Plane added to UIHC service

A single-engine, fixed-wing plane has been added to AirCare – the air ambulance service of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), US.

The aircraft, owned by Air Methods – a Denver, Colorado-based service that sets the prices for air ambulance services and collects all flight fees – can be used to fly patients from up to 700 miles away. The single-engine Pilatus PC-12/45 can fly as far as North Platte, Nebraska; Toronto, Ontario; or Memphis, Tennessee – allowing the hospital to serve patients from a larger portion of the Midwest. The aircraft is equivalent to a 12-seater, which means that, as well as one pilot, two medical professionals and a patient, the plane is also able to accommodate a patient’s family member – ideal for a parent flying with a child.

Dr Andrew Nugent, Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UIHC, said: “The plane expands our reach and creates greater access to our hospital for more remote areas of Iowa and the region.”