Killarney Airport an important juncture for med-evacs and training
BY KIM LANGEN
New paving at the airport last year has been paying off, after two aircraft made landings there earlier this week, and were able to utilize the improved tarmac surface, says a local pilot.
A patient was airlifted to hospital on Wednesday evening by a Vanguard/LifeFlight crew, who landed their aircraft at the Killarney Airport in order to make the emergency transfer, said crop-duster and Killarney Flying Club member Bob Wiebe.
“It was one of the first times that LifeFlight has used the new paved loading ramp at the fuel terminal,” said Wiebe. “It was paved last spring, and this time they were not even stuck in the mud. This is what used to happen before, when they had to move a gurney and patient from the ambulance over to the aircraft, if the ground was soft.”
Wiebe added that earlier the same day a Canadian Forces aircraft had also touched down on the Killarney Airport runway.
“Canadian Forces, from the CF training base at Southport, near Portage, were in today, also enjoying the new surface,” he said on Wednesday. “They were just doing a training exercise. They came in and landed, and they took off again. The airport is used by more agencies than people realize – not just for medical emergencies.”
MED-EVAC AT THE AIRPORT – A patient was airlifted to hospital on Wednesday evening by a Vanguard/LifeFlight crew, who landed this aircraft at the Killarney Airport in order to make the emergency transfer. Earlier the same day a Canadian Forces aircraft had also touched down on the Killarney tarmac.
TRENA DICKSON/PHOTOS