Press release
Bishop, CA – December 29, 2017 – In celebration of Sierra Lifeflight retiring its fleet of Piper Cheyenne aircraft, they will host an open house and farewell flyaway at their hangar located at 770 Airport Road in Bishop, on Saturday, January 13, from 1 to 3 p.m.
The farewell send-off will provide former patients, members of the community, and Sierra Lifeflight crews the opportunity to say goodbye to the 25-year-old fleet and welcome our King Air C90s that officially went into service this month.
“The Cheyennes are part of the family here at Sierra Lifeflight as well as the community of Bishop,” said Chief Flight Nurse, Lisa Davis. “If you’ve been transported by air in Bishop, you’ve likely flown in one of these planes. They’ve served us faithfully, and while we are sad to see them go, we are also excited to welcome the new aircraft to the region.”
The King Air C90s were selected to replace the aging fleet of Cheyennes because of their outstanding performance record, versatility, and a suite of amenities that will provide additional comfort to the critically ill and injured patients that Sierra Lifeflight transports. The C90 features a 227 cubic foot cabin that provides more room for both the medical crew and patient. In addition to the added space, the ride is both smoother and quieter, thanks to vibration absorbers that help keep the cabin area comfortable during flight. Sierra Lifeflight has also equipped their aircraft with state-of-the-art avionics systems and medical equipment.
“The King Air C90 is a remarkable aircraft that has found great success in the air medical industry because of its performance, reliability, and comfort,” said Dan Brattain, Vice President of Aviation Operations for Sierra Lifeflight. “We are confident that they will deliver the same safe and reliable service to the community of Bishop that the Cheyennes did for so many years.”
The open house event and farewell flyaway are free of charge, open to the public, and will feature complimentary food and drinks; a firehose salute for the Cheyenne aircraft; engines from CAL FIRE and White Mountain Fire Department; Symons Ambulance; and tours of Sierra Lifeflight’s 24-hour base of operations, aircraft hangar, and King Air C90s.
About REACH Medical Holdings, LLC
REACH Medical Holdings, LLC owns REACH Air Medical Services, Cal-Ore Life Flight, CALSTAR and Sierra Lifeflight. The company provides air medical transports using helicopters and airplanes from more than 45 bases located in California, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Colorado and Texas. The company has nearly 900 employees, most of whom are highly skilled nurses, paramedics, pilots, and aircraft maintenance technicians. To date, the company has transported more than 135,000 patients to needed care. For more information, visit www.REACHair.com.
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Since they brought it up, I wish someone would take a look into the cost of this service. I know we need them , but few of us can afford them and from what I see, few insurance companies pay for them.