West Penn Allegheny Health System Receives Second EC145 to Aid in the Saving of Lives

West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS) received its second EC145 last week (March 15th) at the American Eurocopter Facilities in Grand Prairie, TX. West Penn Allegheny’s Life Flight air medical program currently serves the community within a 130 mile radius of Pittsburgh, PA, flying an estimated 2,500 missions annually. The EC145 enables the air medical service crews to fly those missions safely in a reliable, state-of-the-art aircraft.

“We are proud to accept the second of four EC145s on behalf of Life Flight, Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), and the West Penn Allegheny Health System,” says Catherine Fackovec, Director of AGH’s Department of Emergency Medicine, “We look forward to a long, prosperous, and safe future in these aircraft.”

West Penn Allegheny chose the Single-Pilot-IFR-certified EC145s for its usable space within the cabin, allowing two flight nurses to provide the highest level of care to the patients they are transporting. The EC145s will be used for air ambulance missions, inter-hospital transport and as a flying intensive care unit. The second EC145 delivered today is scheduled to be located at Life Flight’s base in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

“With the first of the EC145s in service as of Thursday, March 8th and the second aircraft soon to be operating, Life Flight is equipping itself with the industry’s most advanced and reliable aircraft,” Fackovec said.

The EC145 continues to prove its presences as the right aircraft for the AMS mission. Its spacious, completely unhindered cabin can be utilized for a broad variety of configurations. With rear loading doors, the EC145 offers excellent cabin access from all sides as well as exceptional visibility for the Life Flight pilots, enhancing their ability to conduct safe and effective missions.

About American Eurocopter (www.eurocopterusa.com)
American Eurocopter is the American subsidiary of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and EADS North America, the North American operations of EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense company in the world. American Eurocopter markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and para-public helicopters offered by any manufacturer. The product line represents the most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters, ranging from light single to heavy twin, serving all markets and missions. American Eurocopter’s headquarters and main facility are in Grand Prairie, TX, with a large new manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, Mississippi.