-
Overview
What Aircraft Is Used by the Air Ambulance Service?Air ambulances rush to the aid of patients either located in inaccessible areas or to those who need immediate care. In most cases, civilian helicopters are used as air ambulances. In select areas and situations, light airplanes or seaplanes are used to provide emergency health care. Air ambulance staff require special training to provide onboard care and to operate equipment in difficult conditions while airborne.
Function
The most common air ambulances are operated by civilian hospitals, but many are also run by the military or in public service. Helicopters are used primarily in dense urban areas and also to get through difficult terrain in more remote places. They are often used for MedeVac purposes or to rescue people from dangerous fires or other hazardous situations in which sending in medical personnel would either be too dangerous or too time consuming.
Types
The helicopters used for air ambulances vary widely--models like the Bell 430 and Augusta 109E are common examples of aircraft used to fill out air ambulance services. In some areas like Alaska, Lear Jets are used as air ambulances along with some turbo prop craft for use in inclement weather. The U.S. military primarily uses the Black Hawk helicopter for medical evacuations.
Features
Air ambulances have become commonly used throughout the country. It is often a selling point for many communities to be in flight range of an air ambulance at a highly rated hospital. Trained staff and pilots for the aircraft have also increased in number, although they are generally in short supply and high demand.
Considerations
Many medical helicopters are involved in crashes every year around the world. Helicopter piloting is far riskier than airplane flying, and many such crashes occur during medical operations. Aircraft technology has advanced to take into account the special risks and needs of medical helicopter pilots. One example is the newly developed Bell 429, which is equipped with advanced instrumentation and a swinging equipment rack that keeps everything inside the helicopter relatively stable even during difficult flight conditions.
Expert Insight
Turboprop aircraft, such as the Pilatus PC-12, are often used as air ambulances because their engines are relatively efficient and they have much smaller takeoff and landing requirements. This makes them ideal aircraft for rural areas which may not have long enough landing strips to support the taxiing requirements of a jet airplane. They also have gentler acceleration, making the ride smoother for patients and medical technicians.
