A patient was airlifted from Beaver Island to be taken to a mainland hospital for more advanced medical care on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
The U.S. Coast Guard Traverse City Air Station launched a Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk around 5 a.m. to evacuate the patient, who was experiencing respiratory distress, the station said in a Facebook post.
A Beaver Island paramedic was onboard to assist during the flight, and the patient was successfully flown to the mainland for a higher level of medical care.
The Coast Guard’s MH-60T Jayhawk is an all-weather helicopter, similar to the Navy MH-60S Seahawk and the Army H-60 Blackhawk. At 64 feet, the chopper weighs 21,884 pounds fully loaded and can reach speeds over 160 miles per hour.
The Traverse City Air Station has had the Jayhawk helicopters since 2017, when they replaced the Coast Guard’s older Dolphin fleet.
Their arrival was celebrated because the Jayhawks have better search-and-rescue capability, a feature that’s needed for a Great Lakes station. The Jayhawks can fly twice as long as the older models before needing to refuel and can handle Michigan winters better.
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