Additional measures were also taken to stabilize the floor of the operating room. The area between the wings of the aircraft, where the main landing gear is located, is the most stable part of the aircraft. The operating room must be positioned in the most stable area of the plane so that surgery can be performed on the ground in any type of weather. The aircraft is approved for RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minima) and for 8.33 MHz radio channels. The DC-10 is TCAS or ACAS equipped, also courtesy of Honeywell. In 2002, the navigation system was upgraded to a Honeywell HP9100 GPS, courtesy of Honeywell and Goodrich Aviation Services. Over the years, the flight deck of the ORBIS DC-10 has undergone several modifications in order to comply with FAA requirements. Surgeries are also recorded, edited, and duplicated in DVD format on board the ORBIS DC-10, and a record of the procedures taught during each program are donated to the host country’s ophthalmic community. The system permits viewing of live surgery anywhere on the plane and allows for live interaction between people in the classroom and those in the operating room. Seventeen cameras, eight microphones, and 54 video monitors are stationed throughout the plane and are controlled in the audiovisual studio. Once brought into service-anticipated late 2012-it is expected to meet ORBIS’ needs for a full 20 years It is currently undergoing maintenance at Aeronavali in Venice, Italy and interior installation will begin later this year. The new Flying Eye Hospital will be a MD-10 aircraft, donated by FedEx and powered by engines from United Airlines. ORBIS recently announced that it has begun the process of replacing the DC-10 Flying Eye Hospital with a newer, more efficient aircraft. In 1992, with donations from three very generous individuals, ORBIS purchased a DC-10, which had more than twice the interior space of the original plane. ORBIS programs were also expanding in scope, and it became clear that a newer, larger aircraft was needed to replace the DC-8. Staffed by a highly-skilled team of ophthalmologists, anesthesiologists, nurses and biomedical technicians, the ORBIS DC-8 Flying Eye Hospital took off from Houston, Texas for its first program in Panama in the spring of 1982.īy 1992 the DC-8 was more than 30 years old, and replacement parts were becoming more difficult and expensive to obtain. With a grant from USAID and funds from private donors, extensive modifications were made to the plane to convert it into a fully functional teaching eye hospital. In 1980 Eddie Carlson, former chairman of United Airlines, agreed to donate United’s oldest DC-8 aircraft to the Project. Paton recruited a small group of philanthropists, doctors, and aviators – including Betsy Trippe DeVecchi (daughter of Juan Trippe, founder of Pan American Airways) and A L Ueltschi (founder and chairman of FlightSafety International) – and established Project ORBIS in 1973. Motivated by the fact that 80% of the world's visual disability can be avoided through treatment or prevention, Dr. David Paton had a bold vision – to use aviation to deliver medical education to the eyes of the world. In the 1970s, Houston ophthalmologist Dr. We tour the Orbis DC-10 Flying Eye Hospital Home Aircraft Images Airshow Reviews Positive Images Profile Links Website Updates e-mail AIRIC Orbis DC-10 N220NU Flying Eye Hospital
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