This Air Ambulance chopper was based at Essendon, and operated as HEMS 5. A 2008 model, it was briefly registered to Bell in the USA as N357JB before being re-registered in Australia as VH-VAS(2) on 28 November 2008. Today it still carries the same registration flying on behalf of the South Australian Government.

Rescue 51 positioning for land on pad west. Barely noticeable at this angle is Babcock's blue teardrop logo almost hidden by the winch equipment. (Managed to get the edge of a fence wire in the way of the better angle shots - can be tricky shooting through mesh fences!)

Departed pad west. With the government's sell off of the Motor Accident Commission, MAC Rescue titles no longer appear on the helicopter, leaving only the 'Government of South Australia' as the operator.

At the Avalon Airshow 2009

Parked at Bendigo airfield

The new Air Ambulance chopper based at Essendon, HEMS 5, about to depart from static display at the Australian International Airshow. A 2008 model, it was briefly registered to Bell in the USA as N357JB before being re-registered in Australia as VH-VAS(2) on 28 November 2008.