Author Topic: lifegard  (Read 8194 times)

Offline jamall02864

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lifegard
« on: May 27, 2006, 06:25:35 PM »
when a callsign is call lifegard what does it mean        i think it is that a air craft has a medical emergencey or is transporting a person beeing transported for meds      thanks

Greg



Offline Claude Christie

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Re: lifegard
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2006, 06:45:24 PM »
You are correct it is an aircraft flying a medical transport or possibly
organs for transplant, etc and is given priority over regular flights by
ATC.

Offline jamall02864

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Re: lifegard
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2006, 10:56:11 PM »
Thanks    i love when its plain and simple

Offline tyketto

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Re: lifegard
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2006, 12:11:40 AM »
I have to question this one.. Not because I don't believe its cause, but that it is just used for medical reasons.

I say this because on the ATC tapes, TWA800 was given 'lifeguard'. Just as it reaches NY Center, it checks in as 'TWA lifeguard 800 Heavy'. The flight was departing JFK for LFPG. If it were some sort of organ transport on a B742, I would have to doubt the organs or medical equipment would survive an 8 - 11 hour flight..

BL.

Offline Claude Christie

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Re: lifegard
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2006, 04:11:49 AM »
Maybe someone else can add more info on this.  I know in Canada the
designation used for similar flights is Medevac instead of Lifeguard.  I have
seen the occasional commercial flight with Lifeguard or Medevac.  My guess
is that a patient is well enough to travel on a commercial flight.  Most of the time if a patient needs medical transport it is done by private charter flights.  As for organ transport on such a long overseas flight I don't think it would be done that way as the organs have such a short period between
transplants. 

Offline Pygmie

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Re: lifegard
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2006, 05:28:31 AM »
The term lifeguard (and medivac here in Canada) can be (and is) used for flights other than organs or patients.  The term can be used for the transport of patients, organ donors, organs or other urgently needed lifesaving medical material.  It could very well be possible the flight was carrying an organ donor, or even something like vacinations, medication, or surgical equipment that is needed, but unavaliable, at the destination.  The term also covers the transportation of a doctor if he/she is needed without delay in another part of the country/world.

Offline KSYR-pjr

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Re: lifegard
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2006, 12:29:44 PM »
I fly missions in the United States for Angel Flight Northeast (www.angelflightne.org).  Besides the list of scheduled flights from which we select flights, we periodically receive emails looking for pilots to sign up for organ transplant flights. 

These missions are spontaneous, time-sensitive, patient-oriented missions whereby the patient is notified that a (typically) matching kidney or lung has become available (because the donor just died).  The patient then starts at the top of a list of volunteer pilots and calls a pilot to fly the patient and a family member to the destination city within a time frame of normally 3 to 6 hours for the transplant.

When flying these missions, we use the "Lifeguard" callsign, which in the US is a callsign that indicates medical priority on-board.  Given an airliner with 400 people or a Lifeguard flight with one patient aboard, both competing for a vector on the ILS, my understanding is that the airliner will be moved out of the way to allow the Lifeguard flight the priority.

Additionally, on the local frequencies I have heard medical helicopters, most likely transporting accident victims to local hospitals, use the "Lifeguard" callsign.


Offline mtlatc

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Re: lifegard
« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2006, 04:23:04 PM »
There have been rumors in the ATC world that TWA was carrying corneas for transplant...not sure if he was right to use it.

Offline KPryor

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Re: lifegard
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2006, 09:02:44 PM »
There is a great story in this months AOPA Pilot magazine written by a helicopter pilot for CalStar.  Very interesting read as he details an emergency flight to an accident scene and then to the hospital.
KP