We need your help to raise $124,680 to purchase two additional Zephyr Hoist Systems – vital engineering equipment that keeps LifeFlight’s lifesaving winches in peak condition.
There are times when emergencies occur in remote or difficult to access locations, and a LifeFlight rescue helicopter with a winch is often the only way to reach someone in need.
To ensure our winches are always safe and mission-ready, they must be regularly tested. In the past, this often required flying the helicopter purely to create these tests, tying up aircraft and crew that could otherwise be responding to emergencies.
Zephyr Hoist Systems solve this by safely simulating those loads on the ground, inside the hangar. This vital piece of equipment makes the process safer, faster, and far more efficient, helping ensure our helicopters and crews are available when Queenslanders need them most.
Your support today will help give our crews the equipment they need to continue rescuing Queenslanders WHERE NO ONE ELSE CAN.
– Suzanne, LifeFlight past patient
Suzanne was bushwalking in Mount Walsh National Park on Mother’s Day 2025 when a fall on steep, rocky terrain left her with multiple serious leg fractures. With no safe way to carry her out and light fading, a LifeFlight rescue crew was called to winch her to safety.
Pilot Tony Miller, with 40 years of experience, says it was one of the most difficult winching missions he has flown. “This was already an extremely complex extraction due to the thick trees and uneven terrain. The weather around the target area was quite poor.” Tony Miller, LifeFlight pilot.
The winch was the vital link between Suzanne and safety, lifting her from a difficult location and flying her to hospital.
Rescues like Suzanne’s rely on winch equipment that is safe, reliable and ready to perform. The Zephyr Hoist System helps ensure this lifesaving capability is always rescue-ready.
“LifeFlight was absolutely pivotal. The outcome would be very different if it wasn’t for that service. It’s just amazing. What a country we live in that we’ve got a fantastic service like that.” Suzanne, LifeFlight past patient.
The Zephyr Hoist System allows our engineers to test, inspect, and maintain the winch systems safely from within the hangar instead of the standard method of performing these essential checks in the air.
A Zephyr testing and maintenance system is:
The Zephyr applies precise, controlled loads, improving reliability and reducing human error.
Checks can be done on the ground with minimal downtime.
Avoids tens of thousands of dollars in test flight aircraft running costs.
Helicopters and crews remain in active duty while Zephyr tests are conducted on the ground.
Suzanne, LifeFlight past patient
Help keep our winches in action and crews in the air.
*All donations over $2 are tax-deductible. At the LifeFlight Foundation (ABN: 63 618 170 184), we use Payments2Us and Ezidebit so your donations are secure. Any funds raised in excess of the item detailed in this communication will be allocated to our general funds and used where needed most to deliver the greatest impact in supporting our lifesaving work. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch.
