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'Mind If I Bring My Helicopter?'
June 2, 2008
A GULFlight medical helicopter landed on Choctawhatchee
High School's football field Friday morning. |
Junior Chris Wright checks out the pilot's controls. He is
planning to become an Air Force pilot. |
Kevin Yates briefed the students about the nature of his
job as a flight nurse. Crewmate Kimberly Bryant enjoys
knowing that her what she does is "life altering, in a good
way." |
Students and crew members line up for a photo on the
field. |
The sky was filled with the chopping sound of propellers at Choctawhatchee High School's Etheredge Stadium Friday morning. A GULFlight helicopter circled around the field before touching down at mid-field as a large group of aviation students observed its descent. Flight nurse Kevin Yates had just finished briefing them about his job, which involves taking care of car accident victims and heart attack patients, but no story could match the excitement of witnessing an actual helicopter land on the football field.
"It was awesome to see it coming and landing," said junior Nathan Howell. "I've never seen one up close."
Once the craft had safely landed, the students were invited to view the helicopter at close range. Some took turns hopping into the pilot seat and checking out the controls, while others climbed into the back to look over the emergency medical equipment.
"I have a model of it in the computer," said freshman Colton Card, who is considering a career as a life flight pilot. "I was amazed to see how accurate the model was. This is a great hands-on experience - getting to touch it."
"I had a great time," agreed junior Chris Wright. "This is the first time I've seen a helicopter up close. I want to be an Air Force pilot so this aviation program is really great."
Cross-over Experience
"This is our cross-over experience between aviation and health science," said Leo Murphy, who heads the CHOICE Aviation Institutes at Choctaw and Crestview High Schools. "It's the perfect blend. It's all in one helicopter."
Yates explained that the job requires a great deal of training in both aviation and nursing. There are generally three people aboard the helicopter: a pilot, a paramedic and a nurse. The nurses are dual-certified as paramedics, because of the nature of the injuries they encounter.
The crew receives an average of two to three calls per day. Many calls involve transporting patients from one hospital to another. They work shifts of 24 hours straight, then have 48 hours of rest before returning to duty.
For fellow crew member, Kimberly Bryant, the best part of the job is "knowing you're doing something that's life-altering, in a good way."
This year was the first time a helicopter landed at the schools. A few weeks ago, Yates and his crew paid a visit to health occupation and aviation students at Crestview high school.
"Kevin called me up to ask if I wanted him to brief the students about his job and I said, 'Sure!'" recalled Murphy. "Then he asked, 'Mind if I bring my helicopter?'"
'Perfect Fit' for Math and Science Initiative
Murphy notes that aviation is a "perfect fit" for the district's emphasis on the fields of math, science and engineering. "This type of visit really supports the superintendent's initiative to make math and science more exciting and relevant to the students," he said. "This year, for the first time, we've integrated Embry-Riddle's math and physics requirements into the introductory course," he added. "Now if the students earn an 80% or higher on their final exam, they will have already earned two college credits from Embry-Riddle."
"They're getting 25 hours of math and 35 hours of physics," said instructor Tim Hester. "They're performing well, and their overall GPA's are going up."
"We do a lot of math that you use when you learn how to fly," agreed student Michael Haynes. "We use trigonometry to see how much fuel you need and what distance you can go with it."
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