LifeFlight, which provides medical flight service in Maine, has acquired a new helicopter to expand their operations. This is the third helicopter to join the LifeFlight fleet and has enhanced features to ensure better medical care to patients. In addition to these three helicopters, the air ambulance provider also has a fixed-wing aircraft to carry out its operations.
Enhanced Capabilities for Better Medical Flight Service
The new helicopter for LifeFlight is an Agusta 109 and has some advanced features that the older helicopters don’t. Along with improved avionics, it has been equipped with the latest medical equipment that can improve the quality of service they provide.
The new Agusta 109 for LifeFlight has the latest global navigation system. It’s also faster and is powered by a more advanced engine. Additionally, it will be able to carry more weight compared to the two older helicopters. The interiors of the aircraft have been designed specifically to accommodate high quality medical care.
According to LifeFlight’s spokeswoman Melissa Arndt, the new aircraft will enable LifeFlight to carry out hundreds more operations per year. This is crucial since the demand for their medical flight service has increased by 43% within the past four years.
New helicopter Funded by Individual Donations
LifeFlight’s new helicopter costs approximately $6 million. And the air ambulance provider was able to make this purchase from individual donations made by almost 700 people. They unveiled the new helicopter on June 9 at its base in Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston.
LifeFlight will now carry out their operations using three helicopters and one fixed-wing airplane. The LifeFlight Foundation intends to enhance their service further by replacing the older helicopters. They plan to collect enough funds within the next three years to fund this replacement.
LifeFlight is a nonprofit run by the joint efforts of Central Maine Healthcare Corporation and Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems.
