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Dial 1-800-321-7828 to request emergency transport. Scene call information available here. |
Stanford Life Flight is Northern California's premier flight and critical care transport program
Stanford Life Flight's Aviation Partner and Part 135 Certificate Holder
Based at Stanford Hospital, we provide transport solutions for critically ill and injured patients to hospitals throughout the region. Built on Stanford's reputation for excellence and quality outcomes , Life Flight continues to raise the bar in care of patients in the pre-hospital environment.
Stanford Life Flight is CAMTS Accredited
Stanford Life Flight is CAMTS Accredited
Life Flight is the first and only helicopter program in California that carries life-saving blood products (two units packed red blood cells and plasma) on each and every flight. May 2019 will also mark Life Flight’s 35th anniversary, and the program remains the only academic hospital based flight program in California as well as the oldest flight program in California.
Contacts
Stanford Health Care
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford, CA
Getting Here
Phone: 650-723-5578
Fax: 650-723-6505
EMERGENCY CALLS
1-800-321-7828
7 days a week | 24 hours a day
History in Photos
Stanford Life Flight commenced operations on the 1st of May, 1984 with an Alouette III, the most popular EMS helicopter at that time, and one which functions well at high altitudes.
Let's have a look at the various helicopters we've operated over the years.
Alouette III, N607RM, operated by Rocky Moutain Helicopters, was Life Flight’s first helicopter. It was an interim helicopter from May 1984 through August 1984. It could carry two patients, and had a ceiling of 21,300 ft.
Twin Star N57898 was our first permanent helicopter and was in operation between August 1984 and September 1986. Seen here next to the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, it was being flown by Steve Greene, one of two original pilots that started the program in a time when programs only had "two pilots" to cover 24 hours / 365 days a year!
After the twin star came the aircraft that was to be Life Flight's main airframe in use at Stanford through the coming years, the BK 117. N160BK was an A3 model and was used by us from September 1986 through October 1992. The BK117 proved to be the most versatile for the job: a large separate cabin from cockpit, a short, wide body profile, high main and tail rotor blades, the easy loading of the patient through aircraft rear, clamshell, doors, IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) capabilities in later models, and good patient access for the medical team.
Air Methods took over the contract from Rocky Mountain in November of 1992, and brought us our next interim helicopter, N230H. This was a BK117 A-4 model that many remember as the Life Flight helicopter with the big red "S". It was with at Stanford from November 1992 through May 1994, while a fully IFR equipped BK was being fitted in Germany, and then Denver.
To get the pilots current in IFR (Instrument Flight Rules), Air Methods sent another BK117 that would stay with us along with N230H. It was N117BK, a dual pilot, IFR B-1 model. It was here from June 1993 until N230H left in May 1994.
Before that was N911SU, a brand new, single pilot IFR BK117,B-2 model. For the single pilot IFR capability, it employed a Sperry 7100 auto-pilot, which at $350,000 (un-installed), cost as much as many single engine helicopters. It was with us from May 1994 through May 1998 when Rocky Mountain Helicopters became the Air Carrier vendor.
From June 1998 through August 1999, with Rocky Mountain Helicopters as our vendor again, we now had a new interim helicopter N90260, a dual pilot IFR BK117 B-2 helicopter. This was the era of the co-pilots. For more than a year, in order to preserve our IFR capabilities, we had 4 copilots at Life Flight.
From September 1999 to July 2007 we were in N117SU, a new BK117 C-1 model helicopter with a new paint scheme. Air Methods is the Life Flight Part 135 certificate holder and operator. The BK117 C-1, with its French Arriel engines, is fully IFR equipped for single pilot operation.
As of July 2007, Stanford Life Flight has been operating in an Airbus EC 145 helicopter. The same paint scheme which has become a highly recognized hallmark of our program has been maintained.
The EC 145 is a twin engine aircraft with superior lifting capabilities and is fully Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) equipped for single pilot operation, and has a large spacious cabin which enhances clinical care.
More information on the EC 145
