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126-463: The An-2 was designed as a utility aircraft for use in forestry and agriculture, but the basic airframe is highly adaptable and numerous variants of the type have been developed; these include hopper-equipped versions for crop-dusting, scientific versions for atmospheric sampling, water-bombers for fighting forest-fires, flying ambulances , float-equipped seaplane versions and lightly armed combat versions for dropping paratroops . The most common version

252-634: A bilateral agreement with Poland. The An-2 was adopted in bulk by both the Soviet Air Force and other Eastern Bloc military forces. It was first used in a military context during the Korean War of the early 1950s. The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) was another prolific user of the AN-2; during the Vietnam War , the service occasionally used the type as an attack aircraft. During

378-408: A branch of IRKUT Corporation, changing its name to Regional aircraft. This is stated on the company's website. "Within the implementation of the strategy uniting civil aircraft companies into one Civil Aviation Division JSC “SCA” has been integrated into Irkut Corporation starting from February 17, 2020. The decision was adopted by JSC “SCA” Shareholders on June 27, 2019. Regional Aircraft – Branch of

504-602: A budget. Many ex-Aeroflot An-2s have since found work with regional operators across Africa , Central and South America , Cuba and southeast Asia . As of 2015, there were thousands of An-2s remaining in operation around the world, including over 1,500 in Russia, 294 in Kazakhstan and 54 in Ukraine . In September of 2024, Vladimir Putin ordered the single-engine UZGA LMS-901 Baikal aircraft into serial production as

630-462: A business enterprise, or funded by public donations. It may also be reasonable to differentiate between dedicated aircraft and those with multiple purposes and roles. Finally, it is reasonable to differentiate by the type of aircraft used, including rotary-wing , fixed-wing , or very large aircraft. The military role in civilian air ambulance operations is described in the History section. Each of

756-468: A combination of these roles. In almost all cases, the government provides guidelines to hospitals and EMS systems to control operating costs—and may specify operating procedures in some level of detail to limit potential liability. However, the government almost always takes a 'hands-off' approach to the actual running of the system, relying instead on local managers with subject matter (physicians and aviation executives) expertise. Ontario's ORNGE program and

882-692: A consideration in some contexts, in the United States, the primary measure of effectiveness is patient outcomes. Improvements in ground ambulance prehospital care have created uncertainty as to whether helicopter emergency medical services transport is associated with better patient outcomes compared with ground transportation. A U.S. study using 2014 data found that after adjusting for age, Injury Severity Score, and gender, trauma patients who were transferred by helicopter were 57.0% less likely to die than those transferred by ground ambulance (95% CI 0.41 to 0.44, p<0.0001). A retrospective review study reached

1008-622: A great deal of experience in piloting their aircraft because the conditions of air ambulance flights are often more challenging than regular non-emergency flight services. After a spike in air ambulance crashes in the United States in the 1990s, the U.S. government and the Commission on Air Medical Transportation Systems ( CAMTS ) stepped up the accreditation and air ambulance flight requirements, ensuring that all pilots, personnel, and aircraft meet much higher standards than previously required. The resulting CAMTS accreditation, which applies only in

1134-684: A higher level of care at the scene of a trauma and faster transport to a trauma center. They can also provide critical care when transporting patients from community hospitals to trauma centers. Air ambulance transport is expensive, and if utilised poorly is therefore not cost effective. When inappropriately deployed to a patient close to a hospital, an air ambulance may add delay to the patient reaching hospital. In research from 1996, air ambulance services in England and Wales demonstrated no evidence of improvement in vehicle response times (i.e. time from 999 call to an ambulance vehicle being on-scene with

1260-699: A highly modified An-2 with carbon fibre winglet-like braces and carbon fibre wing structures. It was equipped with a five-bladed turboprop engine, most probably the Honeywell TPE331 already installed on a modernized version of the An-2 that entered service in 2014. According to Russian aviation company Sukhoi , this aircraft was built to demonstrate the aerodynamic and structural changes that were planned for an eventual An-2 replacement announced on 10 June 2015. The autoclave-cured carbonfibre composite materials – including wing panels, spars and ribs – were produced by

1386-966: A local business or even a multi-national company may choose to fund local air ambulance service as a goodwill or public relations gesture. Examples of this are common in the European Union , where in London the Virgin Corporation previously donated to the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, and in Germany and the Netherlands a large number of the 'Christoph' air ambulance operations are actually funded by ADAC , Germany's largest automobile club and DRF Luftrettung. In Australia and New Zealand , many air ambulance helicopter operations are sponsored by

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1512-542: A new company named United Aircraft Corporation in February 2006. Mikoyan and Sukhoi were placed within the same operating unit. In September 2007, Sukhoi launched its first modern commercial regional airliner —the Superjet 100 (SSJ 100), a 78 to 98 seater, built by Sukhoi. It was unveiled at Komsomolsk-on-Amur . The maiden flight was made on May 19, 2008. In March 2008, Sukhoi was selected to design and produce

1638-421: A non-medically equipped and staffed aircraft simply transports patients without care in flight. Military organizations and NATO refer to the former as medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and to the latter as casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) . Air Traffic Control (ATC) grants special treatment to air ambulance operations, much like a ground ambulance using lights and a siren, only when they are actively operating with

1764-433: A not-for-profit mutual insurance company, specifies the circumstances in which costs for air medical services are covered. The medical personnel of a helicopter ambulance has historically been a Physician/Nurse combination, Paramedic/Nurse, or a Nurse/Nurse combination. The need for a Physician/Nurse combination has diminished with more protocol and evidence-based applications for care by nurses and other clinicians and so

1890-575: A paramedic provided from whichever fire department rescue unit has responded. Sometimes the air ambulance may be run as a dual concern with another governmental body - for example, the Wiltshire Air Ambulance was run as a joint Ambulance Service and police unit until 2014. In other cases, the paramedic staffs the aircraft full-time, but has a dual function. In the case of the Maryland State Police, for example,

2016-430: A patient. When this happens, air ambulance aircraft take the call sign MEDEVAC (formerly LIFEGUARD) and receive priority handling in the air and on the ground. As with many Emergency Medical Service (EMS) innovations, treating patients in flight originated in the military. The concept of using aircraft as ambulances is almost as old as powered flight itself. Although balloons were not used to evacuate wounded soldiers at

2142-430: A replacement for the much lighter, largely wooden-airframed Polikarpov Po-2 , which was used in large numbers in both agricultural and utility roles. Antonov designed a large single bay biplane of all-metal construction, with an enclosed cockpit and a cabin with seats for twelve passengers. The first prototype, designated SKh-1 and powered by a Shvetsov ASh-21 radial engine, flew on 31 August 1947. The second prototype

2268-524: A result of the decline in the production of avgas to fuel the type. Private operators are typically still using the An-2s, as their stability, capacity and slow-flying ability has made them relatively popular for some functions, such as for skydiving . Whilst their relatively high noise levels, increasing maintenance costs, high fuel consumption and unsophisticated nature (the pre-flight checks alone take between 30 and 40 minutes) has rendered them obsolete for

2394-556: A salvo of SA-6s at the aircraft. Reportedly, North Korea has operated a number of the AN-2s. The Korean People's Army Special Operation Force is known to use the An-2 to facilitate the infiltration of paratroopers. It has been speculated that in wartime, these aircraft could possibly be used to deliver troops behind enemy lines for sabotage operations. During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war Azerbaijan Forces operated unmanned AN-2 for surveillance and bombing of Armenian defenses, however

2520-520: A similar conclusion: "Patients transported by helicopter to an urban trauma centre ... had improved survival than those arriving by other means of transport." Patient survival is not the only possible measure of patient outcome. In the case of stroke patients, for instance, various outcome measures could be used. There are many considerations in determining whether to dispatch air medical services. Availability, distance and flight conditions are primary considerations. Even when available, an air ambulance

2646-525: A single rotor-wing aircraft based in Toronto. An important difference in the Ontario program involved the emphasis of service. "On scene" calls were taken, although less commonly, and a great deal of the initial emphasis of the program was on the interfacility transfer of critical care patients. Operating today through a private contractor ( ORNGE ), the system operates 33 aircraft stationed at 26 bases across

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2772-892: A standing air ambulance system, as did Siam (Thailand). In 1928 the first formal, full-time air ambulance service was established in the Australian outback . This organization became the Royal Flying Doctor Service and still operates. In 1934, Marie Marvingt established Africa's first civil air ambulance service, in Morocco. In 1936, air ambulance services were established as part of the Highlands and Islands Medical Service to serve more remote areas of Highland Scotland . Air ambulances quickly established their usefulness in remote locations, but their role in developed areas developed more slowly. After World War II ,

2898-617: A three-blade reversible propeller and a 1,100-kilowatt (1,500 shp) Motor Sich MS-14 turboprop running on kerosene rather than Avgas, which is no longer produced in CIS countries. That same year, the company stated that it had received orders for upgrading "hundreds" of the An-2 planes still in operation in Azerbaijan , Cuba and Russia to the An-2-100 upgrade version. The Siberian Research Institute of Aviation (SIBNIA) has test flown

3024-739: A total of 825 lives. One of the most recent accidents occurred around 13:30 on 14 November 2022 in the Everglades , when an An-2, which had been seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection was being transported to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and overturned during a forced landing caused by an engine failure. Both pilots survived. The first known post-WWII act of suicide by pilot was with an An-2. Timofei Shovkunov stole an An-2 and flew it directly into his apartment building in Voroshilovgrad (now Luhansk ) on March 27, 1972, apparently despondent after his wife having left along with his son

3150-827: A typical paramedic, so medical control permits them to exercise more medical decision-making latitude. Assessment skills tend to be considerably higher, and, particularly on inter-facility transfers, permit the inclusion of functions such as reading x-rays and interpretation of lab results. This allows for planning, consultation with supervising physicians, and issuing contingency orders in case they are required during flight. Some systems operate almost entirely off-line, using protocols for almost all procedures and only resorting to on-line medical control when protocols have been exhausted. Some air ambulance operations have full-time, on-site medical directors with pertinent backgrounds (e.g., emergency medicine); others have medical directors who are only available by pager. For those systems operating on

3276-422: A wider coverage area than a land ambulance. This makes them particularly useful in sparsely-populated rural areas. Air medical services have a particular advantage for major trauma injuries. The controversial theory of the golden hour suggests that major trauma patients should be transported as quickly as possible to a specialist trauma center . Therefore, medical responders in a helicopter can provide both

3402-410: Is a specially outfitted helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft that transports injured or sick people in a medical emergency or over distances or terrain impractical for a conventional ground ambulance . Fixed-wing aircraft are also more often used to move patients over long distances and for repatriation from foreign countries. These and related operations are called aeromedical . In some circumstances,

3528-425: Is an increasing trend as state health services agencies address the issues surrounding the safety of emergency medical services flights . Some examples are the states of Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, Utah, and Washington. According to the rationale used to justify the state of Washington's adoption of the accreditation requirements, requiring accreditation of air ambulance services provides assurance that

3654-1114: Is composed of the JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau and the JSC Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, located in Moscow , the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPA), located in Novosibirsk , and the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO), located in Komsomolsk-on-Amur . Sukhoi is headquartered in Moscow. Finmeccanica (since 2017, Leonardo ) owns 25% + 1 share of Sukhoi's civil division. The Russian government merged Sukhoi with Mikoyan , Ilyushin , Irkut , Tupolev , and Yakovlev as

3780-458: Is not always the faster choice in comparison to ground ambulances. Ground ambulances are more numerous and more ubiquitous, so will often be closer to the scene. Ground ambulances can depart their base almost immediately, while air medical services must complete preflight routines prior to departure. A nearby suitable landing site may not be available due to trees, wires, etc. Air medical services tend to have an advantage where ground access routes to

3906-499: Is one pilot and two medical crew is: "3 to go, 1 to say 'NO'". If one flight member is not comfortable with the flight for whatever reason, the flight is cancelled. Some have questioned the safety of air medical services. While the number of crashes may be increasing, the number of programs and use of services has also increased. Factors associated with fatal crashes of medical transport helicopters include flying at night and during bad weather, and postcrash fires. An air ambulance

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4032-482: Is sometimes better to wait for air medical services with a specialized team to transport a patient even though a local land ambulance and an ad hoc local medical team may be able to transfer a patient from a remote hospital to definitive care faster than air ambulance. In the United States, insurance coverage may be a factor. For example, the Coverage Policy Manual for Arkansas Blue Cross BlueShield,

4158-644: Is the An-2T 12-seater passenger aircraft. All versions (other than the An-3 and the An-2-100) are powered by a 750 kW (1,010 hp) nine-cylinder Shvetsov ASh-62 radial engine , which was developed from the Wright R-1820 . The An-2 typically consumes 2.5 L/min (0.66 US gal/min; 0.55 imp gal/min). The Antonov An-2 was designed to meet a 1940s Soviet Ministry of Forestry requirement for

4284-402: Is the single most important factor to be considered when deciding whether to transport a patient by helicopter. Weather, air traffic patterns, and distances (such as from the trauma scene to closest level 1 trauma centre) must also be considered. Another reason for cancelling a flight is based on the comfort of the flight crew with the flight. The general rule of safety is upon the crew, when there

4410-581: The Eastern Front . After the war, Sukhoi and his team were among the first Soviet aircraft designers who led the work on jet aircraft , creating several experimental jet fighters . Sukhoi started developing two mixed-power fighters, the Sukhoi Su-5 and a modification of the Sukhoi Su-6 named Su-7 before 1945. At the start of 1945, the design bureau started working on jet fighters such as

4536-595: The Flying Doctor Service (later the Royal Flying Doctor Service), to provide a wide range of medical services to civilians in remote areas; these included from routine consultations with travelling general practitioners , to air ambulance evacuations and other emergency medical services . Fixed wing military air ambulances came into regular use during World War II. Helicopters became more commonly used for such purposes during

4662-694: The German invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II , the Su-2 needed a successor as it was proved obsolete and under-armed against German aircraft, with 222 aircraft destroyed in total. Sukhoi and his bureau designed a two-seat armored ground-attack aircraft , the Sukhoi Su-6 , considered in some terms to be superior to its competitor, the Ilyushin Il-2 . The government, however later chose

4788-594: The Il-114 passenger turboprop and modernized Ilyushin Il-96 -400 widebody will stay with Ilyushin . The new commercial division will also include the Yakovlev Design Bureau , avionics specialist UAC—Integration Center and composite manufacturer AeroComposit. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC), a developer and manufacturer of SuperJet aircraft, ceased operations as an independent legal entity and became

4914-470: The Korean and Vietnam wars. Later, helicopters were introduced to civilian health care, especially for shorter distances, in and around large cities: transporting paramedics or specialist doctors as needed and transporting patients to hospitals, especially for major trauma cases. Fixed-wing aircraft remained in use for long-distance medical transport. Air medical services can travel faster and operate in

5040-552: The Learjet 35 and 36 , Learjet 31 , King Air 90 , King Air 200 , Pilatus PC-12 & PC-24 , and Piper Cheyenne . Due to the configuration of the medical crew and patient compartments, these aircraft are normally configured to only transport one patient but some can be configured to transport two patients if so needed. Additionally, helicopters have stricter weather minimums that they can operate in and commonly do not fly at altitudes over 10,000 feet above sea level. Beginning in

5166-606: The Second World War . The first use of medevac with helicopters was the evacuation of three British pilot combat casualties by a US Army Sikorsky R-4 in Burma during WW2 , and the first dedicated use of helicopters by U.S. forces occurred during the Korean War , between 1950 and 1953. The French used light helicopters in the First Indochina War . While popularly depicted as simply removing casualties from

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5292-744: The Siege of Paris in 1870, air evacuation was experimented with during the First World War . The first recorded British ambulance flight took place in 1917 in Ottoman Empire when a soldier in the Camel Corps who had been shot in the ankle was flown to hospital in a de Havilland DH9 in 45 minutes. First Recorded Aeromedical Evacuation in the British Army The same journey by land would have taken some 3 days to complete. In

5418-543: The Soviet Union 's first booster aircraft control system, landing braking parachute, catapult ejection seat with telescopic trolley, and a jettisonable nose with a pressurized cockpit. From 1949, Sukhoi fell out of Stalin's favor and in a government resolution, the Sukhoi Design Bureau was scrapped, and Sukhoi was forced to return to work under Andrei Tupolev , this time as Deputy Chief Designer. In 1953,

5544-758: The Sukhoi Su-9 , Sukhoi Su-11 , Sukhoi Su-15 , and the Sukhoi Su-17 , the Sukhoi Su-10 jet bomber , and the reconnaissance and artillery spotter twinjet , the Sukhoi Su-12 . Sukhoi and his team also used the Tupolev Tu-2 bomber to develop and produce the trainer bomber UTB-2, worked on passenger and troop-carrying aircraft, the jet fighter Sukhoi Su-14, and a number of other aircraft. From 1945 to 1950, Sukhoi and his team also developed

5670-944: The United States Air Force , the German Luftwaffe , and the British Royal Air Force . The Swedish National Air Medevac - SNAM is an exception to the military only rule where the system is owned by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap and the 737-800 aircraft is provided under contract when so required by Scandinavian Airlines. Each operates aircraft staffed by physicians, nurses, and corpsmen/technicians, and each can provide long-distance transport with full medical support to dozens of patients simultaneously. However, in recent years, exceptions to

5796-652: The Westpac Bank . In these cases, the operation may vary but is the result of a carefully negotiated agreement between government, EMS, hospitals, and the donor. In most cases, while the sponsor receives advertising exposure in exchange for funding, they take a 'hands-off' approach to daily operations, relying instead on subject matter specialists. In some cases, air ambulance services may be provided by means of voluntary charitable fundraising, as opposed to government funding, or they may receive limited government subsidy to supplement local donations. Some countries, such as

5922-569: The carbon fiber composite wings for Irkut's MC-21 's airframe. Sukhoi is also working on what is to be Russia's fifth-generation stealth fighter , the Sukhoi Su-57 . The maiden flight took place on the 29 January 2010. As of January 2015, Sukhoi is working on a family of the regional airliner: the Sukhoi Superjet 100 , such as the jet airliner Superjet 130 , which would have a seating capacity of 130 to 145 seats, and to bridge

6048-655: The long-range bombers such as the Tupolev TB-1 and the Tupolev TB-3 . In 1936, Joseph Stalin , leader of the Soviet Union , issued a requirement for a multi-role combat aircraft . As a result, Sukhoi and his team developed the BB-1, a reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber in 1937. The BB-1 was approved and under a July 29, 1939 government resolution, the Sukhoi OKB , designated as OKB-51, also known as

6174-520: The "military-only" rule have grown with the need to quickly transport patients to facilities that provide higher levels of care or to repatriate individuals. Air medical companies use both large and small fixed-wing aircraft configured to provide levels of care that can be found in Trauma centres for individuals who subscribe to their own health insurance or affiliated travel insurance and protection plans. In most jurisdictions, air ambulance pilots must have

6300-526: The 1920s several services, both official and unofficial, started up in various parts of the world. Aircraft were still primitive at the time, with limited capabilities, and the effort received mixed reviews. Exploration of the idea continued, however, and France and the United Kingdom used fully organized air ambulance services during the African and Middle Eastern Colonial Wars of the 1920s. In 1920,

6426-668: The 1960s, a single An-2 that was attempting to engage South Vietnamese naval units was shot down by a United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter, under the control of an Air Intercept Controller on the USS ; Long Beach . On 12 January 1968, a clandestine TACAN site ( call sign : Lima Site 85 /Phou Pha Ti) installed by the United States Air Force in Northern Laos for directing USAF warplanes flying from Thailand to Vietnam

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6552-399: The 1990s, the number of air ambulance crashes in the United States, mostly involving helicopters, began to climb. By 2005, this number had reached a record high. Crash rates from 2000 to 2005 more than doubled the previous five year's rates. To some extent, these numbers had been deemed acceptable, as it was understood that the very nature of air ambulance operations meant that, because a life

6678-477: The 45-year production run for the An-2 was for a time the longest ever for any aircraft and challenged the well over two decades-long run of the much lighter, late-1920s origin Polikarpov Po-2 biplane it was intended to replace. The An-2's record was exceeded by the four-turboprop, 1954-origin, Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport. During the early 1980s, Antonov experimented with a development of

6804-463: The An-2 powered by a modern turboprop engine. The unit used was a 1,080-kilowatt (1,450 hp) Glushenkov engine. Aircraft fitted with this engine had a longer, more streamlined nose to accommodate it. It received the designation of Antonov An-3 . During 2013, Antonov announced that it had successfully flown for the first time a new version of the An-2, dubbed the An-2-100 , which was fitted with

6930-791: The An-2 under licence as the Shijiazhuang Y-5 . It has been occasionally and erroneously reported that there was East German production of the An-2; while An-2s often underwent extensive refurbishment in East German facilities, no new aircraft were constructed there. The An-2 is commonly used as a light utility transport, parachute drop aircraft, agricultural work and other tasks suited to a large slow biplane. Its slow flight and good short field performance make it suited for short, unimproved fields, and some specialized variants have also been built for cold weather and other extreme environments. The Guinness Book of World Records states that

7056-436: The An-2s while the second aircraft was forced down by combined ground and air fire, eventually crashing into a mountain. The surviving Antonov returned to its home base, Gia Lam, near Hanoi. During the Croatian War of Independence in 1991, a number of aged An-2 biplanes previously used for crop-spraying were converted by the Croatian Air Force to drop makeshift barrel bombs . They were also used to conduct supply missions to

7182-460: The An-2’s intended replacement. However, certification of that aircraft's Klimov VK-800SM engine is not expected until 2025, with engine deliveries not starting until 2026. The aircraft is popular with air charter companies and small airlines, and is operated by private individuals and companies. [REDACTED]   Transnistria [REDACTED]   Ukraine As of 8 January 2023 there have been 802 An-2 hull-loss accidents, claiming

7308-421: The British, while suppressing the " Mad Mullah " in Somaliland , used an Airco DH.9A fitted out as an air ambulance. It carried a single stretcher under a fairing behind the pilot. The French evacuated over 7,000 casualties during that period. By 1936, an organized military air ambulance service evacuated wounded from the Spanish Civil War for medical treatment in Nazi Germany ; this service continued during

7434-413: The CAHI's AGOS aviation, flying boat aviation and aircraft prototype engineering facility. Under Sukhoi's leadership, the team of the future design bureau started to take shape. The team, under the Tupolev OKB , produced experimental fighters such as the I-3, I-14, and the DIP, a record-breaking RD aircraft, the Tupolev ANT-25 , flown by famous Soviet aviators , Valery Chkalov and Mikhail Gromov , and

7560-407: The CQC together ensuring fundraising, air and clinical operations are in line with national regulation and best practice. The code goes further with an expectation of mutual support and working within its policy and best practice guides. The nature of the air operation frequently determines the type of medical control required. In most cases, an air ambulance staffer is considerably more skilled than

7686-402: The European Union, almost all air ambulance service is on a fee-for-service basis, except for systems that operate by private subscription. Many jurisdictions have a mix of operation types. Fee-for-service operators are generally responsible for their own organization but may have to meet government licensing requirements. Rega of Switzerland is an example of such a service. In some cases,

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7812-506: The Franco-German model, the physician is almost always physically present, and medical control is not an issue. Most aircraft used as air ambulances, with the exception of charter aircraft and some military aircraft, are equipped for advanced life support and have interiors that reflect this. The challenges in most air ambulance operations, particularly those involving helicopters, are the high ambient noise levels and limited amounts of working space, both of which create significant issues for

7938-432: The German system in 1983 when Christophorus 1 entered service at Innsbruck. Also in the year 1975 Hans Burghart, one of the inventor of the civilian air rescue in Germany, presented at one Academic conference in the US the concept "Rescue Helicopters in Primary and Secondary Missions" which had impact for the aviation training at Fort Rucker , Alabama . The first civilian, hospital-based medical helicopter program in

8064-407: The Il-2 over the Su-6, but rewarded Sukhoi a Stalin Prize of the 1st Level for its development in 1943. Sukhoi and this team later focused on development of variants of the Su-2, the prototype cannon-armed Sukhoi Su-1 (Su-3) fighter, as well as the Sukhoi Su-8 , which to serve as a long-range ground-attack aircraft for the Soviet Air Forces , but was later discarded as the Soviet Union was winning

8190-439: The Irkut Corporation shall resume the continuity of business in the areas of development, production and aftersales support of the aircraft," - it is stated on corporate website in the section "Company". In June 2023 patents for a new design of a single engine Su-75 stealth fighter were filed, given the codename checkmate the design work has taken 3 years and test aircraft are under construction. On 23 February 2024, smoke

8316-443: The John S. Dunn Helistop, one of the busiest helipads in the world, with space for four helicopters. A final area of distinction is the operation of large, generally fixed-wing air ambulances. In the past, the infrequency of civilian demand for such a service confined such operations to the military, which requires them to support overseas combat operations. Military organizations capable of this type of specialized operation include

8442-428: The Novosibirsk Aviation Plant. Sukhoi says the design change improved the speed of the An-2 by 50%, and testing also has shown the minimum flying speed of the aircraft is "close to zero". The Antonov An-2 is a mass-produced single-engine biplane that has been commonly used as a utility and agricultural aircraft. It is deliberately furnished with a minimum of complex systems. The crucial wing leading edge slats that give

8568-594: The Polish Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR) are examples of this type of operating system. The Polish LPR is a national system covering the entire country and funded by the government through the Ministry of Health but run independently, there is no independent HEMS operator in Poland . In North East Ohio, including Cleveland , the Cuyahoga County -owned MetroHealth Medical Center uses its Metro Life Flight to transport patients to Metro's level I trauma and burn unit. There are 5 helicopters for North East Ohio and, in addition, Metro Life Flight has one fixed-wing aircraft. In

8694-543: The Saskatchewan government in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, established the first civilian air ambulance in North America. The Saskatchewan government had to consider remote communities and great distances in providing health care to its citizens. The Saskatchewan Air Ambulance service continues to be active as of 2023. J. Walter Schaefer founded the first air ambulance service in the U.S., in 1947, in Los Angeles. The Schaefer Air Service operated as part of Schaefer Ambulance Service . Two research programs were implemented in

8820-459: The Soviet era, the An-2 was used as a short-range airliner in Estonia , performing regular flights between the towns of Kuressaare and Kärdla , which reside on separate islands, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa . Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the various communist states of Eastern Europe, most airlines in these regions have been withdrawing their An-2s from service. This is due to some of these aircraft being over 40 years old, as well as

8946-402: The Sukhoi Design Bureau, was developed in order to set up production for the aircraft. The BB-1 was introduced and later adopted by the Soviet Air Forces in the same year. A year later, the BB-1 was later designated the Sukhoi Su-2 . A total of 910 Su-2 aircraft were built. The resolution also made Sukhoi chief designer, gave Sukhoi's team of the design bureau standalone status and relocation of

9072-559: The U.K., use a mix of such systems. In Scotland, the parliament has voted to fund air ambulance service directly, through the Scottish Ambulance Service. In England and Wales, however, the service is funded on a charitable basis via a number of local charities for each region covered. Great strides have been made in the UK, with the 'Association of Air Ambulance (AAA)'. This organization is widely credited for having created

9198-474: The U.S. to assess the impact of medical helicopters on mortality and morbidity in the civilian arena. Project CARESOM was established in Mississippi in 1969. Three helicopters were purchased through a federal grant and located strategically in the north, central, and southern areas of the state. Upon termination of the grant, the program was considered a success and each of the three communities were given

9324-540: The United Kingdom, the Scottish Ambulance Service operates two helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft twenty-four hours per day. In some jurisdictions, cost is a major consideration, and the presence of dedicated air ambulances is simply not practical. In these cases, the aircraft may be operated by another government or quasi-government agency and made available to EMS for air ambulance service when required. In southern New South Wales, Australia,

9450-540: The United States began operation in 1972. Flight For Life Colorado began with a single Alouette III helicopter, based at St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, Colorado. In Ontario, Canada, the air ambulance program began in 1977, and featured a paramedic-based system of care, with the presence of physicians or nurses being relatively unusual. The system, operated by the Ontario Ministry of Health, began with

9576-517: The United States, includes the requirement for an air ambulance company to own and operate its own aircraft. Some air ambulance companies, realizing it is virtually impossible to have the correct medicalized aircraft for every mission, instead charter aircraft based on the mission-specific requirements. While in principle CAMTS accreditation is voluntary, a number of government jurisdictions require companies providing medical transportation services to have CAMTS accreditation to be licensed to operate. This

9702-434: The aircraft its slow flight ability are fully automatic, being held closed by the airflow over the wings. Once the airspeed drops below 64 km/h (40 mph), the slats will extend because they are on elastic rubber springs. Under typical conditions, the take-off is complete within 170 m (560 ft) while the landing run requires 215 m (705 ft); these figures will vary dependent upon various factors, such as

9828-412: The aircraft's take-off/landing weight, the external air temperature, surface roughness, and headwind . The An-2 is equipped with various design features which make it suitable for operation in remote areas with unsurfaced airstrips. It is fitted with a pneumatic brake system (similar to those used on heavy road vehicles) to stop on short runways, along with an air line attached to the compressor , so

9954-423: The airplane will sink at about a parachute descent rate until the aircraft hits the ground." As such, pilots of the An-2 have stated that they are capable of flying the aircraft in full control at 48 km/h (30 mph) (as a contrast, a Cessna four-seater light aircraft has a stall speed of around 80 km/h (50 mph)). This slow stall speed makes it possible for the aircraft to fly backwards relative to

10080-634: The battlefield (which they did), helicopters in the Korean War also moved critical patients to hospital ships after initial emergency treatment in field hospitals. Knowledge and expertise of use of air ambulances evolved parallel to the aircraft themselves. By 1969, in Vietnam , the use of specially trained medical corpsmen and helicopter air ambulances led U.S. researchers to determine that servicemen wounded in battle had better rates of survival than motorists injured on California freeways. This inspired

10206-552: The blaze. A four-year-old and two six-year-old children were killed at the scene from burns. Another four-year-old child died eight days later as a result of burns. In total, 11 residents were injured as a result of fire burns. Serkov's ex-wife (and her parents) and his toddler son were not injured in the incident. Data from Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Air ambulance Air medical services are

10332-462: The border with Ukraine , it was speculated that the aircraft are to be used as part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . Over the years, dozens of nations and companies alike have employed the An-2 in civil roles. The type was heavily used throughout the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc nations; in particular, Russian airline Aeroflot has operated a large number of the An-2s. During

10458-593: The bureau to the Production Aircraft Plant No. 135 in Kharkov , Ukrainian SSR . However, Sukhoi was not satisfied with its location, since it was isolated from the scientific pole of Moscow . Sukhoi later relocated the bureau to the aerodrome of Podmoskovye in Moscow, completing half of the relocation by 1940. Sukhoi encountered another issue: the bureau had no production line in Moscow, thus making it useless as Sukhoi had nothing to do. During

10584-644: The company. The progress made by the new branch would lead to the development of the utility aircraft, the Su-80 , and the agricultural aircraft, the Su-38 , less than a decade later. In 1996, the government re-gathered the major part of them forming Sukhoi Aviation Military Industrial Combine ( Sukhoi AIMC ). In parallel, other entities, including Ulan Ude factory, Tbilisi factory, Belarus and Ukraine factories, established alternate transnational Sukhoi Attack Aircraft (planning to produce e.g. Su-25 TM). The Sukhoi AIMC

10710-453: The day before. He was the lone casualty. In the third known post-WWII act of suicide by pilot , on September 26, 1976, Russian national Vladimir Serkov made an unauthorized takeoff with an An-2 (Reg # USSR-79868) from Novosibirsk-Severny Airport . He crashed it into the stairwell of an apartment complex at Stepnaya st., house 43 / 1, where his ex-wife's parents lived, in an attempt to kill his ex-wife. After completing two laps around

10836-726: The evolving Emergency Medical Services. As the concept was proven, dedicated civilian air ambulances began to appear. On November 1, 1970, the first permanent civil air ambulance helicopter, Christoph 1 , entered service at the Hospital of Harlaching , Munich, Germany. The apparent success of Christoph 1 led to a quick expansion of the concept across Germany, with Christoph 10 entering service in 1975, Christoph 20 in 1981, and Christoph 51 in 1989. As of 2007, there are about 80 helicopters named after Saint Christopher , like Christoph Europa 5 (also serving Denmark), Christoph Brandenburg or Christoph Murnau am Staffelsee . Austria adopted

10962-498: The feasibility of using military helicopters to augment existing civilian emergency medical services. These programs were highly successful at establishing the need for such services. The remaining challenge was in how such services could be operated most cost-effectively. In many cases, as agencies, branches, and departments of the civilian governments began to operate aircraft for other purposes, these aircraft were frequently pressed into service to provide cost-effective air support to

11088-499: The first experiments with the use of civilian paramedics in the world. The US military recently employed UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to provide air ambulance service during the Iraq War to military personnel and civilians. The use of military aircraft as battlefield ambulances continues to grow and develop today in a variety of countries, as does the use of fixed-wing aircraft for long-distance travel, including repatriation of

11214-621: The flight paramedic is a serving State Trooper whose job is to act as the Observer Officer on a police helicopter when not required for medical emergencies. In many cases, local jurisdictions do not charge for air ambulance service, particularly for emergency calls. However, the cost of providing air ambulance services is considerable and many, including government-run operations, charge for service. Organizations such as service aircraft charter companies, hospitals, and some private-for-profit EMS systems generally charge for service. Within

11340-742: The gap of Russian aircraft between the Superjet Stretch and the Irkut MC-21 . At the end of November 2018, United Aircraft Corporation transferred SCAC from Sukhoi to the Irkut Corporation, to become UAC's airliner division, as Leonardo S.p.A. pulled out in early 2017 because of Superjet's poor financial performance. Irkut will manage the Superjet 100 , the MC-21 and the Russo-Chinese CR929 widebody, but

11466-473: The ground responder's ability to determine whether the patient's condition warrants air medical transport. Protocols and training must be developed to ensure appropriate triage criteria are applied. Excessively stringent criteria can prevent rapid care and transport of trauma victims; relaxed criteria can result in the patient being unnecessarily exposed to the potential dangers of dangerous weather conditions or other aviation-related risks. Crew and patient safety

11592-600: The ground: if the aircraft is pointed into a headwind of roughly 56 km/h (35 mph), it will travel backwards at 8 km/h (5 mph) whilst under full control. The An-2's ability, looks and flying characteristics, and its status as one of the world's biggest single-engined production biplanes, mean that demand for the An-2 is increasing in Western Europe and the United States, where they are prized by collectors of classic aircraft, making it an increasingly common sight at airshows. Many western countries prohibit

11718-589: The helicopter that responds as an air ambulance is actually operated by the local hydroelectric utility, with the New South Wales Ambulance Service providing paramedics, as required. In some cases, local EMS provides the flight paramedic to the aircraft operator as-needed. In the case of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the helicopters are brush fire choppers also configured as air ambulances with

11844-399: The hospital are congested and for locations more distant from hospitals. In some situations, it may be desirable to dispatch a ground ambulance that can arrive on the scene first to provide immediate patient care, and an air ambulance to transport the patient(s) to a trauma center. It also should be borne in mind that faster may not always be better. In the context of interhospital transport, it

11970-428: The improvement of government standards and CAMTS accreditation. Whilst some air ambulances do have effective methods of funding, in England, they remain almost entirely charity funded, as improved cost-benefit ratios are generally achieved with land-based attendance and transfers. Health outcomes, for example from London's Helicopter Emergency Medical Service , remain uncertain. Although cost-effectiveness may be

12096-487: The inclusion of respiratory therapists in all modes of air transport is becoming more prominent. Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company ( Russian : ПАО «Компания „Сухой“» , Russian pronunciation: [sʊˈxoj] ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet ), headquartered in Begovoy District , Northern Administrative Okrug , Moscow , that designs both civilian and military aircraft. It

12222-597: The increased number of car accidents in 1979 on highways , the Yugoslavian government made a decision to buy new or redistribution of use of old helicopters. Air ambulance service, sometimes called Aeromedical Evacuation or simply Medevac , is provided by a variety of different sources in different places in the world. There are a number of reasonable methods of differentiating types of air ambulance services. These include military / civilian models and services that are government -funded, fee-for-service, donated by

12348-472: The majority of commercial routes in Europe, the large number of aircraft available means that unit prices are especially low in comparison to contemporaries (being available from as little as US$ 30,000 for a serviceable example). The price factor has made them highly attractive for continued use in the developing world , where their ability to carry large loads into short airstrips makes them assets to airlines on

12474-489: The medical profession. Other U.S. states require either CAMTS accreditation or a demonstrated equivalent, such as Rhode Island, and Texas, which has adopted CAMTS' Accreditation Standards (Sixth Edition, October 2004) as its own. In Texas, an operator not wishing to become CAMTS accredited must submit to an equivalent survey by state auditors who are CAMTS-trained. Virginia and Oklahoma have also adopted CAMTS accreditation standards as their state licensing standards. While

12600-735: The opportunity to continue the helicopter operation. Only the one located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi did so, and it was therefore established as the first civilian air medical program in the United States. The second program, the Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) system, was established in Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio in 1969. This was an experiment by the Department of Transportation to study

12726-644: The original intent of CAMTS was to provide an American standard, air ambulance services in a number of other countries, including three in Canada and one in South Africa, have voluntarily submitted themselves to CAMTS accreditation. In the UK, the AAA has a Code of Conduct that binds one of the most regulated areas of operation together. It brings the Fundraising Standards Board, CAA / EASA and

12852-509: The patient) for air ambulance attended patients compared to those attended by a land ambulance. The same review found patient did not arrive at hospital any quicker when attended by an air ambulance. When the same authors looked at health outcomes in Cornwall and London they found no evidence that the attendance of an air ambulance (HEMS) service improved survival in trauma patients. Effective use of helicopter services for trauma depends on

12978-529: The political climate that made the helicopter industry and National Health Service recognise the enormous contribution charities make to trauma care in the United Kingdom. In 2013, the AAA published the "Framework for a High Performing Air Ambulance Service" which details many of the developments from 2008 to 2013. In recent years, the service has moved towards the physician-paramedic model of care. This has necessitated some charities commissioning clinical governance services, however many air ambulances operate under

13104-411: The pressure in the tires and shock absorbers can be adjusted without the need for installing specialised equipment. The batteries, while sizable, are relatively easy to remove, so the aircraft does not need a ground power unit to supply power for starting the engine. Likewise, there is no need for an external fuel pump to refuel the aircraft as it is provided with an inbuilt onboard pump, which allows

13230-431: The primary means of transportation between communities is by boat. Early in aviation history, many of these communities began to rely on civilian "bush" pilots, who fly small aircraft and transport supplies, mail, and visiting doctors or nurses. Bush pilots probably performed the first civilian air ambulance trips, albeit on an ad hoc basis—but clearly, a need for these services existed. In the early 1920s, Sweden established

13356-423: The province, performing both interfacility transfers and on-scene responses in support of ground-based EMS. Today, across the world, the presence of civilian air ambulances has become commonplace and is seen as a much-needed support for ground-based EMS systems. In other countries of Europe, like SFR Yugoslavia , first air ambulance appeared in the 1980s. Most of the fleet was previously used in military service. With

13482-660: The provision of ongoing care. While equipment tends to be high-level and very conveniently grouped, it may not be possible to perform some assessment procedures, such as chest auscultation , while in flight. In some types of aircraft, the aircraft's design means that the entire patient is not physically accessible in flight. Additional issues occur with respect to pressurization of the aircraft. Not all aircraft used as air ambulances in all jurisdictions have pressurized cabins and those that do typically tend to be pressurized to only 10,000 feet above sea level. These pressure changes require advanced knowledge by flight staff with respect to

13608-552: The remaining models is explored separately. This information applies to air ambulance systems performing emergency service. In almost all jurisdictions, private aircraft charter companies provide non-emergency air ambulance service on a fee-for-service basis. In some cases, governments provide air ambulance services, either directly or via a negotiated contract with a commercial service provider, such as an aircraft charter company. Such services may focus on critical care patient transport, support ground-based EMS on scenes, or may perform

13734-428: The same aircraft may be used to search for missing or wanted people. Like ground ambulances, air ambulances are equipped with medical equipment vital to monitoring and treating injured or ill patients. Common equipment for air ambulances includes medications , ventilators , ECGs and monitoring units, CPR equipment, and stretchers . A medically staffed and equipped air ambulance provides medical care in flight—while

13860-408: The scene, Serkov attempted to pilot the plane to the parents' apartment where his wife and two-year-old son were visiting. The aircraft pierced the stairwell between the 3rd and 4th floors, and being fueled with 800 liters of gasoline, ignited a large fire inside the stairwell that ultimately spread to damage 30 total apartments. Firefighters were on scene in five minutes, taking 57 minutes to extinguish

13986-429: The service meets national public safety standards. The accreditation is done by professionals who are qualified to determine air ambulance safety. In addition, compliance with accreditation standards is checked on a continual basis by the accrediting organization. Accreditation standards are periodically revised to reflect the dynamic, changing environment of medical transport, with considerable input from all disciplines of

14112-550: The specifics of aviation medicine, including changes in physiology and the behaviour of gases. There are a large variety of helicopter makes that are used for the civilian HEMS models. The commonly used types are the Bell 206 , 407 , and 429 , Eurocopter AS350 , BK117 , EC130 , EC135 , EC145 , and the Agusta Westland 109 , 169 & 139 , MD Explorer and Sikorsky S-76. Fixed-wing aircraft varieties commonly include

14238-448: The tanks to be filled from simple fuel drums. According to the operating handbook, the An-2 has no stall speed. A note from the pilot's handbook reads: "If the engine quits in instrument conditions or at night, the pilot should pull the control column full aft and keep the wings level. The leading-edge slats will snap out at about 64 km/h (40 mph) and when the airplane slows to a forward speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph),

14364-606: The tasking ambulances services clinical governance. The AAA now publishes Best Practice Guidance on a range of operational and clinical functions and provides a code of conduct that all full members, both ambulance services and charities must uphold. Memorial Hermann Life Flight is a not-for-profit hospital-based critical care air ambulance service in Houston , Texas , USA. As of 2023, it operates six EC-145 twin-engine helicopters. The service relies on community support and fundraising efforts. Memorial Hermann Life Flight operates from

14490-420: The town of Vukovar and other besieged parts of Croatia. The chief advantage for the An-2 was that they could take off and land in small or improvised airstrips. They were also frequently used to drop supplies by parachute on isolated garrisons. At least one AN-2 was shot down on 2 December 1991 over Vinkovci , eastern Slavonia , by a Serbian surface to air missile (SAM) emplacement which purportedly launched

14616-402: The type of the drone was unknown as of October 2020. Armenian forces revealed footage of the alleged shootdown of an Azerbaijani An-2, according to video evidence at least 11 An-2 have been destroyed, with 10 confirmed as shot down and one crashing after takeoff. On March 2, 2022, Russian An-2s were observed being stationed at Seshcha Air Base , Bryansk Oblast . As the base is situated close to

14742-484: The use of aircraft, including both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to provide various kinds of urgent medical care, especially prehospital, emergency and critical care to patients during aeromedical evacuation and rescue operations. During World War I , air transport was used to provide medical evacuation – either from frontline areas or the battlefield itself. In 1928, in Australia, John Flynn founded

14868-401: The use of the An-2 commercially because the aircraft has not been certified by the relevant national aviation authorities. These restrictions vary by country, but all prevent the An-2 being used for any 'for profit' purpose, with the exception of the United States, where An-2s imported since 1993 are limited to experimental certification, but PZL-built An-2s are exempt from this restriction due to

14994-601: The wounded. Currently, a NATO working group is investigating unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs) for casualty evacuation. The first civilian uses of aircraft as ambulances were probably incidental. In northern Canada, Australia, and in Scandinavian countries, remote, sparsely populated settlements are often inaccessible by road for months at a time, or even year-round. In some places in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway,

15120-428: The year of Stalin's death, he was permitted to re-establish his own Sukhoi Design Bureau, set up with new production facilities. After the collapse of the Soviet Union , each of the multitude of bureaus and factories producing Sukhoi components was privatized independently. In the early 1990s, Sukhoi started to diversify its products and initiated Sukhoi Civil Aircraft to create a line of civil aviation projects for

15246-470: Was attacked by three North Vietnamese An-2s. A pair of An-2s fired on the outpost using a mixture of machine guns and rockets while a third An-2 orbited overhead to survey the assault. An Air America Bell UH-1 B, XW-PHF that had been resupplying the site gave chase to the two attacking aircraft. Using an AK-47 , the American crew (Ted Moore Captain, Glen Wood Kicker) succeeded in shooting down one of

15372-575: Was at State Factory 464 at Dolgoprudniy, Russian SFSR . After 1960, most An-2s were constructed at Poland's WSK factory in Mielec ; it is believed that over 13,000 aircraft were built in Poland before principal manufacturing activity ended during 1991. Up until 2001, limited production was undertaken using remaining stocks of components, spares and maintenance coverage, such as a small batch of four aircraft that were produced for Vietnam. China also builds

15498-549: Was at stake, air ambulances would often operate on the very edge of their safety envelopes, going on missions in conditions where no other civilian pilot would fly. As a result, nearly fifty percent of all EMS personnel deaths in the United States occur in air ambulance crashes. In 2006, the United States National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ) concluded that many air ambulances crashes were avoidable, eventually leading to

15624-485: Was fitted with a more powerful Shvetsov ASh-62 engine, which allowed the aircraft's payload to be significantly increased from 1,300 to 2,140 kg (2,870 to 4,720 lb), and in this form it was ordered into production. Initial Soviet production was at State Factory 473 in Kiev , Ukrainian SSR , where the bulk of up to 5,000 units had been produced by 1960. Later Soviet production (after 1965, of model An-2M especially)

15750-561: Was founded in the Soviet Union by Pavel Sukhoi in 1939 as the Sukhoi Design Bureau ( OKB-51 , design office prefix Su ). During February 2006, the Russian government merged Sukhoi with Mikoyan , Ilyushin , Irkut , Tupolev , and Yakovlev as a new company named United Aircraft Corporation . In March 1930, nine years prior to the creation of the bureau, Pavel Sukhoi , an aerospace engineer , took over team no. 4 of

15876-469: Was seen emerging from a warehouse located on the site of Sukhoi Design Bureau's headquarters in Moscow . On 14 June 2024, another fire, this time more serious, broke out in a different building at the same site in Moscow, collapsing the roof of the latter. An area of some 800 square meters was destroyed. However officials said that the building wasn't in use at the time. Over 70 firefighters and 25 units were used to put out this fire. Members are elected by

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