17-Aug-2011Source: London's Air Ambulance
We were delighted to host a visit for His Excellency, Kim Traavik, The Norwegian Ambassador for London, in July. He was joined by Steinar Sørlie, General Secretary of the Norwegian Air Ambulance and former Minister, and Professor Hans Morten Lossius, Research and Development Director of the Norwegian Air Ambulance. The visit was arranged to hear... Read more
17-Aug-2011Source: Daisychain Benevolent Fund
Some of the staff and volunteers from the Worcester and Malvern shops went to the Midlands Air Ambulance valuation day to present a cheque for over £97,000. Henry Sandon was present at the event and even valued some of the more unusual donations that had been kindly donated. We also got to see a real... Read more
11-Aug-2011Source: WLWT
The helicopters will still be able to fly to airports and hospital helipads in the dark, flights that do not require NVG use. (full story) University Air Care operates BK117s from two bases in Ohio... Read more
11-Aug-2011Source: Geisinger
DANVILLE, Pa. – Geisinger’s Life Flight® 2 will open its doors to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, at its 2703 Fox Hill Road, State College base. This open house is in recognition of Life Flight’s 30 years of service. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the Life Flight staff,... Read more
10-Aug-2011Source: Portsmouth Daily Times
Air Evac Lifeteam Senior Director of Base Operations Andy Arthurs said the decision to change the Life Air name to Air Evac Lifeteam was a move to make operations more efficient and create a unified, larger and more cohesive team in Ohio. (Full story)... Read more
10-Aug-2011Source: Avera McKennan
The Careflight air transport program at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center is celebrating its 25th year in service. In honor of the occasion, Aug. 12 has been proclaimed “Careflight Day†in South Dakota by Gov. Dennis Daugaard. Francie Miller, assistant vice president for Emergency Services at Avera McKennan, was instrumental in developing the... Read more
9-Aug-2011
The long held ambition will soon be realised after Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) agreed last week to relinquish its sole trusteeship of the appeal. GWAS had been criticised by air ambulance campaigners for being the sole trustee of the appeal. (Full story)... Read more
8-Aug-2011Source: HeliHub.com
East Anglian Air Ambulance “EAAA” have had a rough time in recent months, starting with their previous vendor Sterling Helicopters losing their operating certificate after internal procedural irregularities (see story). Sterling owned and operated the two Eurocopter BK117s that EAAA used, and thus the air ambulancd charity without a ride. Within a couple of weeks,... Read more
4-Aug-2011Source: PHi
PHI, Inc. (The Nasdaq Global Market: PHII (voting) PHIIK (non-voting)) today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011. Oil and Gas segment revenues were $90.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011, compared to $94.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010, a decrease of $4.5 million. Flight... Read more
4-Aug-2011
Lucas County Port Authority directors approved leasing a Toledo Express Airport hangar to ProMedica to house its air-ambulance helicopters despite an objection from an airport business that maintains that it — and not the port authority — owns the hangar. (Full story)... Read more
3-Aug-2011Source: HeliHub.com
The Waypoint AirMed & Rescue conference, airshow and exhibition that was due to take place in September has been rescheduled to May 2012. The venue remains unchanged as London Oxford Airport, UK. The official line from Ian Cameron, event chairman and Waypoint magazine editor-in-chief, is: “We want the event to be the best we can... Read more
2-Aug-2011Source: Spectrum Aeromed
Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah recently received the first of five Grand New helicopters with a US-certified emergency medical service interior designed by Spectrum Aeromed. Spectrum Aeromed created a customized EMS interior for Intermountain’s Grand New helicopter that features a state-of-the-art single-patient stretcher platform, a secondary foldable and stowable patient stretcher, as well... Read more
2-Aug-2011Source: Air Methods
Air Methods Corporation, the largest air medical transportation company in the world, announced today that it has successfully completed its acquisition of OF Air Holdings Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Omniflight Helicopters, Inc. (together, Omniflight). Omniflight provides air medical transport services throughout the United States and provides these services under both the community-based and hospital-based... Read more
2-Aug-2011
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust is applying to the city council to scrap the current 8am to 6pm landing restrictions on the helipad at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham. The council, which imposed the restrictions when granting permission for the helipad to be built in 2007, will make the ultimate decision. (Full story).... Read more
29-Jul-2011Source: Sentara Healthcare
David Banty, 76, of Capron, Virginia in Southampton County has flown as a patient on the Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance, twice. The first time was in August of 1982, just seven months after the program’s inception, when he nearly drowned on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Last March, he suffered a heart attack at... Read more
28-Jul-2011Source: Erlanger Health System
Erlanger Health System’s air medical program, LIFE FORCE, has received a three-year accreditation for achieving high priority in patient care and safety from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). As of July 15, 148 accredited medical services are through CAMTS. LIFE FORCE is one of three air medical services in Tennessee that... Read more
28-Jul-2011Source: Naples News
A Collier County Medflight pilot accused of standing outside his running helicopter last week was placed on administrative leave Friday, a month after he won $70,000 in a whistleblower and retaliation lawsuit against the county. (Full story)... Read more
27-Jul-2011Source: Northwest MedStar
Northwest MedStar, the region’s critical emergency care transport service, has expanded its Moses Lake day-base operations to a full-time helicopter base, providing additional coverage for critically-ill and injured patients in the north central Washington region. “The North Central region has been a long-time, loyal supporter of Northwest MedStar,†said Eveline Bisson, program director of Northwest... Read more
25-Jul-2011Source: HeliHub.com
At the Air Medical Transport Conference in Ft. Lauderdale last October, Bell announced that Air Evac Lifeteam had placed an order for sixteen Bell LongRanger IV helicopters. HeliHub.com has heard that one of these has been allocated to their base at Woodward in Oklahoma, whch opened in May 2007, and went live on 1st July. ... Read more
25-Jul-2011Source: Air Evac Lifeteam
Air Evac Lifeteam announced they will be opening an air ambulance base in McAllen, Texas, this fall. The base, scheduled to begin operations in October, will be located on the campus of McAllen Medical Center, but will serve all hospitals and communities within a 70-mile radius. Air Evac Lifeteam, the largest independently owned air medical... Read more
25-Jul-2011Source: London's Air Ambulance
London’s Air Ambulance pilot, Captain Neil Jeffers, and doctor, Dr. Tom Konig, are soon to complete the ultimate endurance test, seeing them run 8 marathons in 6 days through the deserts of Jordan, in a bid to raise money for the charity. On 3rd September 2011 the London’s Air Ambulance duo will be running 200... Read more
25-Jul-2011Source: Aersolution
Aersolution GmbH, founded 2006 as an aircraft engineering service supplier, has extended its product range to entire EMS interiors for rotary and fixed wing aircraft. For several years, Aersolution has designed high end modifications for medium and large body VIP fixed wing aircrafts. In parallel, Aersolution developed complex interior components for Emergency Medical Service operators... Read more
24-Jul-2011Source: Norwich Bulletin
Hartford Hospital officials have renewed their commitment to keeping the Life Star program at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, CT (Full story)... Read more
22-Jul-2011Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) has signed a preliminary sale contract for two AW169 helicopters. The contract was signed today by Andy Williamson, CEO, WNAA and Bruno Spagnolini, CEO, AgustaWestland, during a ceremony at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility in the presence of the Rt Hon... Read more
21-Jul-2011Source: Wysong Enterprises
Wysong Enterprises, Inc., (Wysong) announced today that they delivered the second of four Bell 407 EMS Helicopters to Med-Trans Corporation. The completion work included a custom paint scheme, complete avionics system, airframe kits, and numerous safety systems as well as a complete emergency medical interior. “We have completed numerous aircraft for Med-Trans Corporation and the... Read more
21-Jul-2011Source: Air Methods
Air Methods Corporation, the largest air medical transportation company in the world, provided an update on second quarter 2011 preliminary results, as well as a status update on pending acquisition of OF Air Holdings and its subsidiaries (together, Omniflight). Based on preliminary 2011 second quarter results, total community-based patient transports were 10,319. Patients transported for... Read more
20-Jul-2011Source: Eurocopter
Eurocopter today delivered the 1,000th EC135 to its new owner. Fifteen years after the first of these helicopters rolled off the production line at the Eurocopter plant in Donauwörth, the group’s President and CEO Lutz Bertling handed the keys of the new aircraft on this landmark occasion to Peter Meyer, the President of ADAC, Germany’s... Read more
20-Jul-2011Source: South Bend Tribune
WSBT’s cameras took an exclusive ride with MedFlight, one of the area’s only medical helicopters – see full story. Memorial MedFlight utilizes an EC 135P2 helicopter and is based at the South Bend Regional Airport, operated for them by Omniflight. The particular helicopter is registered N3842, and is serial number 0428... Read more
20-Jul-2011Source: Citizen's Voice
Geisinger’s Life Flight program is celebrating two milestones this month – the 30th anniversary of the program’s inception and 10 years of having one of its helicopters based at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca (full story)... Read more
20-Jul-2011Source: HeliHub.com
Yorkshire Air Ambulance is looking ahead to the late summer when its current contracts for both pilotage and maintenance expire. Both aspects are currently provided by Medical Aviation Services, but YAA has decided to “do its own thing” and will employ their own Chief Pilot and are working towards their own Air Operators Certificate. Further... Read more
19-Jul-2011Source: Wales Air Ambulance
Helicopter charity Wales Air Ambulance is expanding its Welshpool-based operation from a five-day service to seven days a week, from 19thJuly. The lifesaving service, currently celebrating its tenth anniversary, is increasing its air cover for Mid Wales to 365 days a year following an ongoing fundraising drive by the charity. Wales Air Ambulance will announce... Read more
18-Jul-2011Source: Sandel
New Zealand HEMS operator also adds Sandel 4-ATI displays and AHRS in a technology upgrade for the first of its three helicopters Vista, CA, (July 13, 2011)—Sandel Avionics has announced that its new HeliTAWS wire and terrain avoidance system has been chosen by Hawker Pacific, Auckland, NZ, the operator for New Zealand’s Northland Emergency Services... Read more
18-Jul-2011Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that Intermountain Healthcare has taken delivery of the first of five GrandNew helicopters. The aircraft is both the first of its kind to be completed in Philadelphia with an EMS configuration and to enter operations with a U.S. customer. The GrandNew will be operated by Intermountain Life... Read more
18-Jul-2011Source: DRF Luftrettung
In the first half of the year 2011 the air rescue organization DRF Luftrettung flew a total of 19,189 missions, involving helicopter missions at 31 HEMS bases in Germany, Austria and Denmark as well as worldwide repatriations with its ambulance aircraft. This means a rise of 1,214 (8%) compared to the same period of the... Read more
7-Jul-2011Source: American Eurocopter
Grand Prairie, Texas – American Eurocopter announced today that it has appointed the 2011 Vision Zero Aviation Safety Award Blue Ribbon Committee. This committee will be responsible for evaluating the applications and determining the winner for the 2011 Vision Zero Aviation Safety award. This prestigious award was established by American Eurocopter with the purpose of... Read more
7-Jul-2011Source: French Tribune
Provincial Health Minister, Theresa Oswald has announced that they are planning to build a helipad at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre (HSC). The helipad will improve the effectiveness of the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) helicopter ambulance (full story)... Read more
7-Jul-2011Source: Ornge
Ornge, the provider of transport medicine services for Ontario, is pleased to announce the opening of a new satellite medical helicopter base at the Oshawa Municipal Airport later this year. The new facility, which will operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week, will be the home to Ornge paramedics, pilots and a new,... Read more
5-Jul-2011Source: Hampshire and IOW Air Ambulance
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance are working closely with HELP to enable a unique project to equip Southampton General Hospital with a purpose-built life-saving helipad. Up until now, emergency airlifts have had to stop short of the hospital – the best the Air Ambulance could do was to touch down in a council... Read more
4-Jul-2011Source: Calgary Sun
Calgary’s emergency services community is in mourning after a trail-blazing paramedic Eric Arnestad who helped lift STARS off the ground was killed in a Montana motorcycle crash. (Full story)... Read more
4-Jul-2011Source: DeBeers
The idea, which ensures that South Africans in the remotest regions of the country will have access to an emergency helicopter service without equal, is the brainchild of Oppenheimer, Chairman of De Beers and an intrepid young doctor, Dr Anchen Laubscher, Medical Director of Netcare 911. Dr Laubscher, who was a flying doctor at the... Read more
3-Jul-2011Source: Vanderbilt LifeFlight
Vanderbilt LifeFlight has changed its flight crew helmets to mirror those worn by Vanderbilt University football players. LifeFlight crew member’s helmets provide safety, hearing protection, and are also part of the communication system onboard the helicopter. Previous helmets were solid white. The new helmets are designed with Vanderbilt gold, a white stripe down the middle,... Read more
3-Jul-2011Source: HeliHub.com
London’s Air Ambulance launched a visually appealing new website on 1st July, but you cannot find it on Google! Try looking for it and the old URL LondonsAirAmbulance.com comes up, but that fails. Some careful detective work by HeliHub.com found it at LondonsAirAmbulance.co.uk – and it’s worth checking out. However, we would have expected that... Read more
3-Jul-2011Source: Peninsula Daily News
Susan Strand, one of the Army’s first women helicopter pilots, christened Sequim’s new emergency helipad near Olympic Medical Center’s Sequim Cancer Center on Thursday. [Full story]... Read more
30-Jun-2011Source: Chronicle Times
The Cherokee Regional Medical Center and LifeNet of Iowa, a critical care air medical transport company, announced today that a fully equipped, state-of-the-art medical helicopter will be based in Cherokee. According to CRMC CEO John Comstock, the aircraft will be tethered on the heli-pad at the CRMC, or in a leased hangar at the Cherokee... Read more
30-Jun-2011Source: Madison Courier
Air Methods returned to Trimble County on June 3 and wasted no time meeting the public. On June 4 the company, located next to the Bedford Fire and Rescue building between Bedford and Milton, had an open house that included food, drinks, music and a showing of the BK117 helicopter. (Full article)... Read more
28-Jun-2011Source: Govt of Manitoba
The province has signed a memorandum of understanding with the non-profit Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) to make the helicopter ambulance program permanent in Manitoba, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced today. “The STARS team has made a real difference in Manitoba’s flood fight and we thank them for their hard work,†said Oswald.  “Helicopter... Read more
28-Jun-2011Source: Watertown Daily Times
The general contractor on Samaritan Medical Center’s $61 million expansion has filed suit against a subcontractor who installed a helicopter landing pad, claiming the pad was not designed to withstand conditions resulting from freezing temperatures – see article... Read more
28-Jun-2011Source: Eastbourne Herald
Eastbourne District General Hospital is the most-used landing site for air ambulance and other emergency helicopters of any hospital in Sussex. The new pad can now accept helicopters both day and night from Air Ambulance, Police, Coast Guard, Air-sea Rescue and the military. The largest it generally takes is the Coast Guard AW139, but it... Read more
28-Jun-2011Source: STARS
Precision Drilling achieved a cumulative giving milestone of $1.8 million when they presented STARS with $1 million to be donated over the next five years. The organization is the first oil and gas service company to reach this level of giving to STARS. Precision Drilling’s logo was relocated on the STARS helicopter from the upper... Read more
27-Jun-2011Source: Lavoz Digital
The province will have five new helipads, particularly in Conil, Sanlucar Tarifa, Medina and Ubrique, to facilitate the transfer of patients in emergency situations.... Read more
26-Jun-2011Source: Air Medical Memorial
The Air Medical Memorial is a national memorial that honors flight crews who died in the line of active duty. This includes the pilots and medical crew members of both helicopter (HEMS) and airplane (FWEMS) operations. The memorial will be located southwest of the Denver metropolitan area. When open in 2012, the memorial will feature... Read more
26-Jun-2011Source: Star Tribune
The CEO of Life Link III, a nonprofit medical transportation consortium run by nine Twin Cities health care organizations, was arrested Thursday at the company’s Minneapolis offices and charged with six felony tax charges. Richard Carter McComb, 64, was booked into the Hennepin County jail, where his bail was set at $250,000. More details... Read more
26-Jun-2011Source: Centroc
“I was surprised and concerned to see that Central NSW does not have a 24 hour helicopter medical retrieval service,†said Cr Phyllis Miller, Chair of Centroc and Mayor of Forbes. “The current contract CHC Helicopters has with Ambulance NSW for medical retrieval services by helicopter is for 12 hours a day and only during... Read more
24-Jun-2011Source: Metro Aviation
Metro Aviation, Inc. recently completed two major STC programs on the Eurocopter EC130 selected by Medflight Ohio (Columbus) to replace a mixed and aging fleet. The first two completed aircraft were delivered to Medflight Ohio, on June 6th where Metro Aviation, Inc. will serve as the operator, replacing Omniflight Helicopters as the Operator. Following crew... Read more
23-Jun-2011Source: Lee County MedStar
Lee County, FL (June 22, 2011) – Lee County Emergency Medical Services (LCEMS) implemented a “stand down†of its MEDSTAR flight operations for a safety review at 7 a.m. Wednesday, June 22. MEDSTAR will resume operations at 7 a.m. Monday, Aug. 1 with its recently acquired Bell 430 helicopter. Bayflite has agreed to relocate one... Read more
23-Jun-2011Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that INAER, the global provider of aerial emergency services and aircraft maintenance, has signed a contract for ten AW169 helicopters. These aircraft will be used for various applications across INAER’s markets. The contract marks another outstanding success for the all new AW169 model, just a few months... Read more
22-Jun-2011Source: HeliHub.com
Air Ambulance operator Life Link III is operating a helicopter from Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar for a six-month trial starting this week. The helicopter and crew will be stationed at the hospital during daylight hours three days a week — Monday, Tuesday and Friday. At the end of this period an assessment will be... Read more
22-Jun-2011Source: HeliHub.com
Yorkshire Air Ambulance, the British EMS operator with two MD Explorers, have recently joined Twitter. In a growing trend among UK emergency services – both air ambulance and law enforcement – one by one all units are launching their presence on Twitter. Yorkshire Air Ambulance can be found @YorkshireAirAmb The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an... Read more
22-Jun-2011Source: Med-Trans
MUSC Medical Center, located in Charleston, S.C., has finalized an agreement with Med-Trans Corp. for them to become their new aviation partner for their regional helicopter ambulance service. Terms were reached after an exhaustive selection process looking at significant factors such as aviation safety, complete customization of the program and excellent customer service. The region... Read more
21-Jun-2011Source: BBC
Police said the men burst into the charity’s office in Brierley Hill at around 0845 local time. A spokesman said they held 20 members of staff hostage with the Taser although it was not used on them. (see story)... Read more
21-Jun-2011Source: American Eurocopter
American Eurocopter has announced that Air Methods Corporation, the world’s largest air medical transportation provider, has ordered four AS350 B3 helicopters. These aircraft will update and expand its extensive fleet that already includes more than 240 Eurocopter helicopters. “This purchase highlights Air Method’s leadership in providing technologically advanced aircraft to meet the performance, mission and... Read more
21-Jun-2011Source: American Eurocopter
American Eurocopter announced that it has shipped the first EC155 bound for the University of Michigan’s Survival Flight program to Metro Aviation, the air medical service provider and helicopter completions specialist based in Shreveport, LA, for completion. This aircraft is the first of three EC155s to be delivered this year. It is currently scheduled to... Read more
20-Jun-2011Source: HeliHub.com
Devon Air Ambulance “DAA”, which runs the EMS coverage in UK’s county of Devon, was one of the earliest to take to the air in the UK nad has been one of the most successful too. DAA currently operate two EC135s, a 2003-build EC135T2 leased from Bond Air Services and a newer EC135T2+ which the... Read more
17-Jun-2011
A Bell 412 previously operated by New York Police Department has completed the trip from New York via Korea to Australia – See article... Read more
16-Jun-2011Source: Times Union
A client of a Texas lawyer who pleaded guilty to helping in a judge’s extortion scheme in Brownsville has sued to recoup more than $5 million in attorney fees.... Read more
15-Jun-2011Source: MedEvac Foundation
MedEvac Foundation and AAMS welcomes Clara Harrod for a two-month internship made possible through a grant to the MedEvac Foundation from the ExxonMobil Summer Jobs Program, administered by Volunteer Fairfax. Clara is a rising senior at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, where she volunteers as an EMT on a local Rescue Squad. During her... Read more
15-Jun-2011Source: Medical Aviation Services
Medical Aviation Services (MAS) and CEGA Air Ambulance are pleased to announce the signing of a teaming agreement between the two companies at the AirMed 2011 World Congress in Brighton recently. MAS, which is part of the Gloucestershire based Specialist Aviation Services Group, operates and maintains approximately twenty helicopters used in the Air Ambulance role,... Read more
14-Jun-2011Source: Sentara Healthcare
Leslie Peterfeso, a Sentara employee, sees the Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance launch and land every day at its home base at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Last December, though, Peterfeso became a Nightingale patient in a freak accident at her Suffolk home when a heavy tree limb her husband was sawing fell the wrong way and... Read more
13-Jun-2011Source: Bay of Plenty Times
The NZ$53,996 cheque to the Philips Search and Rescue Trust, a registered charitable trust that operates the rescue helicopter, was presented to Mr Brettkelly at a ceremony at the Ian Pain Memorial Hangar on the Tauranga Hospital campus... Read more
13-Jun-2011Source: Air Evac Lifeteam
Air Evac Lifeteam, an independently-owned air ambulance provider, has begun operations in Lancaster, Ohio. Air Evac Lifeteam crews provide on-the-scene medical care and rapid medical transport, as well as transfers between medical facilities. The new base opened Tuesday, June 7, and is located at the Pleasant Township Fire Department, 2929 Lancaster Thornville Road. It is... Read more
10-Jun-2011Source: Melfort Journal
Melfort residents will be able to check out the Shock Trauma Rescue Society (STARS) helicopters on Saturday, June 11. The STARS will be landing one of its medically-equipped helicopters at the Melfort Mall at 12:30 p.m.... Read more
9-Jun-2011Source: NEMSPA
In answer to the many questions regarding the FAA’s new heliport advisory circular rewrite efforts I would like to offer up the views of the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA). Given the huge impact and importance this particular advisory circular has on the entire helicopter industry and our community at every level and the fact... Read more
8-Jun-2011Source: Ornge
On November of 2008, Ethan Day turned one month old, but it hardly was a time to celebrate. His mother Lisa rushed him into the ER at Markham Stouffville Hospital with what turned out to be a serious heart problem. When his paediatrician made the decision to send Ethan to the Hospital for Sick Children,... Read more
7-Jun-2011Source: East Anglian Air Ambulance
A new Chief Executive has been appointed to lead one of the region’s largest and most vital charities. Tim Page joins the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) having most recently worked for charities in London and Birmingham. He arrives with a wealth of knowledge and experience of leading successful teams and has ambitions to make... Read more
7-Jun-2011Source: ThedaCare
It was more than eight years ago, but Kyle Kienitz remembers Dec. 24, 2002, as if it was yesterday. At age 22, the U.S. Marine was home in Brillion on leave when the vehicle he was driving rolled over seven times, ejecting him and leaving him a paraplegic. ThedaStar responded to the scene and transported... Read more
