Local Pilots Speak on Helicopters After Deadly Chopper Crash
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JACKSON, Tenn. — Keith Roy is a line pilot for the Air Evac Lifeteam in Jackson. After Tuesday’s deadly helicopter crash in Fayette County, he said the company will be more cautious when they take flight. “Being weary of birds and wires everywhere you look around there’s wires, so we’re very cautious around wires,” Roy said. The company is certified through the Commission on Accreditation Medical Transportation Systems or CAMTS. Pilots must go through strict requirements before they take control of the flight. To become a member of the Air Evac Lifeteam, CAMTS requires a minimum of 2,000 flight hours. According to Roy, pilots get majority of their training in the military. “Besides that, the company has its own training program and we get checked out every year to make sure we’re doing everything properly,” Roy said. Along with pilots, there are flight nurses who are required to have three years of critical care experience. Paramedics like Scott Summars said they are not looking for fortune or fame. “I didn’t get in this profession for glory and to be a hero,” Summars said. At the end of the day Summars said he wants to save lives. “God put us here for us to take care of one another,” Summars said. “And this is just like, the place that I wanna do it.” The Air Evac Jackson base has six members in its medical crew and four full-time pilots.
