Development (CPD) programme for the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) over the past five years.
During that time, Hemi, Adam and, most recently, Kyle have worked hard to coordinate speakers and develop an interesting and engaging programme covering topics of interest to the aviation and aerospace community.
Our time running the programme has now come to an end, and we’re pleased to hand over the reins to Rebecca Langton, who has now taken over responsibility for the programme.
A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to the programme over the years — from our speakers and presenters to everyone who attended and helped make the sessions such a success.
Kyle reflected on the experience:
“It’s been a privilege to support ongoing professional development within the aviation community, and we wish Rebecca and the team all the best for the next chapter.”
Continuing Professional Development
Ongoing learning and professional development are an important part of our engineering culture.
In addition to external training and industry CPD, our Flight Structures team conducts regular internal CPD sessions covering a wide range of engineering, certification, design and project-management topics.
This year’s programme has included subjects such as aircraft loads and performance, DO160 testing and fatigue and safe- life extension. The team has also undertaken training covering FAR and CAR requirements, type certification, STCs, safety assessments, SMS, certification basis, design procedures and design change processes.
These internal sessions give engineers a chance to share knowledge and experience, strengthen their understanding of the requirements that apply to their work, and keep their technical knowledge current.
They also reinforce an important part of our engineering approach: continuous improvement through learning, collaboration and knowledge sharing.
With a combination of formal training, practical experience, and internal knowledge sharing, we continue to develop the capability of our engineering team and support the delivery of safe, effective and compliant aerospace solutions.
Te Hokioi First Flight
We’re very pleased to share an exciting milestone from the University of Waikato Astronautics Club (UWAC), which we are proud to support at Flight Structures Ltd.
On Sunday, 30 August, UWAC successfully flew Te Hokioi for the first time!
Despite challenging weather conditions, the team achieved an impressive maximum altitude of 2,891 m and a maximum speed of 313 m/s (Mach 0.9).
High crosswinds resulted in significant horizontal velocity, which limited the maximum altitude and unfortunately led to an early deployment of the main stage. This also caused some damage to Te Hokioi’s fuselage. However, the rocket was successfully located and recovered approximately 5 km from the launch site.
Most importantly, the flight provided the team with an incredible amount of valuable flight data and practical experience. This information will be instrumental in refining Te Hokioi and its systems ahead of AURC 2026.
Watch the recorded livestream of the launch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbhsgeLOZHo
We’re proud to support the next generation of aerospace engineers and innovators here in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
What’s Been Happening at Flight Structures
Welcoming New Graduate Engineers
Flight Structures is pleased to welcome two talented graduate engineers to the team.
We’re excited to support their development and look forward to the contribution they will make as part of the Flight Structures team.
Finn comes to us from Christchurch with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechatronics from the University of Canterbury.
His multidisciplinary background adds valuable capability across our engineering projects.
Arthur joins us from Melbourne, Australia, holding a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering (Honours) from RMIT University.
He brings a strong foundation in aerospace design and analysis.
Representing Flight Structures at Verticon 2026
Senior Engineer Kyle Knight recently attended Verticon in Atlanta, USA (9-12 March), representing Flight Structures on the global stage.
Verticon brings together leaders from across the vertical aviation industry, providing a valuable opportunity to connect, explore emerging technologies, and stay ahead of key market trends.
Kyle reflected on the experience: “It was a great chance to reconnect with international partners and build new relationships across helicopter manufacturers, suppliers, and operators. The scale of the event was particularly impressive. Verticon is truly world-class, and the openness and accessibility of attendees made for highly productive conversations throughout.”
Delivering an International EMS Solution for Yellowhead Helicopters
Flight Structures recently partnered with Yellowhead Helicopters Limited to deliver a customised EMS solution for operations at remote mine sites in Canada.
Following Yellowhead’s review of our proven EMS outfitting work on BK-117 helicopters, they engaged us to develop a dependable, fit-for-purpose system with a strong focus on safety and performance.
With seating systems already available, work began immediately on the stretcher base design. The stretchers themselves presented the longest lead time, but close coordination with Yellowhead and their Canadian delegate ensured all components met approval requirements.
This was a truly international project—designed and manufactured in New Zealand, quality-checked by our engineering team, and air-freighted to Canada for installation.
The new configuration is now in service, replacing an earlier setup and providing a secure, stable platform for patient transport in demanding environments.
Flight Structures is proud to support Yellowhead Helicopters with equipment that enhances safety and reliability where it matters most.
Team Effort in the Aotearoa Bike Challenge
A huge congratulations to Murray, James, and Lucas for taking part in the Aotearoa Bike Challenge and collectively riding more than 600km in February.
Special mention to Murray, who logged the highest distance for this month, an outstanding achievement.
It’s great to see our team embracing the challenge, staying active, and supporting more sustainable commuting.
If you’d like to get involved, visit Love to Ride to learn more.
End of Year Celebrations and Christmas Close Down
As the work year for 2025 comes to a close, we have celebrated within Flight Structures with an outdoor bowls celebration at the Claudelands Bowling Club including a teams competition. The Teal Tigers were triumphant on the bowling green, but one of the Ruby Rockets won the best dressed award. The young guns dominated and one or two of them were scouted as potential bowling maestros.
The following week on one of the hottest days of 2025 we held our annual airfield neighbours barbeque on our site on Ingram Road. It is always a relaxed affair and provides a chance to socialise with some clients, suppliers and airfield friends. As usual our student interns did a stellar job on the BBQ. We value the airport community here and it has been awesome to see the growth recently including the increased jet services.
In recent years in lieu of client gifts the staff choose a charity to donate to and this year the choice was the Hamilton Combined Christian Foodbank, to support people who are struggling at this time.
Flight Structures is closing from Wednesday 24th December to Tuesday 6th January to give our staff a well earned break. We wish everyone a safe festive season and look forward to a busy 2026.
What’s been happening at Flight Structures?
Aviation Industry of NZ Conference & Field Air Engineering Aviation Mentorship Award
In September Jon and Sally Kerr were proud to receive this award at the Aviation Industry Association Gala Dinner. The award was achieved to acknowledge Flight Structures commitment to providing internships and graduate opportunities for professional engineers, and the contribution made to the industry. We have provided a start for 53 brand new aviation professionals either as interns or in their first job outside university. Many of these engineers have gone on to have successful careers either with Flight Structures or elsewhere in industry. It’s not always easy to get a start and we are proud of our team and the culture we have developed.
Thanks to Fieldair for sponsoring this award.
In addition Jon spoke about the intersection of Safety and Compliance as a guest presenter in the conference. This is a topic of interest to our organisation and was well received by the industry attending.
Aerospace NZ Summit in Otautahi
Sally Kerr, James Voss and Brandon Fletcher attended the Aerospace NZ Summit in October, exhibiting on the Merlin Stand with Beca Applied Technologies. It is always good to be in a positive room where companies and organisations are making a difference employing clever people doing clever things!! Our team enjoyed catching up with alumni who are doing their own wonderful things, hearing Minister Collins give an update on progress made over the last year, and being part of the aerospace ecosystem and conversation.
Royal Aeronautical Engineering Society Symposium
Maxine Ellender and Jamie Simmons attended the 2025 event in the Parliament Buildings in Wellington with a theme of the future of aviation, and how aerospace will contribute to the future of New Zealand. We continue to be proud of our coordination and leadership of the Continued Professional Development for the Royal Aeronautical Engineering Society.
Aeromedical Conference Tasmania
Maxine Ellender attended the annual conference of the Aeromedical Society of Australasia in Tasmania to hear about the latest things happening in this sector, and support and see Northern Rescue Helicopter Trust present on their fuselage training tool. Staying up to date with industry developments both on the aeronautical side and the medical side is vital for this arm of our organisation, with the opportunity to see clients and suppliers such as GCH Aviation, Salus and Airbus.
University of Waikato Rocket Launch
In 2025 Flight Structures provided sponsorship towards the University of Waikato Astronautics Club. This year six students attended the Australian Universities Rocket Competition (AURC) in Australia. The highlight for the team was achieving third closest to the target Altitude out of 7 teams. What was also encouraging was that 44 beginners came through the beginner program this year, leading to the Competitive Rocketry team growing to nearly 30 students, most of whom are engineering students.
In 2026 the team will be returning to AURC with 2 rockets, one aiming for 30,000ft and one aiming for 10,000ft. It is anticipated that the competition will be larger and tougher so we look forward to seeing how they get along.
Day trips to Kerikeri
There is less glamour working in aviation than some people believe, but there are exciting opportunities that come along, and you have to seize them. Two engineers were required onsite for work with Merlin in Kerikeri, and managed to “hitch” a ride in the Merlin aircraft avoiding the traffic jams of State Highway One and Auckland, provide some solutions to the client and flew home later in the afternoon. That’s a perfect day for an aeronautical engineer.
Air NZ Beta ALIA CX300 Aircraft Visit
A large contingent of staff were excited to see the Beta ALIA CX300 up close during our visit whilst the Air NZ team were based in Hamilton as part of their testing programme. Thanks to Air NZ for showing us aircraft which has been operating as a technical demonstrator. We have enjoyed seeing it flying around locally over the past few weeks and were impressed by the smooth neat construction of the fuselage, the quiet performance and believe it’s an exciting step for aviation in New Zealand.
Projects
It has been a very busy year here. Delivery of trolleys to Lifeflight, continuation of the fitout for NRHL, Merlin project progress and an increasing number of international sales and deliveries. Watch this space for upcoming news stories!
Flight Structures Ltd Achieves CASA Papua New Guinea Part 146 Certification
We are proud to announce that Flight Structures Ltd has officially received CASA Papua New Guinea Part 146 Design Organisation Certification.
This significant milestone was achieved following a successful onsite audit conducted by Clancy Pulti (Senior Airworthiness Inspector) and Arthur Gabi (Airworthiness Inspector) from CASA PNG, during their visit to our facility on 26–27 May.
We thank the team from CASA PNG for their professionalism throughout the process, and we extend our sincere appreciation to everyone involved — both in Papua New Guinea and on our team — who worked hard to make this certification possible.
This achievement reflects our continued commitment to supporting our client base and growing our capability.
Sally Kerr, John Kerr, Clancy Pulti, Daniel Mossman and Arthur Gabi
What’s been happening in 2025?
2025 started in an extremely busy fashion. There has been a lot going on and there will be news stories coming soon regarding projects that are nearing completion.
In today’s work place we want to keep our staff learning and developing, both intellectually and building a strong team ethos. Here are some things we have been doing to try and do this.
Lunch and Learn
Each winter we hold internal CPD sessions and this year we are doing this over “lunch and learn” sessions. We called upon two of our graduate engineers to present on topics close to their heart. It is motivating to see how staff work as volunteers to develop and support their passions. We all learnt a lot.
One engineer talked about his project launching and competing in SpacePort USA in 2024. UC Aerospace rockets to victory at Spaceport America Cup | University of Canterbury.
Another engineer presented about his role as a race car engineer in the Toyota 86 Series where drivers compete for the GR Racing Cup, and how engineers and teams enhance car and driver performance.
In addition, one of our senior engineers led learning on the topics of the development of the CT4 aircraft and the programme behind this, and on wing stress analysis.
Velodrome Racing
On Saturday five staff competed in the Corporate Challenge at the Grassroots Community Velodrome. This year we entered in the Team Pursuit where the four riders tackled eight laps (2000m) and riders rotate positions to maintain pace. The team was a mix of experienced and novice riders, and for the first time we were successful in getting a woman on the team. Well done to the team who got a fourth place in their category.
University of Waikato Astronautics Club Rocket Launch
Flight Structures is proud to sponsor the University of Waikato Astronautics Club. On the 8th of June the club conducted a final test flight for Takahe which is competing at the Australian Universities Rocket Competition (AURC 2025). If you look closely at the photos you can see our logo on the rocket.
Below is a carousel of photos of some of the events over recent weeks.
Highlights in October and November.…
We have been extremely busy through October and November. Here are a few photos of recent days in the life of Flight Structures.
Our Chief Operating Officer and Manufacturing Coordinator both attended the Women in Airports and Infrastructure event;
Our Machine shop and router have been well utilised making role equipment;
Manufacturing snowshoes for a new client;
Teaching interns and new staff about our work and our processes;
All hands were on deck to prepare for a structural test in our workshop, (navy seemed to be the winner on the day).
September conferences in Ōtautahi..
Some of our team visited the Garden City of Ōtautahi in late September to attend two conferences. Firstly the New Zealand Aerospace Summit where we were proud to partner with Merlin and Beca to promote the Merlin pilot, which provides advanced autonomy enabling full takeoff to touchdown flight. It is exciting to contribute to this programme, and be involved in New Zealand.
Team FSL also then had a stand at the 2024 Aeromed Conference - a great chance to show off our products to the market, meet with our clients. A couple of our engineers enjoyed role playing in the AMSL Vertiia, a solution for zero emissions flying.
And we also met a dog from the future, thanks to SPS Automation. She was very obedient and clean.
A win in the Corporate Challenge
Since 2017 Flight Structures has been entering a team in the Corporate Challenge. This year our team won the Men’s Italian Pursuit!! Well done to current team members Clyde, Scott, Adam, Brandon and James, with thanks to previous team members Jon, Brett and Hemi.
