Boston MedFlight Completes FAA Part 135 Certificate Licensure

March 09, 2017 Boston MedFlight, a nonprofit organization founded thirty-two years ago that provides critical care medical transport by air and ground, is pleased to announce that it has completed the process to secure its own Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-issued Part 135 Operating Certificate.  On Friday, March 3, 2017, Boston MedFlight completed its first patient transport under the new Operating Certificate, transporting a critically ill adult by helicopter from Lowell General Hospital to Boston Medical Center. 

Given the stringent requirements of federal aviation regulations, most air medical providers utilize contract services to operate their aircraft, as Boston MedFlight has done since 1985.  The process for an organization to qualify for its own Part 135 certificate is lengthy and multifaceted.  The process requires extensive documentation of procedures to ensure safe operations, thorough inspection of aircraft and facilities, and finally, training and qualification of the pilots who will be operating under the new certificate.  Meeting these complex federal requirements typically takes years to accomplish.
 
Rick Kenin, General Manager of Aviation Operations for Boston MedFlight, describes the key benefits to bringing aviation operations in-house: “The main difference is that we are now managing all aviation operations locally, maintaining complete operational control.  And our aviation professionals, instead of being vendors or partners, will now be part of one team: the Boston MedFlight team; with a vested interest in the organization’s success.  From the perspective of our patients and our partners, however, they will not experience any change in our services or capabilities.  Our priority has always been – and will remain – safe aviation operations.  In line with our industry-leadership in critical care transport medicine, being an independent air ambulance operator places Boston MedFlight in a very select group of organizations, as we are no longer simply a healthcare provider, but more significantly, a federally-licensed air carrier.” 

About Boston MedFlight:
Boston MedFlight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1985 that provides critical care medical transport to the region’s most severely ill and injured patients with its fleet of helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and ground vehicles, all of which are outfitted with state of the art medical equipment and serve as mobile intensive care units.  With highly-trained critical care nurses and critical care paramedics, Boston MedFlight transports adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients with a very diverse range of diagnoses, including medical, trauma, neurological, respiratory, cardiac, and obstetrical concerns.  Each year Boston MedFlight completes over 4,000 patient transports, and cares for patients in need regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay, providing over $3 million each year in free and unreimbursed care to patients with little or no medical insurance.