King Air 350 Medevac Fleet Modernization: Advanced Northern Avionics for a 10-Year Contract

Some upgrade programs enhance a single aircraft. Others transform an entire medevac fleet. This major multi-aircraft initiative involving six Beechcraft King Air 350s forms the backbone of a 10-year medevac contract awarded to ACCESS Air Ambulance, a collaborative partnership that includes Air Tindi, Kenn Borek Air, Advanced Medical Solutions, and additional northern aviation organizations.

Maxcraft is proud to be the avionics provider for this initiative, equipping these aircraft with specialized systems designed specifically for the challenges of northern emergency medical operations.

The Aircraft and Operational Mission

The program spans six King Air 350 (B300/B300C) aircraft:

As of today, two aircraft have been fully completed:

✔️ One King Air 350 for Kenn Borek Air
✔️ One King Air 350 for Air Tindi

These completed aircraft represent major milestones and have validated the engineering, integration, and workflow processes for the remaining four aircraft that are still scheduled for induction.

The King Air 350 is one of the most capable and trusted medevac platforms in the world. It is fast, rugged, FIKI-certified (Flight-Into-Known-Icing), and ideally suited to northern missions. Its combination of payload, endurance, and cabin space makes it the aircraft of choice for medical operations across Canada’s most remote regions.

 

 

 

 

 

Why the Upgrade Was Necessary

Northern medevac flying presents unique challenges that few aircraft and avionics systems are originally built to handle. These include:

• Unreliable magnetic heading data north of approximately 72 degrees. In these high-latitude regions, the magnetic field lines tilt steeply downward, leaving very little horizontal field available for a magnetometer to sense. As a result, traditional magnetometer-based heading systems become unstable, erratic, or unusable, making inertial reference systems essential for maintaining accurate and dependable heading information.

• Harsh Arctic weather and extended winter darkness
• Known icing conditions
• Long-range flights to remote communities
• Government requirements tied to the ACCESS contract

To meet these demands, the fleet required an avionics architecture capable of:

• Free-gyro heading performance (critical above the magnetic unreliability zone)
• Improved situational awareness
• Reliable navigation in polar and off-grid environments
• Modern tracking and satellite communication capabilities
• Enhanced exterior visibility
• Compatibility with new medical interior systems

Air Tindi and Kenn Borek Air selected Maxcraft because of our long-standing collaboration and because we were the only provider offering a cost-effective GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation solution. This option is more modern and reliable than the more expensive and outdated OEM upgrade path.

The Solution: A Modern, Northern-Ready Avionics Suite

Maxcraft’s scope forms one component of a larger modernization effort that includes new medevac interiors, medical power infrastructure, satellite communications, and flight-crew and medic audio integration.

Major Avionics Upgrades

• Dual Litef LCR-110 IRS
  • Replaces the removed dual AHC-3000 AHRS
  • Provides the free-gyro capability required for high-latitude operations
• Collins Pro Line Fusion Phase 3 to Phase 4 Upgrade
• Part Number Upgrade

Communications, Satcom, and Tracking

●     SkyTrac ISAT-200A system

• • Iridium-based satellite communication, live aircraft position reporting, and integrated messaging capabilities, ensuring dependable contact with dispatch even beyond conventional coverage.
  • SkyTrac   documentation
• Dispatch Voice Interface (DVI) assemblies
• Complete installation kits

Exterior Enhancements

• 3060S Pulse Light System
  • Improves aircraft visibility
  • Required under ACCESS contract specifications
  • Precise Flight Supplemental Type Certificate documentation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engineering and Panel Work

• Development of a complete custom avionics integration drawing package, engineered to support the unique operational and certification requirements of northern medevac missions.
• Design and fabrication of a custom instrument panel and lower panel, optimized for ergonomics, system access, and long-term serviceability.
• Extensive use of Maxcraft’s Design Approval Organization (DAO), enabling in-house engineering authority and streamlined certification pathways.
• Creation of the Supplemental Type Certificate for the Litef LCR-110 installation, a major engineering milestone that allows operators to benefit from modern inertial reference capability at a significantly lower cost than OEM alternatives.
• Application of existing Approved Model List (AML) Supplemental Type Certificates where appropriate to reduce certification overhead and expedite installation.

Retention and documentation of all removed equipment to ensure accurate records for compliance, traceability, and ongoing fleet support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interior Work (Partner Component)

Following Maxcraft’s avionics installation, each aircraft is transferred to Hillaero, a U.S. medical interior specialist, for the installation of a fully outfitted medevac cabin.

The Story

This fleet upgrade is a complex, multi-phase, multi-partner undertaking and not a simple avionics refresh. With the first two aircraft now complete, Maxcraft has established the technical blueprint for all future installations.

Working on the King Air 350 platform required careful removal of the legacy AHC-3000 AHRS system, integration and approval of the modern Litef LCR-110 IRS units, and the execution of all associated Fusion Phase 4 and Service Bulletin upgrades. These installations require precision engineering and meticulous wiring and configuration, especially when they must integrate seamlessly with medical interior systems, supplemental power supplies, tracking hardware, and audio routing for medical crews.

Each completed aircraft is the result of close coordination among Maxcraft, Air Tindi, Kenn Borek Air, Hillaero, and other contract partners. The first two installations have confirmed the reliability of the upgrade path, given operators confidence in the remaining four aircraft, and ensured long-term supportability throughout the entire six-aircraft program.

Looking Ahead

With one completed King Air 350 for Kenn Borek Air and one completed for Air Tindi, the ACCESS Air Ambulance fleet modernization is well underway. The remaining aircraft will be inducted as they become available and will receive the same advanced avionics upgrades and medevac-ready integration.

These aircraft will serve communities across the North for the next decade, supporting life-saving medical missions in some of the most challenging flying conditions in the world.

Maxcraft is honoured to contribute to a program that directly improves patient care and operational safety. We are equally proud to deliver a modern, cost-effective avionics solution that surpasses the OEM alternative in both value and capability and that fully meets the demands of northern medevac operations.