Jet Rescue flies through the winter season!

Scottsdale Arizona - Jet Rescue Air Ambulance is a company that provides domestic and worldwide air ambulance service, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The company provides specialized medical teams to critically ill and injured patients anywhere in the world and has the capability to organize the most complex repatriation missions.

Many people ask themselves how an air ambulance copes with difficult weather circumstances such as we are seeing this winter. Fast moving fronts, ice fog, strong winds, snow and flat light conditions are part of the winter period. These conditions require careful planning in order to minimize their effects. For these kinds of conditions special winter operating procedures are in place. Let us have a look at both take-off and landing as this is regarded by most people as the most delicate part of flying and aircraft

Take-off
Before an air ambulance aircraft takes off, the second officer checks if there is ice on the wings and reports his findings to the air ambulance captain. For take-off it is necessary to have the wings clear of ice or anything that will adhere to the wing and cause a reduction in lift or alter the aerodynamics of the wing. In case ice was found on the wings the captain calls in the ground crew for de-icing the air ambulance.

After a call from the air ambulance captain the ground crew heads to the air ambulance and de-ices the airplane with heated de-icing fluid which consists of Ethylene or Propylene Glycol, diluted with water. This special fluid is sprayed, under high pressure, onto the air ambulance to melt the frost, ice and snow. Once the airplane is de-iced, the air ambulance is ready for take-off. The de-icing takes place about 15 minutes before take-off.

Landing
In winter conditions the runway surface can be very treacherous. Before landing advanced information about the current conditions of the runway surface is obtained by our air ambulance captain.

When landing is in process, visibility is of the upmost importance. The air ambulance co-pilots` job is to monitor the aircraft instruments. He is in charge of making sure that the control navigation system is working correctly. The air ambulance captain is in charge of monitoring the instruments until the aircraft gets near visibility minimums. If the runway lights are in sight, and the aircraft is due to snow or rain at or above visibility minimums, the air ambulance captain will disconnect the autopilot and land the air ambulance manually.

Winter conditions such as ice fog and snow can only make flying dangerous if winter operating procedures are not in place. If you choose Jet Rescue Air Ambulance as your air ambulance provider the patient is guaranteed a smooth and safe flight, no matter what season we`re in!