Page 9 - Volume 14 Number 10

works. Whether the airplane’s sitting out in subfreezing temperatures or baking on the ramp, I’m continuously impressed with its ability to dispatch nearly every time. When lives are on the line, I have full confidence the King Air is ready to fly.”
Unsurprisingly, medevac flying is an all-weather affair and thus pilots must be suited for such. Marten notes that “we routinely must be ready to fly into rural airports with a 4,000-foot runway and no precision approach.” Coupled with the required innate ability of “having to make difficult decisions quickly and on one’s feet, almost autonomously” leaves a special breed of pilot behind the yoke.
“Most pilots are a little bit of adrenaline junkies,” he noted. “We have a first responder mentality and it’s important to be able to focus on flying, even with
“ ... we need a utilitarian aircraft offering simplicity of operation, renowned mechanical reliability and a high dispatch rate. ... Whether the airplane’s sitting out in subfreezing temperatures or baking on the ramp, I’m continuously impressed with its ability to dispatch nearly every time. When lives are on the line, I have full confidence the King Air is ready to fly.”
- David Marten, LifeSave Transport pilot
a panic going on in the back. You have to be able to compartmentalize.”
I learned that the company’s pilots average about 400-500 hours a year and, for example, the Wichita- based aviators fly into about 200 airports in Kansas and Nebraska, so every flying day is different from the one before.
Soon after the briefing was completed, it was time for my orientation flight before the night’s real mission calls came in. I was able to take the right seat on our short hop to Medicine Lodge Airport (K51), about one- and-a-half hours if driven.
This airport was chosen because it is a regular pickup location for the crew, including a trauma the night before. The airport is also almost a perfect locational representation for why medical evacuation flight companies exist. The town of 2,000 is the most populous in its west-central Kansas county but lacks advanced specialty medical care. LifeSave bridges the gap for residents, providing access to services such as trauma- related injuries. Operators like LifeSave help bridge the gap for residents in these more rural communities, allowing them to have better access to specialized medical care.
N813JB, a 1980 C90, was the airborne ambulance of the evening and was preflighted prior to my arrival. The aircraft’s interior, like all of the company’s King Air aircraft, was modified in-house.
The Flight
Marten fired up the right-side engine, followed by the left. Comms with Wichita were succinct, and our flight
OCTOBER 2020
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 7