Safety Equipment

Care Flight has four AS350 B3 AStars. The aircraft's maneuverability, superior visibility with all seats facing forward, and low vibration level, means the transport will be as comfortable as it is efficient. The B3 is a workhorse known for its outstanding capability in hot weather and high altitude operations. The AS350 B3 version offers the highest performance in its category with enhanced safety and reduced pilot workload.

The B3 has a 142 gallon fuel capacity allowing for a 300+ mile round-trip transport range without refueling. The cruise speed is 130 to 160 mph.

Care Flight has state of the art night vision goggles for safe and efficient night operations in difficult scene situations and/or challenging terrain.

All Care Flight helicopters are equipped with terrain avoidance & warning systems (TAWS). TAWS is an airborne safety device designed to reliably and automatically provide a flight crew with warning of potential collision with terrain in sufficient time for effective avoiding action to be taken. The new style units that Care Flight utilize include a Forward Looking Terrain Avoidance feature.

Care Flight helicopters are also equipped with dual GPS Navigation System with moving map displays and weather information.

Each helicopter is equipped with a sophisticated communication suite which includes aviation, VHF, UHF and 800mhz radios. The communication suite also includes satellite phones accessible from both the pilot's and medical staff's helmets and fully integrated into the onboard radio system.

Every flight is tracked in real time by the Aviation Communication Specialist in the REMSA Communications Center. All helicopters have a satellite based tracking system that relays the helicopter's position to the communications center. Along with this, the Aviation Communication Specialist obtains a position report from the pilot at least every 15 minutes.

Air Methods Corporation is Care Flight’s aviation vendor and provides Care Flight with pilots and mechanics. Pilots come to Care Flight with experience in both mountain and night time flying. They go through extensive training not only with Air Methods but also after coming to Care Flight. Area familiarization is a key point in the Care Flight orientation along with NVG flying. The pilots are required to have annual training and check rides with fundamental procedures and recertification in their NVG training.