Helps Crews Locate, Navigate Dark Landing Zones

Aero-News has learned TriState Care Flight -- a medical helicopter flight service serving Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado -- had added night vision goggles to its life saving arsenal.

The new NVGs will allow pilots and flight crews to locate and land safely on landing zones where lighting is less than optimal. They will also enable them to fly at lower altitudes while transporting patients, thereby reducing altitude stress on both the patient and crew.

"Training with them began in February, and our flight crews love them," said Cheri Paronto, TriState Care Flight Business Development Manager.

The new units have been implemented for use at the company's bases in Bullhead City/Western Arizona Regional Medical Center, Fort Mohave/Valley View Hospital and Parker/La Paz Regional Medical Center.

In addition to facility-to-facility patient transfers, the company also responds to accident scenes in Kingman, Golden Valley and Dolan Springs, Paronto told Arizona's Kingman Daily Miner.

Another neighboring aeromedical service, Guardian Air, also has plans to implement and utilize NVGs in the near future.

"We'll be coming on line with NVGs in a month or so," said Steve Smithson, respiratory care specialist with Guardian Air. "The goggles we've ordered are the same as used by our military and are the latest and greatest. A big order by the military took priority, so that's why we don't already have them."

NVGs are gaining in popularity as an effective tool for aeromedical and emergency services, according to Smithson. "They markedly improve safety in places those services would not normally be able to go," he said.

Arizona Department of Public Service chief pilot, Terry Miyauchi said their air rescue helicopters (Rangers) have had night vision capability for the past 12 years.

"We have the goggles as well as forward looking infrared," Miyauchi said.

"They have been invaluable in search and rescue missions in locating lost people and criminals."

FMI: www.aams.org