Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Why IFR (instrument flight rules)?

C Shuford1, R N Anderson

  • 1Vanderbilt LifeFlight, Nashville, Tenn., USA.

Air Medical Journal
|February 24, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) helicopter EMS programs increase safety and flight completion rates in poor weather. This capability is financially feasible, enhancing community medical service.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

United States abridged life tables, 1996.

National vital statistics reports : from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System·2014
Same author

Proportion of injury deaths with unspecified external cause codes: a comparison of Australia, Sweden, Taiwan and the US.

Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention·2007
Same author

Certifying diabetes-related cause-of-death: a comparison of inappropriate certification statements in Sweden, Taiwan and the USA.

Diabetologia·2006
Same author

A method for constructing complete annual U.S. life tables.

Vital and health statistics. Series 2, Data evaluation and methods research·2002
Same author

Deaths: leading causes for 1999.

National vital statistics reports : from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System·2001
Same author

Age-adjusted death rates: trend data based on the year 2000 standard population.

National vital statistics reports : from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System·2001
Same journal

Consensus on Neonatal and Pediatric Interfacility Transport.

Air medical journal·2026
Same journal

Blood On Board Project: Experience From Pegaso 2 Base in Grosseto, 4.5 Years After Implementation.

Air medical journal·2026
Same journal

Self-Reporting Bias in Pediatric Prehospital Intubation.

Air medical journal·2026
Same journal

Royal Canadian Air Force Doctrine Applied to Saskatchewan Medevac: Examining the Use of a Centralized Command.

Air medical journal·2026
Same journal

The Impact of Obesity on Patients in a Prehospital Setting: A Narrative Review.

Air medical journal·2026
Same journal

Impact of Medical Evacuation From Mayotte to La Réunion on Intracranial Pressure in Pediatric Patients.

Air medical journal·2026
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Aviation Safety
  • Emergency Medical Services
  • Helicopter Operations

Background:

  • Air medical services utilize Visual Flight Rules (VFR) or Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) for helicopter operations.
  • IFR enables flight in lower weather minimums, potentially increasing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) mission completion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the advantages and disadvantages of VFR versus IFR helicopter flight.
  • To assess the potential service gain with IFR capability.
  • To evaluate the financial feasibility of IFR in an urban air medical program.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of missed EMS flights over six years.
  • Prospective data collection on weather-related IFR-eligible missed flights.
  • Financial analysis of IFR program conversion costs and revenue potential.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • An average of 24% of flights were missed between 1991-1997, often due to weather conditions manageable with IFR.
  • An average of 6.7 flights per month could have been completed with IFR in 1997-1998.
  • IFR conversion is economically feasible due to potential revenue from increased flight completions.

Conclusions:

  • Implementing an IFR program enhances safety margins for air medical services.
  • IFR capability improves the reliability and reach of EMS, benefiting the community.