LiveATC Discussion Forums
Air Traffic Monitoring => Listener Forum => Topic started by: SkanknTodd on March 21, 2008, 01:08:35 PM
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Heard plane today with the callsign Delta ### Lifeguard (i think it was lifeguard). Anyone know what this suffix means? I figured they might be carrying a medical patient or an organ and got some sort of priority, but had never heard it before.
Todd
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I also heard a Delta XXX Lifeguard recently while flying down to White Plains. Was this in the northeast US, perhaps?
As you implied, Lifeguard is typically the flight's primary callsign when carrying transplant patients, organs, or other high-priority cargo/passengers. Hearing it as a suffix was new to me, too, and at the time I wrote it off to being a Lifeguard flight that is being flown by an airline (as most Lifeguard flights are flown by non-airline operators).
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Heard plane today with the callsign Delta ### Lifeguard (i think it was lifeguard). Anyone know what this suffix means? I figured they might be carrying a medical patient or an organ and got some sort of priority, but had never heard it before.
Todd
You're close. It's civilian air ambulance. ATC is to provide more of a priority to them as defined in 2-4-1 of the .65. 2-4-20 defines how the callsign should be, which for this should be Lifeguard Delta xxx. One famous but tragic lifeguard flight was one TWA800.
BL.
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thanks. it was in NY while heading back to Republic. I believe the flight was bound for EWR
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slgXXX also has the call sign lifeguard, it's the alberta goverments planes. in canada a us civil lifeguard filght has priority over everybody except emergencys and aircraft that appears to be in a emergency and are apparently unable to inform atc. us military air evac and med evac flights have to request priority otherwise they are treated the same as every other flight.
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2-1-4 b. Provide priority to civilian air ambulance
flights “LIFEGUARD.” Air carrier/taxi usage of the
“LIFEGUARD” call sign, indicates that operational
priority is requested. When verbally requested,
provide priority to military air evacuation flights
(AIR EVAC, MED EVAC) and scheduled air
carrier/air taxi flights. Assist the pilots of air
ambulance/evacuation aircraft to avoid areas of
significant weather and turbulent conditions. When
requested by a pilot, provide notifications to expedite
ground handling of patients, vital organs, or urgently
needed medical materials.
2-4-20
4. Air carrier/taxi ambulance. State the prefix,
“Lifeguard,” if used by the pilot, followed by the call
sign and flight number in group form.
EXAMPLE−
“Lifeguard Delta Fifty−One.”
5. Civilian air ambulance. State the word
“LIFEGUARD” followed by the numbers/letters of
the registration number.
EXAMPLE−
“Lifeguard Two Six Four Six.”
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I've heard/seen Lifeguard airlines coming into Buffalo a few times before. I believe standard phraseology is "Lifeguard Delta xxx" however I've also heard them say "Delta Lifeguard xxx".
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TWA800 was a Lifeguard on that night --
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We used the Lifeguard callsign coming out of LGA once...we had a small box of human cornea that we were taking to LEB for the nearby hospital. I think on initial call up I said Colgan 4832 Lifeguard, but everyone else called us Colgan Lifeguard 4832 so that's what I stuck, with for the rest of the flight. You want to talk about priority handling, though...Tuesday afternoon in LGA and we had a 7 minute taxi.
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You want to talk about priority handling, though...Tuesday afternoon in LGA and we had a 7 minute taxi.
What is it without priority handling during the same period?
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You want to talk about priority handling, though...Tuesday afternoon in LGA and we had a 7 minute taxi.
What is it without priority handling during the same period?
Good days, 30-45 mins at least. If there were storms anywhere from ATL east, it would have been over an hour. Judging by my pictures from that afternoon, I'd guess just shy of an hour.
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We had a Pinnacle flight that was a lifeguard today. Lifeguard Flagship 4721. From where I work we were able to get him direct MSP instead of the preferential arrival route. Thats not too bad considering it was one of MSP's evening rushes.