LIFEGUARD

Any aircraft used where we fly will need a fuel stop. In this circumstance it was someone who was what we call HTD (home to die). But we still want to get her there alive. The last second on call lifeguard runs we do are the bad ones. No fuel stop required but they could pass on the flight. And that does happen. Drunk driving, car wrecks, burn victims, you name it. The plane is rocking because you have the guy or gal code on you in tge back and the medics are going crazy. It's this. If you hear lifeguard pull back the power man. Were gonna be quick to get on the ground and quick to get back out. Think if your dad was on vacation, he has cancer but wanted to stay warm for the winter. He comes down, takes a turn for tge worse. You live in MO. Would you want him home as fast as possible?
 
Erik1010 said:
I fly "lifeguard" and "compassion" fairly often and I have never had a situation like yours. I would of definitely had some words with them once I landed.
Aircraft are tagged "lifeguard" and "compassion" for a reason.
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Pretty much agreed...a distinction should be drawn between expeditious handling and an emergency, but cutting off a LIFEGUARD on final is pretty much a ...(think anatomically low)... move. I'll be getting out of the way, but it's entirely possible that these guys did not know better - not looking to make excuses for ignorance but: regretfully, not everyone is as well-read on air traffic control and procedures...Chapter 4 of the AIM isn't exactly thrilling reading, but it's important reading.

As a pilot, I don't know what the circumstances are on the LifeGuard aircraft...I just know there is someone on that plane that is sick/injured and I don't need to impede them.
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Flights using the "LIFEGUARD" call sign are entitled to priority handling by Air Traffic Control.
It is only intended for those missions of an urgent medical nature and to be utilized only for that portion of the flight requiring expeditious handling.
...
Civilian air ambulance flights responding to medical emergencies (first call to an accident scene, carrying patients, organ donors, organs, or other urgently needed lifesaving medical material) will be expedited by ATC when necessary. When expeditious handling is necessary, add the word "LIFEGUARD" in the remarks section of the flight plan. In radio communications, use the call sign "LIFEGUARD" followed by the aircraft registration letters/numbers.
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FAA Order 7110.65, Air Traffic Control, further states --
2-1-4 OPERATIONAL PRIORITY
Provide air traffic control service to an aircraft on a "first come, first served" basis...except the following:
...
(a) An aircraft in distress has the right of way over all other air traffic.
(b) Provide priority to civilian air ambulance flights "LIFEGUARD." Air carrier/taxi usage of the "LIFEGUARD" call sign, indicates that operational priority is requested. When verbally requested, provide priority to...scheduled air carrier/air taxi flights. Assist the pilots of air ambulance/evacuation aircraft to avoid areas of significant weather and turbulent conditions. When requested by a pilot, provide notifications to expedite ground handling of patients, vital organs, or urgently needed medical materials.
Note -
It is recognized that heavy traffic flow may affect the controller's ability to provide priority handling...without compromising safety, good judgment shall be used in each situation to facilitate the most expeditious movement of a lifeguard aircraft.
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I'll be getting out of your way so as to avoid an undue delay if you're using "LIFEGUARD", "COMPASSION" or "AIR/MED EVAC," but not everyone stays up reading FAA publications neither.
 
mshunter said:
You're probably right. It's just hard to keep my mouth shut in a situation like this.
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I hear you on that one. I almost ran a guy over when shooting an approach. It was a 1000 and 3 and this idiot messing around in the pattern and not talking to anyone.... I almost run him over and go missed. I get on the ground 20 min later and find him in the FBO...I got every excuse in the book from the old guy on how a radio isn't required, he's lower, he's slower, blah blah blah... After about 3 minutes of his tirade of excused I just walked away....It wasn't worth my time. Sent hit name and tail number in on a NASA report....

I_Money said:
Although I agree with giving a lifeguard flight the courtesy of being a priority - I do not think your comment about it being life vs death is particularly accurate. If time is that important why use equipment that requires a fuel stop.
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As said before, it could be that was the only asset at that time. The only plane that could fit field XYZ... Also I have seen patients stable one minute for transport and go south in a hurry the next. There is only so much flight nurses can do in flight. That refueling delay could cause problems later on down the road. Something someone does now could have unintended consequences hours down the road.
 
Not to break this down and point fingers, but did you JUST say lifeguard 1234 or lifeguard cessna 1234? Just saying, to someone who has crappy radios it may come across as learjet or something that sounds similar to lifeguard but (coincidentally) both pilots thought was an aircraft type....
 
I was flying as a Lifeguard flight one night in the Saab and the Lifeguard item weighed 300 lbs. In flight we got to checking the paperwork and it said human heart. We were thinking it was a typo (the weight) until the huge box comes off the plane. It was a mechanical heart of some type and all the extra parts and tooling. Airport ops was there and ripped us new one for being a lifeguard flight for that. Like I am supposed to know....Just went by how dispatch filed us.

What are the exact regs on being a lifeguard flight?
 
Bandit_Driver said:
I was flying as a Lifeguard flight one night in the Saab and the Lifeguard item weighed 300 lbs. In flight we got to checking the paperwork and it said human heart. We were thinking it was a typo (the weight) until the huge box comes off the plane. It was a mechanical heart of some type and all the extra parts and tooling. Airport ops was there and ripped us new one for being a lifeguard flight for that. Like I am supposed to know....Just went by how dispatch filed us.

What are the exact regs on being a lifeguard flight?
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Transporting live human organs (or mechanical in your case) DEFINATELY fit the bill as being a lifeguard flight!

Since when does "airport ops" have any say in how we file a flight plan?! Just tell them theres some FOD on taxiway B.. haha
 
Some guys are idiots... and when you think about it, putting the power to the wall probably caused them to burn more gas in that time than pulling it back and letting you in first.
 
SIUav8er said:
Transporting live human organs (or mechanical in your case) DEFINATELY fit the bill as being a lifeguard flight!

Since when does "airport ops" have any say in how we file a flight plan?! Just tell them theres some FOD on taxiway B.. haha
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I agree, today I probably would have gone toe to toe with ops but back in the Saab days I was a green FO when it happened.
 
I understand the courtesy but I wish pilots worried less about the patients living and dying and just flew the aircraft exactly the same as if they were flying FedEx boxes. The medical crews are in the back to care for the patient, if the pilot feels rushed in the slightest it can cascade into a much worse than a patient dying on board. I was chatting with one old time pilot and the pressures of being rushed - he said he told one crew early who asked him to hurry up - he said 'I will fly the helicopter differently for sicker patients, if your patient will get better if I have bad weather, a busy flight load of other problems with my helicopter' - I think it seperates the worlds into easily understand sides. The flight portion can not be augmented regardless of the patients condition -

Most medivac helicopters also do not go lifeguard - the only time I have ever heard it was when we had a child arrest in the back - the pilot announced it and the controllers replied 'Roger that must be a sick one' - the pilots in the last 10 years had only requested lifeguard status one other time.
 
I_Money said:
Most medivac helicopters also do not go lifeguard - the only time I have ever heard it was when we had a child arrest in the back - the pilot announced it and the controllers replied 'Roger that must be a sick one' - the pilots in the last 10 years had only requested lifeguard status one other time.
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True, but EMS helos are treated with de facto lifeguard status most of the time anyway.
 
I_Money said:
Most medivac helicopters also do not go lifeguard - the only time I have ever heard it was when we had a child arrest in the back - the pilot announced it and the controllers replied 'Roger that must be a sick one' - the pilots in the last 10 years had only requested lifeguard status one other time.
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How many Medevac helo's are IFR? Thats where being lifeguard comes into play. You get direct almost anywhere and they will give you priority whenever possible.

Any VFR helicopter already gets that and doesnt have to worry about the line up of IFR traffic trying to get in and out of a busy terminal area
 
I have flown air ambulance as well and this sort of thing happens a lot at smaller airports. After a while of thinking these people are just! I realized that there are sooooooo many pilots out there who just don't know the meaning of "Lifeguard". Instead of saying lifeguard 1234 when flying into these places we said air ambulance 1234. That got the job done. Funny, maybe if we replace the white strobes with alternating red and blue and install a PA system and have the FO scream into the mic....
 
FriendlySkies said:
I have flown air ambulance as well and this sort of thing happens a lot at smaller airports. After a while of thinking these people are just! I realized that there are sooooooo many pilots out there who just don't know the meaning of "Lifeguard". Instead of saying lifeguard 1234 when flying into these places we said air ambulance 1234. That got the job done. Funny, maybe if we replace the white strobes with alternating red and blue and install a PA system and have the FO scream into the mic....
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"You there in the 182! Clear the right of way!"
 
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