Exclusive Photos From LifeFlight Over Flomaton And Century

December 23, 2008

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NorthEscambia.com recently took an aerial tour of Century and Flomaton in Baptist Hospital’s LifeFlight helicopter, and today we have the exclusive photos.

We took off from Flomaton Elementary School after LifeFlight dropped Santa Claus off to visit with the children.

lifeflight12.jpgWe “hot loaded” the EC 135 helicopter; that means we boarded while the rotors were turning overhead. After buckling up, pilot Don Scheibe took us up about 30 feet and turned a 360 degree circle. Then it was up and away, south over Century to the are of East Highway 4, then back north at about 150 mph over Century and Flomaton.  We headed up to Highway 113 and back to Flomaton Elementary.

For a complete photo gallery of the flight, click here.

Baptist Hospital became the third hospital in the country to operate medical helicopter ambulance service back in 1977. LifeFlight 2 was added in Mobile in 2004 and LifeFlight 3 was added in Evergreen in 2006.

Operating 24 hours a day, Baptist LifeFlight can be airborne within minutes of a call, traveling at speeds in excess of 150 miles per hour. This significantly reduces the transport time of critically ill patients, either from a transferring hospital or from the scene of an emergency.

The Baptist LifeFlight crew is highly trained and experienced in critical care. Registered nurses must have a paramedic certification, a minimum of three years in nursing with one year each of critical care and emergency department experience, and be certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). Paramedics are required to have a minimum of three years experience in a busy EMS service and must also have ACLS and PALS certifications. New crew members also receive extensive additional training from LifeFlight’s medical directors.

The helicopter operates on two Pratt & Whitney turbine engines. It has an empty weight of 3,208 pounds, and a maximum flight weight of 6,415 pounds. It has a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet, a cruise speed of 158 mph and climbs 25 feet per second.

Pictured above: Looking south over Flomaton toward Century from Baptist Hospital’s LifeFlight helicopter. Pictured above middle: Looking down at the Panhandle Restaurant in Century. Pictured below: Looking north over Century toward Flomaton from over the East Highway 4 and North Century Boulevard intersection. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.

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Comments

3 Responses to “Exclusive Photos From LifeFlight Over Flomaton And Century”

  1. Lisa (Simmons) Cryderman on December 28th, 2008 8:13 am

    Thank you for publishing these photos. They made me homesick and nostalgic! Though we live far away now, Century/Flomaton will always be “home.”

  2. mickey powell on December 24th, 2008 5:18 pm

    WHY, WOULD LIFE FLIGHT, FLOMATON POLICE, FLOMATON FIRE DEPT. AND ANY OTHERS INVOLVED PUT ELEMENTRY STUDENTS AND OTHER INOCENT PEOPLE INVOLVED IN DANGER.?
    LIFE FLIGHT SHOULD NEVER, EVER, NOT EVEN ONE TIME, DO THIS LEASURY FLY AROUND. MAKE A DROP OFF OF SANTA CLAUSE IN A SCHOOL YARD. HAVE WE LOST OUR MINDS? WE HAVE WASTED MONEY, TIME, PUT INOCENT HUMAN BEINGS IN JEOPARDY. CAN WE REMEMBER THE DR. PEPPER TRUCK THAT HIT A SCHOOL BUS IN TEX. AND THE SCHOOL BUS THAT WAS HIT BY AN 18 WHEELER IN KY. AND EVERY ONE OF THE CHILDREN DIED. I DO AND I HAVE NEWSPAPER CLIPING OF BOTH OF THEM. WHAT ARE OUR LEADERS THINKING OF. AS SAFETY GOES AND WE ALL HAVE HEARD THIS. (WHAT IF?)

  3. Elizabeth on December 23rd, 2008 7:51 am

    That was really interesting…thanks!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News