California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR) Leads the Way in Pioneering Helicopter Modification Which is Expected to Greatly Enhance Safety and ...( California S...),Health

California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR) has the first helicopter in the world modified to allow for dramatically enhanced abilities and increased safety to make landings while using Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), Joseph Cook, CALSTAR's President and CEO announced today.

(PRWEB) June 25, 2009 -- California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR) has the first helicopter in the world modified to allow for dramatically enhanced abilities and increased safety to make landings while using Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), Joseph Cook, CALSTAR's President and CEO announced today. The modification, according to Cook, will no doubt save countless numbers of lives.

With CALSTAR having served as the pioneer for this new technology, it is anticipated that many rescue helicopters throughout the world will be modified in a similar way.

Deborah Pardee, director for CALSTAR's Coastal Valleys Region and who is based at CALSTAR IV in Ukiah, said flight crews are still training on the modified helicopter routes and approaches but they be should be in use in the very near future.

Paul G. Likens, lead pilot for CALSTAR IV, explained that the new system will allow pilots to make significantly more landings in inclement weather. As an example, when making an approach to the Ukiah Municipal Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates that if pilots bring their aircraft down to an altitude of 1,107 feet above ground and still cannot see the landing site they must abort the landing. The new vertical guidance system will allow pilots to des
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