LifeFlight choppers are common, especially here in the Valley; Sanford LifeFlight uses their helicopters frequently, flying 600-700 times a year just out of Fargo.
It can be a dangerous job. In early December, a LifeFlight helicopter crashed outside of Chicago killing all three on board; less than a month later, two other medical choppers crashed on January 2, just eight hours apart. One crashed in Oklahoma, injuring all four on board; the other, in Iowa, killed the three-person crew.
So, how are Fargo crews staying safe?
Tim Meyer, Director of Sanford Emergency Air Transport: "Everyday we get requests, and we turn a lot of those flights down based on the weather, because we have to be perfect every time, and operating in Fargo for nearly thirty years we have been perfect. "
Meyer accredits their successful track record to experienced crews and a helicopter with some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art technology. Sanford LifeFlight flies the EC-145, equipped with night vision goggles, forward projection radar, and even satellite weather radar to monitor conditions in-flight.
Chad Erickson, Lead Sanford Life Flight Pilot: "Weather and the ability to interpolate weather is probably the most important thing we do; second is being able to assign a risk value to the different types of flights we accomplish."
Sanford currently flies out of Fargo, Sioux Falls, and Bemidji, and has plans to add a helicopter in Bismarck.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and Valley News Live. All Rights Reserved. 
