Emergency Airlift

     Ed Langerveld peers out of the hanger door at sheets of rain being driven by 30-knot gusts of wind. Behind him, in the headquarters of Florence’s new air ambulance company, the twin engine, jet-prop Turbo Commander 690 waits at the ready. Langerveld, pilot and director of operations at Emergency Airlift, is getting ready to make the eight minute flight to Coos bay.
     “This weather is nothing,” he says. The Commander is an all weather aircraft and that pretty much means what it says. Fog hangs like a low, sagging ceiling over the Florence Airport. If it drops to ground level and creates zero visibility here and at North Bend airport, the Commander will stay grounded, Langerveld explains. But a gale won’t stop it, and neither will ice.
     That means Emergency airlift can take off and perform a patient transport in almost all conditions. It takes 15 minutes to arrive in Eugene, and about 35 to get to Portland. A low-slung, jet powered bullet, it cruises at 300 mph.
     “The Commanders are low profile, so it’s easy to load and unload patients,” Langerveld says. “They’re pressurized, night capable, and can fly real well on one engine, so they’re just a great plane.”

     Emergency Airlift is in its third week of operations and has done eight transports so far, all from the Coos Bay area. Last week, it flew a patient with a critical head injury to Hillsboro. As soon as Langerveld touched down, a helicopter met them and transported the patient to Emanual Hospital.
     “It make a lot more sense to fly a plane than a helicopter on the long transports; a plane is a lot faster,” Langerveld says.
Previously, patients had to wait for out-of-region air ambulances like Life Flight.
     The 10,000 square foot Florence head quarters and corporate offices at the airport will be used for maintenance and storage of backup aircraft. Emergency airlift will base the Commander at North Bend Airport, but will serve the Florence area.
     “Roseburg, Reedsport, Lower Umpqua, Bandon, and maybe Newport are target areas, regions we can respond to quicker than any other life flight-type operation in the area,” Langerveld says. “But with most of our trips coming out of Coos Bay, it makes sense logistically to base the plane down there.”
     Emergency Airlift has a goal of keeping a helicopter at the Florence airport at a future date, and a backup aircraft is currently in maintenance in Los Angeles.
     “We’re getting our feet wet right now, feeling it out to see what the needs are for the central Oregon coast,” Langerveld says.
     Bay Cities Ambulance in Coos Bay has about 20 paramedics who are state approved in aero-medical training. Emergency Airlift will draw on these and other Bay Cities personnel for in-flight care and ground transportation.
     “We’ve been flying people just shy of a month now,” says Jason Hoffman, paramedic supervisor for Bay Cities. “I’ve flown with Ed a half dozen times now and landed in the fog, and he flies real well.”
     Langerveld, former member of the Marine Corps, created and operated the first aviation unit for the Santa Clara County Sheriff Department in California and launched hi own air maintenance corporation in LA. He has logged over 12,000 air hours and is rated in 13 different types of jet aircraft.
     “I grew up in Hillsboro, and I just happened to discover this area,” says Langerveld, who lives in Florence. “My career was in the hustle bustle of LA. I wanted to come back up here, create something that the community needed, and slow down a little bit.”
     At least to 300 mph.
     It took a year of planning and preparation to launch the company. Emergency Airlift had to go through rigorous inspections that included getting air charter certifications.
     “There was a lot of training involved her, and lots of equipment,” Langerveld says.

“You’re in good hands with the personnel and equipment we have at our disposal; we can do more than some rural hospitals.


	Air Ambulance Business Touches Down in Florence Siuslaw News, 10-25-2003 Ed Langerveld peers out of the hanger door at sheets of rain being driven by 30-knot gusts of wind. Behind him, in the headquarters of Florence’s new air ambulance company, the twin engine, jet-prop Turbo Commander 690 waits at the ready. Langerveld, pilot and director of operations at Emergency Airlift, is getting ready to make the eight minute flight to Coos bay. “This weather is nothing,” he says. The Commander is an all weather aircraft and that pretty much means what it says. Fog hangs like a low, sagging ceiling over the Florence Airport. If it drops to ground level and creates zero visibility here and at North Bend airport, the Commander will stay grounded, Langerveld explains. But a gale won’t stop it, and neither will ice. That means Emergency airlift can take off and perform a patient transport in almost all conditions. It takes 15 minutes to arrive in Eugene, and about 35 to get to Portland. A low-slung, jet powered bullet, it cruises at 300 mph. “The Commanders are low profile, so it’s easy to load and unload patients,” Langerveld says. “They’re pressurized, night capable, and can fly real well on one engine, so they’re just a great plane.” Emergency Airlift is in its third week of operations and has done eight transports so far, all from the Coos Bay area. Last week, it flew a patient with a critical head injury to Hillsboro. As soon as Langerveld touched down, a helicopter met them and transported the patient to Emanual Hospital. “It make a lot more sense to fly a plane than a helicopter on the long transports; a plane is a lot faster,” Langerveld says. Previously, patients had to wait for out-of-region air ambulances like Life Flight. The 10,000 square foot Florence head quarters and corporate offices at the airport will be used for maintenance and storage of backup aircraft. Emergency airlift will base the Commander at North Bend Airport, but will serve the Florence area. “Roseburg, Reedsport, Lower Umpqua, Bandon, and maybe Newport are target areas, regions we can respond to quicker than any other life flight-type operation in the area,” Langerveld says. “But with most of our trips coming out of Coos Bay, it makes sense logistically to base the plane down there.” Emergency Airlift has a goal of keeping a helicopter at the Florence airport at a future date, and a backup aircraft is currently in maintenance in Los Angeles. “We’re getting our feet wet right now, feeling it out to see what the needs are for the central Oregon coast,” Langerveld says. Bay Cities Ambulance in Coos Bay has about 20 paramedics who are state approved in aero-medical training. Emergency Airlift will draw on these and other Bay Cities personnel for in-flight care and ground transportation. “We’ve been flying people just shy of a month now,” says Jason Hoffman, paramedic supervisor for Bay Cities. “I’ve flown with Ed a half dozen times now and landed in the fog, and he flies real well.” Langerveld, former member of the Marine Corps, created and operated the first aviation unit for the Santa Clara County Sheriff Department in California and launched hi own air maintenance corporation in LA. He has logged over 12,000 air hours and is rated in 13 different types of jet aircraft. “I grew up in Hillsboro, and I just happened to discover this area,” says Langerveld, who lives in Florence. “My career was in the hustle bustle of LA. I wanted to come back up here, create something that the community needed, and slow down a little bit.” At least to 300 mph. It took a year of planning and preparation to launch the company. Emergency Airlift had to go through rigorous inspections that included getting air charter certifications. “There was a lot of training involved her, and lots of equipment,” Langerveld says. “You’re in good hands with the personnel and equipment we have at our disposal; we can do more than some rural hospitals. Story by Brett Yager