I heard something on our local news about a rise in air ambulance crashes. Some internet investigating reveals a cluster of stories about this increase in crashes. It’s either a significant problem (one article reports “more than double the previous five years”) or a series of unfortunate incidents but not numerically serious (another article: “four fatal crashes have happened in less than six months.”). The FAA has proposed that air ambulances be equipped with more technological advancements to aid in low-level and poor visibility flight. Pilots have been interviewed for suggestions, but the pilots are for the most part trained during National Guard service and then receive additional flight training before climbing into an air ambulance. Clearly these people are expert pilots.

We have a large increase in the number of crashes but it’s still not enough that the entire situation is being examined. I think it needs a lot better input than increasing technology, otherwise the problem could grow exponentially if there’s another fault yet to be discovered. Given the number of people saved through the use of these helicopters, and the level of dedication and professionalism the crews and pilots must have to risk their lives to save others, each crash should be extremely important. Perhaps the FAA will continue to help in resolving this issue.

I address this topic due to a discussion I had regarding air ambulances about 20 years ago. Since I lived near three hospitals, I was awed by the pilots’ skills when flying around buildings, power lines and other obstructions. Those helicopters would come roaring in and land in seemingly impossible spots. After some inquiries, I learned that the pilots were veterans of the Vietnam War. They had flown in impossible conditions while encountering enemy fire. How could that skill set possibly be reproduced? That train of thought led to my comment that there may be a problem in the future. The Vietnam-era pilots will eventually retire (as they have). This would result in a shortage of combat pilots – of course the military still uses helicopters, but they are not the same type of aircraft as what would likely be found in air ambulance service. Current military helicopters are well advanced from their civilian counterparts, and the frequency of military flight into direct fire in jungle settings must be very low.