Published online Midwest Flyer Magazine – February/March 2021
FAIRFAX, MINN. – Using state-of-the-art aircraft operated by highly skilled medical and aviation professionals, Life Flight Network (LFN) provides life-saving transport to seriously ill or injured patients from the scene of an emergency or from one hospital to another.
LFN is the nation’s largest not-for-profit air medical service and has provided residents across the Northwest and Intermountain West with the finest air medical transport for nearly four decades.
LFN operates a fleet of 19 Agusta Westland AW 119Kx “Koala” helicopters, with one based at the ever-expanding Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport in Lewiston, Idaho. The Koala reaches speeds of 175 mph and comes equipped with a state-of-the-art Garmin G-1000H cockpit, night vision goggle capability, satellite weather, synthetic vision and the capacity to transport two patients with unencumbered full-body access.
Mark Hewett General Contractor Company of Clarkston, Wash., was given the bid to construct a new 108-foot by 85-foot hangar to house two aircraft – a helicopter and a fixed-wing turbine aircraft. Within the hangar is a 26-foot by 85-foot dedicated crew quarters. Life Flight Network personnel man the hangar 24 hours a day with pilots and emergency medical staff. Clarkston is a border city, just across the Snake River west of Lewiston.
“We had a base there for about five years, but we leased space and never really had our own dedicated hangar,” says Justin Dillingham, Chief Customer Officer for Light Flight. “This project is something we’ve been working on for a couple years now and finally completed it. Now we have a beautiful new hangar with crew quarters for all our flight crew and local administrative staff.
“We average 300-400 emergency flights a year, or about one a day,” Dillingham says. “We have a goal of a helicopter getting off the ground in 8 minutes from the time we receive a call. Fixed-wing flights take a little longer because they have to file flight plans, but we try to be off the ground in less than 20 minutes. During inclement weather, the helicopter and plane are stored inside the hangar.”
The inside of the hangar is similar to a fire station where firefighters reside during their shift. It has sleep rooms, TV lounge area, restrooms, showers, a kitchen, maintenance tool area and an office. Portions of these crews alternate staying in the living quarters 24/7.
Attached to the hangar is a Schweiss Doors 70-foot by 17-foot bifold liftstrap door. The custom-made door is equipped with autolatches and was framed for four 4-foot square windows which allow a considerable amount of natural light into the hangar. It is also wind-rated at 120 mph. The well-insulated door was clad with 26-gauge metal sheeting.
“The bifold door works great,” Dillingham says. “It’s heavy-duty and easy to operate. A small amount of education is required so staff know not to leave it open during windy days, but the door is exactly what we needed. We had windows installed to let light into the building and make sure the area outside is free from obstructions. It works great for us.”
Chance Chacon, Senior Project Manager for Mark Hewett General Contractor Company, was in charge of ordering and coordinating the installation of the Schweiss bifold door. He said his company is familiar with Schweiss Doors, as they have previously ordered and installed five other doors.
“In a nutshell, what I like best about Schweiss Doors is that they have it figured out. Schweiss knows how to build a bifold door and not trying to figure it out on the fly,” Chacon says. Just knowing in the end that we had good partners to work with makes a big difference to us.
“The install went well without any issues and we were pleased with how everything came together,” Chacon says.
Schweiss Doors is the premier manufacturer of hydraulic and bifold liftstrap doors. Doors are custom made to any size for any type of new or existing building. Schweiss also offers a cable-to-liftstrap conversion package. For more information, visit www.bifold.com.
