Guardian Flight Alaska pilot Nathan Larson-Alexander, executive direc-tor Jared Sherman, chief pilot Tim Manier, medical department chief Christopher Olsen and regional program director Juliann McCabe

Guardian Flight Alaska transitions to mid-size fleet

Anchorage, Alaska-based air medical transport company Guardian Flight is transitioning its medical jet fleet to Learjet 45s. The first enters service this month and is based at Fairbanks International airport while the others will be housed at Ketchikan, Anchorage and Juneau. The fifth Learjet 45 will operate as a backup when aircraft are out of service for routine maintenance or to meet flight requirements during times of higher demand.

The fleet of five Learjet 45s, which will replace its older and smaller Learjet 35s and Beechjets, will have better reliability, improved flight performance and braking, increased parts availability and more modern avionics for better cockpit standardisation and lower pilot workload.

Chief pilot Tim Manier says: “Our Learjet pilots are receiving training in the Learjet 45s at FlightSafety International's base in Tucson, Arizona. We anticipate that the fleet transition will be complete by midsummer, provided the FAA can maintain its schedule on conformity and operational specifications.”

Learjet 45s have a slower approach and circling speed than Learjet 35s so pilots will be able to attempt approaches into airports with lower cloud ceilings and lower visibility requirements than in the past. They also have a larger cabin for improved patient care and family escort capabilities, medical staff performance and equipment storage.