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Air medical

American Eurocopter’s family of helicopters are the aircraft of choice for emergency medical airlift providers across the United States, accounting for three-quarters of all deliveries into this segment over the past decade.

From the single-engine AS350 AStar light turbine helicopter to the twin-engine EC155, hospitals and medical airlift providers count on American Eurocopter when performance and reliability can literally mean the difference between life and death.

The AS350 AStar has established itself as the most popular single-engine emergency medical services (EMS) helicopter in U.S. service, offering a combination of safety, low operating costs and a spacious cabin.  One major operator of the AS350 is Air Methods Corporation, the nation’s largest air medical transportation provider.  In 2006, Air Methods signed an agreement with American Eurocopter to acquire 10 AS350 B2/B3 AStars each year for an indefinite period, and in 2008, the company doubled its annual purchase to 20 aircraft. 

Other AS350 medical airlift customers include Air Evac Services Inc., Eagle Med, LifeNet Arizona, Omnifight, Southwest Med Evac and PHI.

The EC130 brings together the AS350 B3’s powerful engine, dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and dual hydraulics with an enlarged cabin and Fenestron® anti-torque device. Combining low operating costs with a cabin the size of which is usually only found on twin-engined helicopters, the EC130 is rapidly becoming a popular choice for EMS missions – with current operators including Air Methods and Medi Flight Oklahoma.

American Eurocopter’s EC135 is the twin-engine platform of choice for air medical operators, accounting for 60 percent of all twin-engine air medical services deliveries over the past decade. The EC135 is offered with a wide range of dedicated EMS interiors, maximizing the operator’s choice for single-patient, dual-patient or isolette transport. The EC135’s Fenestron® tail rotor and rear clamshell doors offer the safest and easiest loading possible, while the aircraft’s anti-resonance isolation system ensures that patients are given the smoothest possible ride.

Major U.S. EMS operators and service providers with the EC135 include Air Methods Corporation, Med-Trans Corporation, MedFlight of Ohio, MidAtlantic MedEvac, Metro Aviation, Northwest MedStar, Omniflight, PennSTAR AMS, PHI Air Medical, REACH Air Medical Services and STAT MedEvac.

The EC145 enjoys an exceptional EMS heritage in the shape of its BK117 predecessor, and has rapidly become the platform of choice in its class.  Providing the highest levels of safety and performance, the EC145 is offered with a wide range of comprehensively-equipped air medical services interiors.  The EC145 combines a spacious cabin with a high-mounted tail rotor, allowing for safe patient loading through wide sliding doors or rear window-equipped rear clamshell doors.

The growing list of EC145 air medical services customers reads like a “who’s who” of MEDEVAC operators in the United States, and includes:  Allegheny General Hospital’s LifeFlight AMS;  EmergyCare Erie LifeStar;  Florida Hospital Medical Center;  Geisinger Life Flight;  Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center’s MedLink Air;  Lee County Emergency Medical Services;  Mayo Medical Services;  Memorial Hermann Hospital;  Stanford Life Flight;  STAT MedEvac;  Travis County STAR Flight;  the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center’s LifeFlight;  and Vanderbilt LifeFlight.  The EC145 is also utilized in the medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) role by the U.S. Army in its UH-72A Lakota version.

For long-distance, multi-patient or multi-mission transports, American Eurocopter offers the AS365 N3 Dauphin and the wide-body EC155.  These high-performance platforms offer outstanding cabin space, maximizing patient care and access.  The AS365 and EC155 also provide the smoothest of rides and high cruise speeds, plus genuine all-weather capabilities.  The AS365 is currently utilized by eight air medical operators, including Life Lion Air Medical, Miami Valley Hospital Careflight, Parkview Samaritan, the University of Chicago Hospitals' Aeromedical Network and West Michigan Air Care.

• Download the Eurocopter: Helicopter Emergency Medical Service brochure (.PDF/ 2.03 MB)

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