Air Evac Lifeteam has been awarded the Diamond Certificate of Excellence for the seventh consecutive year by the Federal Aviation Administration. The honor is bestowed on companies that have 100 percent employee participation in the Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards program.

The program encourages aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) to complete initial and recurrent training, and then awards employees based on various levels of training they receive in one calendar year. Because Air Evac’s participation was 100 percent, the company was eligible for the highest Certificate of Excellence per FAA standards.

“This award speaks to the dedication, training and skill level of our aviation maintenance technicians,” said Air Evac Senior Director of Maintenance Dennis Cleaves. “Having 100 percent participation shows strong commitment from our company. This training is not required; it’s completely optional. It’s a bigger commitment of time, resources and money that the company feels is necessary, and we get a big return on our investment. We have better, well-rounded maintenance aviation technicians.”

Jim Lane, Aviation Maintenance Training manager for Air Evac Lifeteam, said each maintenance technician must earn a minimum of 12 hours of eligible aviation maintenance training.

“There are 75 aviation maintenance technicians in our repair station,” Lane said. “Many of our employees go above the 12 hours; that is just the minimum number of hours required to qualify for the award.”

Cleaves said reaching for, and earning the Diamond Certificate of Excellence is raising the bar to a higher level, and the FAA recognizes that.

“We are proud to be able to do this for our employees, and we’re proud of the aviation maintenance technicians in our repair station for their accomplishments,” he said.

About Air Evac Lifeteam
Air Evac Lifeteam, based in O’Fallon, Mo., provides emergency healthcare and rapid medical transport to patients throughout the central United States, operating 111 air ambulance bases in 15 states. The company is the largest independently-owned and operated membership-based air ambulance service in the United States.