Helicopters for LifeFlight of Maine did a fly-by at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport on Wednesday morning to mark the end of a five-year, $20 million fleet upgrade.
The air ambulance service now has three new identical helicopters. The standardization makes it easier for the pilots, medical crews, and mechanics who work across the fleet, says executive director Tom Judge.
"These aircraft allow us to fly farther, to fly faster, to carry more medical equipment, to have more weight to carry patients, and have state of the art avionics," Judge said.
The chair of LifeFlight's steering committee, Greg LaFrancois, was among those who expressed appreciation for the donations that made the fleet upgrade possible. LaFrancois is also the president of Northern Light AR Gould Hospital in Presque Isle.
"Many times a week I look up and see LifeFlight coming into my facility or heading out to coming up to grab someone at Cary or Fort Kent. And we are grateful," said LaFrancois. "We would not have the rural lifestyle that we love out there if we did not have the backstop of LifeFlight of Maine."
LifeFlight has transported more than 35,000 patients since it was formed 25 years ago.
