8StarAviation.com - AeroMedical Division

These are the flights the 8 Star Aviation Aeromedical Division was created for!  Many of them begin with the simple mission to transfer a patient from one facility to another, but no matter how simple they seem on first glance, each flight has its unique challenges.

The Alaska Trauma-Emergency Medical Services System has a three tiered approach to medical evacuation flights.

-  Tier 1 medevac flights transport a patient from a village, town, or remote site to a regional hospital.  Regional hospitals include Bethel Hospital, Kotzebue Hospital, Barrow Hospital, and Soldotna Hospital.  Tier 1 flights are often the most demanding type of flying, involving smaller airfields without any refueling or deicing facilities.

-  Tier 2 medevac refers to the transport of a patient from a regional center to a referral center, such as the Alaska Native Medical Center, Providence Hospital, Alaska Regional Hospital, or Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.  These patients usually require intensive care, surgical services, or subspecialty services not available at smaller regional hospitals.  The majority of 8 Star Aviation Aeromedical flights are tier 2.

-  Tier 3 medevacs are those originating from a referral center and ending in a hospital with specialized service not available in the State of Alaska.  These flights tend to be much longer than other types of flights, and generally go to Seattle or Portland, with occasional trips to Vancouver. 

There is a saying posted on the wall of a Part 135 operation somewhere in Alaska: "You may know where you are, and God may know where you are, but if Dispatch doesn't know where you are, then you'd better be on good terms with God."

Our Dispatch Center operates differently from most other virtual aviation outfits.  When you're ready for a flight, click on the Flight Dispatch button to the right.  You'll be taken to the part of the Aeroworx forum set aside for 8 Star Aviation's Operations Office to post flights.

With your assignment in hand, you'll sign out an aircraft, plan your mission (which is usually two or three legs), and go fly.

When you're done, you'll return here and submit a PIREP.

8 Star Aviation often flies to a remote location to pick up a patient or passenger.  Though you will likely have flight nurses aboard for these flights, they're company employees, so the flight is governed by FAR 91. 

Under some circumstances, you may be given a Part 91 flight to fly that is not part of an aeromedical mission.  Maintenance and training flights fall into this category.

The Dispatch Center will have all the details of these flights posted.