Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service offers licensed helicopters flown by professional pilots and staffed with highly trained paramedics, nurses, respiratory therapists, pediatric and neonatal specialists, perfusionists, and physicians who provide care to people with medical emergencies directly from scenes and during transfer from hospital to hospital.
Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service emergency medical helicopters provide high-level critical care and rapid transportation. A helicopter can be in flight within minutes of dispatch, 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Mayo Clinic medical helicopters fly almost 2,000 flights a year.
Helicopters fly within a 150-mile (241-kilometer) radius of bases at:
- Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
- Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
- Mankato Regional Airport, Mankato, Minnesota.
Aircraft, aviation crew, maintenance and operations certificates are provided by Mayo Clinic on air carrier certificate number 15MA529N.
Cost
Many insurers will cover some costs for emergency medical helicopter transport to the most appropriate medical facility in cases of serious injury or illness.
For questions about costs associated with medical transport or questions about bills or coverage for services, please contact our business office at 800-776-9001 (toll-free).
Accreditation
Mayo Clinic's air ambulances are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems, the industry's most-respected stamp of approval for all aspects of air safety and quality. Additionally, Mayo Clinic’s air ambulances are accredited by the International Standard for Business Aviation Operations, which designates that Mayo Clinic's aviation program is following the best practices within the aviation industry.
Pilots
Highly trained and experienced pilots fly Mayo Clinic’s medical helicopters. These individuals are dedicated helicopter air ambulance pilots, meaning they are full-time professionals who fly air medical missions exclusively with Mayo Clinic. All helicopter air ambulance pilots in the U.S. carry an FAA commercial pilot certificate. Over 80% of Mayo Clinic helicopter pilots also carry an Airline Transport Pilot certification, the highest certification available.
Mayo Clinic’s medical helicopters
Airbus H145/EC-145
- Cruising speed: 130 knots (150 mph).
- Seating capacity: One patient plus seating for three medical team members, including specialists.
- Engine type: Twin turbine engines.
- Night vision goggle, also called NVG, operations.
- Single-pilot instrument flight rules, also called IFR, operations.
