Articles for tag Editors Letter
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Aug
29
2023
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Posted by Admin
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“Teamwork makes the dream work.” Is that true in helicopter air ambulance work?
According to the American Heritage Dictionary the definition of teamwork is “cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal.”
I recently visited Atrium Health’s MedCenter Air operation in Charlotte, North Carolina. (See story on Page 49.) Working with their teams reminded me of when I used to fly helicopter air ambulance, how complicated the work is, and how success hinges on many moving parts working together as a whole. If only one of the parts fails or falls short, desired outcomes may fall short as well.
I remember when I was a new air ambulance pilot, we were shut down on a highway waiting for two patients involved in a DUI, head-on accident, to be extricated from their vehicles. Given that I was flying an S76C+ helicopter we had the ability to take both patients. The first patient to arrive at the helicopter was in very critical condition and was bleeding out. I was told by the flight nurse that the second patient should be arriving in five minutes to seven minutes. I made the decision that I would keep the helicopter quiet and would start it when I saw the patient being pushed from the scene towards the helicopter.
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Editor Lyn Burks
Editors Letter
Rotor Pro
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Aug
30
2021
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Posted by Admin
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In February of this year, the United States Helicopter Safety Team, with support from Helicopter Association International, Airbus, and Frasca International produced a short video titled 56 Seconds to Live.
In this chilling video, the viewer is taken on a dramatized journey, which shows a pilot making all the wrong decisions during the process of accepting a flight, which then leads to an IIMC condition, culminating in his death. At the very end his spouse and child stand at his grave.
Given the challenging nature of helicopter air ambulance (HAA) work, IIMC accidents have always been a large part of HAA accident stats over the decades. I often wonder: are we getting better as an industry?
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Tags:
Editors Letter
Rotorcraft Pro Editor Lyn Burks
Categories:
Safety
Opinion-Editorial