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Do Medevac aircraft need to maneuver within stricter maneuvering/ attitude limits to ensure the safety of the patient? Or are there recommended operating practices?

Ie:

  • Are there pitch limits that would negatively affect the patient?
  • Do Medevac aircraft need to fly with reduced bank angles?
  • What about yaw?
  • I presume that slipping would not be advised, but may be necessary?
  • G loads would have to be positive as much as possible, though this may not possible in rough weather/turbulence?
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  • $\begingroup$ Related: Does the FAA have specific Air Ambulance safety guidelines? Air ambulance is the term used by ICAO/FAA and several other agencies, as well as EMS (emergency medical service), medevac being initially a military operation. $\endgroup$
    – mins
    Commented Dec 12 at 11:08
  • $\begingroup$ If you're sick enough to need an air ambulance, you're not going to be up and walking around, and certainly not getting a drink from the first-class bar. On the other hand, the flight nurses may have to, so they're the ones to get injured. $\endgroup$
    – user71659
    Commented Dec 14 at 4:39

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That would depend on the nature of the emergency and the health of the patient.

For example I know someone with severely reduced lung function, she can't fly at normal cruise altitudes for commercial aircraft because the cabin air would be too thin for her to survive, so when she flies (medevac only these days, obviously, or light aircraft or helicopters) the aircraft must stay below 10.000ft. For someone being evacuated with just a broken leg that'd not be relevant (most evacuation flights here are of that nature, returning people with injuries related to ski accidents home for recuperation).

Medevac flights, like all commercial flights, tend to avoid violent maneouvers anyway, for comfort and to reduce structural stress on the aircraft. They also try to avoid inclement weather for the same reasons (normal aviation safety). All of that covers pretty much everything in your list already for any commercially operated aircraft, not just medical flights.

Obviously for military evacuation flights out of combat zones all that goes out the window at least until you're out of reach of enemy ground fire, and to a degree that might also be the case if the medevac helicopter or aircraft has to land in unusual spaces where some unusual maneouvers would be needed to get in and out of there (this might even affect some hospital helipads, not all hospitals were built with them in mind and retrofitting them sometimes left them in tricky spots).

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  • $\begingroup$ And not everything can be done at ideal case. Weather, airport location, etc. may require not ideal setups. In any case most of them is briefed before the mission (or also during it) -- also note: "patient" may be just an organ, so speed is more important compared to "comfort") $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 12 at 15:10
  • $\begingroup$ @GiacomoCatenazzi of course, and in that case (and in case of entire human beings) the person or item being transported will be appropriately packaged (padding, restraints, maybe an oxygen mask, maybe even sedated). $\endgroup$
    – jwenting
    Commented Dec 12 at 15:12

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