Between training missions in
Laos and the
Dominican Republic, the
ORBIS
Flying
Eye
Hospital spent the first week of February at the FedEx hanger in
Los Angeles. The visit allowed representatives from the aviation, engineering and medical communities to work together on board the present
Flying
Eye
Hospital and plan for the new MD-10 Flying Eye Hospital. Guests to the aircraft included representatives from The Boeing Company, FedEx, Aero-craft Hydraulics, South West Aero Group, Thompson Aerospace, Carl Zeiss Meditec, OptiMedica as well as a local TV news crew, KABC Channel 7.
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| Area news station, KABC Channel 7, also toured the
Flying
Eye
Hospital and then aired a story on the evening news, which included interviews with ORBIS founder and chairman, A.L. Uelthschi (left) and ORBIS president, Ned Cloonan.
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In December 2009, the ORBIS DC-10-30F will be resurrected and ferried to Aeronavali in
Venice,
Italy, the world’s only approved facility for the extensive modification of a DC-10 aircraft to a MD-10. The modification is expected to take six months followed by the installation of the hospital. A preliminary design for the
Flying
Eye
Hospital has been completed and the time spent in
Los Angeles allowed project supporters the opportunity to take the next steps in finalizing the design. The MD-10 Project is a major undertaking that requires an immense amount of innovation and collaboration from both the medical and aviation industries.
ORBIS Chief Operating Officer Mohan Thazhathu commented “I am pleased that we were able to have the current
Flying
Eye
Hospital in
Los Angeles so that we could bring the aviation and medical communities together to promote the joint effort that the MD-10 Project will entail. It is an exciting project that will allow ORBIS to enhance its mission of saving sight worldwide”.
The MD-10 Project team strives to design, develop, certify and manufacture the next generation
Flying
Eye
Hospital that will fully utilize the latest technical advancements and innovations in medicine, aviation and communications. This will yield a superior tool that will serve ORBIS for another two decades. The
Flying
Eye
Hospital serves as a focal point for ORBIS’s educational programs and advocacy efforts. On board, eye care professionals from developing nations work side-by-side with the ORBIS medical team and volunteer teaching faculty to perform surgery, learn new skills, restore sight and prevent blindness.
The MD-10 Flying Eye Hospital is projected to be completed at the end of 2010; until then, the current DC-10 Flying Eye Hospital will continue to carry-out ORBIS training missions.
To learn more about the ORBIS MD-10 Project please click here. To watch the KABC Channel 7 segment that aired following their visit to the Flying Eye Hospital please click here.
For more information on the MD-10 project please e-mail MD-10project@orbis.org.
