First Eurocpter To Be Included In The Program

The University of Utah's AirMed program has taken delivery of an EC145 helicopter, the first Eurocopter aircraft to be utilized by the program.

AirMed currently has a fleet of four helicopters. "We were getting to the point where it wasn’t cost effective to operate our other helicopter, and we needed to make a change in order to provide our patients with the type of service they need and deserve,” explained Rob Stantus, AirMed Program Manager. “We evaluated several twin-engine aircraft during our selection process. The EC145 was the only one to meet all of our requirements: performance, cabin size, flexibilities, capabilities, and more. We are looking forward to adding this aircraft to our fleet.”

“This is a great example of an outstanding program like AirMed evaluating its mission needs and selecting a helicopter that will fulfill the demands of its missions, as well as the future needs of the program,” said Treg Manning, Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing for American Eurocopter. “The EC145’s combination of size, performance and advanced technologies is a good fit for their program, and we are delighted that they have chosen this helicopter for their fleet.”

After the delivery at American Eurocopter’s Texas facility, the aircraft will be flown to Denver, where it will be completed by United Rotorcraft, a division of Air Methods. Air Methods is the operator of AirMed’s fleet, and the program is one of Air Methods’ longest-running customers.

AirMed was established in 1972 as the 7th air medical transport program in the country. This year marks AirMed’s 40th year in operation, and the team is expecting to celebrate this milestone in October, in conjunction with the expected entry into service of their new EC145. The program's main base is The University of Utah Hospital, an academic medical center, a Level I trauma center, a regional burn center and a major tertiary referral site. Since its
inception, AirMed has grown into an award-winning air medical transport service, which currently utilizes a combination of rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft from six locations throughout the state to transport approximately 2500 patients per year.

FMI: http://healthcare.utah.edu/airmed/