News Release

From left: Guardian Flight Alaska's Nathan Larson-Alexander, pilot; Jared Sherman, executive director Alaska; Tim Manier, chief pilot; Christopher Olsen, medical department chief; Juliann McCabe, regional program director.

Guardian Flight transitions to Learjet 45s in Alaska

Guardian Flight LLC, a leading air medical transport company, is transitioning its medical jet fleet in Alaska to Learjet 45s. The first Learjet 45 will enter service this month based in Fairbanks.

Eventually, five Learjet 45s will replace Guardian Flight's older and smaller Learjet 35s and Beechjets. Compared to the smaller jets, the mid-size Learjet 45s will provide better reliability, improved flight performance and braking, increased parts availability and more modern avionics for better cockpit standardization and less pilot workload.

In addition, Learjet 45s have a slower approach and circling speed than Learjet 35s. That will allow Guardian Flight pilots to attempt approaches into airports with lower cloud ceilings and lower visibility requirements than with the Learjet 35s in the past.

The change will also make circling approaches into some airports practical in situations where they have not been before. Learjet 45s have a larger cabin for improved patient care and family escort capabilities, medical staff performance and equipment storage.

Guardian Flight president and Air Medical Group Holdings (AMGH) CEO Fred Buttrell said, "AMGH purchased the Guardian Flight operation with the intention of improving the medical jet fleet to deliver better air medical transportation and care for Alaskans. This boost to fleet performance and medical care represents our goal of providing the best servant care for Alaska patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Four of the newer Learjet 45s will be housed at bases in Fairbanks, 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 higher flight requirements during times of higher demand.

Guardian Flight Alaska's chief pilot Tim Manier said, "Our Learjet pilots are receiving training in the Learjet 45s at FlightSafety International's base in Tucson, Arizona. We anticipate that the fleet transition to Learjet 45s will be complete by mid-summer provided the FAA can maintain its schedule on conformity and operational specifications."

Guardian Flight contracted with Fargo Jet Center in Fargo, N.D. to convert the aircraft interior from passenger to medical configuration. The Guardian Flight Anchorage base serves as a maintenance hub for the company's Learjet fleet in Alaska.