Air Ambulance Helicopter Pilot Shortage - USA
Thread Starter
Air Ambulance Helicopter Pilot Shortage - USA
For a variety of reasons, there is a severe helicopter pilot shortage in the USA already affecting a number of air ambulance services with helicopters having to be grounded.
For any retiring military helicopter pilots interested in immigrating to the USA, there is a possibility of getting a Green Card via an EB-2 Visa with a National Interest Waiver.
The Air Ambulance industry is huge in the USA - over 1,100 helicopters and 350 fixed wing aircraft.
The problem:
More on the interpretation of a possible NIW here:
https://international-and-comparativ...bor-shortages/
A number of immigration attorneys are already offering assistance - easily found by searching.
I'd be happy to provide details of comparative living costs and taxes for the USA by DM to anyone who is interested.
For any retiring military helicopter pilots interested in immigrating to the USA, there is a possibility of getting a Green Card via an EB-2 Visa with a National Interest Waiver.
The Air Ambulance industry is huge in the USA - over 1,100 helicopters and 350 fixed wing aircraft.
The problem:
More on the interpretation of a possible NIW here:
https://international-and-comparativ...bor-shortages/
A number of immigration attorneys are already offering assistance - easily found by searching.
I'd be happy to provide details of comparative living costs and taxes for the USA by DM to anyone who is interested.
Anybody applying, should look at any companies safety culture very carefully before accepting a job, for one thing do they allow 2/3 to go 1 to stay. Some companies use single pilot operations and the commercial imperative of press-onitis.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36792146/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36792146/
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Thread Starter
To illustrate the scale of the industry in the USA, Nevada and Southern California is served by Mercy Air - which is owned by Air Methods Corp - from 17 bases.
Air Methods delivers services to over 100,000 patients annually.
Mercy Air operates a variety of types including AW109, EC135 and Bell 429. Normal crew composition is pilot + flight paramedic + flight nurse.
Air Methods delivers services to over 100,000 patients annually.
Mercy Air operates a variety of types including AW109, EC135 and Bell 429. Normal crew composition is pilot + flight paramedic + flight nurse.
To illustrate the scale of the industry in the USA, Nevada and Southern California is served by Mercy Air - which is owned by Air Methods Corp - from 17 bases.
Air Methods delivers services to over 100,000 patients annually.
Mercy Air operates a variety of types including AW109, EC135 and Bell 429. Normal crew composition is pilot + flight paramedic + flight nurse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=212F7FA1q4s
Air Methods delivers services to over 100,000 patients annually.
Mercy Air operates a variety of types including AW109, EC135 and Bell 429. Normal crew composition is pilot + flight paramedic + flight nurse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=212F7FA1q4s
20 crew fatalities in one corporation in 18 years.
Anybody applying, should look at any companies safety culture very carefully before accepting a job, for one thing do they allow 2/3 to go 1 to stay. Some companies use single pilot operations and the commercial imperative of press-onitis.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36792146/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36792146/
Then again in saying this, perhaps our mil experience of flying and operating IFR in some of the adverse weather conditions in both UK and Europe (Arctic!) is advantageous??
One of the former Air Metods executive I dealt with 2 decades ago, was ex Fleet Air Arm...
Good luck to those who do apply and emigrate over there..
cheers
Have a mate or two (former army aviators) that flew with Mercy Air two decades ago, in southern California...I was led to believe their safety record was not brilliant with loss of a few a/c over the years. I have a friend who graduated from Mother Rucker in the 70s, and he flew for one of the EMS operators over 2 decades ago and swore never to fly HEMS again due to a disagreement with the doctors and flight nurse. He simply refused to fly a patient transfer in dead of night crap weather conditions and as pilot in command, he took the safety mantra and said no firmly (even the patient did not particularly want to be transferred by air, they be happy with ground transportation). The medics complained to the operator and he was miffed that they did not stand behind him on his decision.
The problem is, unlike our air ambulance model is that over there its a case of if the a/c is on the helipad not doing anything and waiting for responding to an emergency, it is not earning money.
cheers
The problem is, unlike our air ambulance model is that over there its a case of if the a/c is on the helipad not doing anything and waiting for responding to an emergency, it is not earning money.
cheers
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https://www.ajmc.com/view/air-ambula...m-2017-to-2020
from the article.
"The average charge associated with rotary-wing air ambulance transports rose 22.2%, from $24,924 in 2017 to $30,446 in 2020. The average estimated allowed amount rose 60.8%, from $11,608 to $18,668. The average Medicare reimbursement rose 4.7%, from $3,570 to $3,739."
