American Eurocopter announced today that California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR), with headquarters at McClellan, CA, has agreed to purchase up to eight EC135® helicopters. CALSTAR operates nine full-time bases in northern and central California and is the largest nonprofit air ambulance provider on the west coast. With this order, it will replace its older, non-Eurocopter aircraft and will become an all-Eurocopter operator.

“We performed a very detailed review of our mission profile and our requirements so that we could begin the process of upgrading and standardizing our fleet,” explained Lynn Malmstrom, President and CEO of CALSTAR. “Once we evaluated all the aircraft, the EC135 was the best suited for our current and future mission needs.”

“CALSTAR has been a valued customer for many years,” said Marc Paganini, American Eurocopter’s President and CEO. “Lynn and his team have done a tremendous job preparing for the standardization of their fleet. They obviously did their research and their selection of the EC135 emphasizes the strength of this platform and the trust that top organizations like CALSTAR have in our products and our company.”

CALSTAR is a not-for-profit community service company that has been in operation for 28 years. The company has developed a strong culture of safety within its people, and that is something Malmstrom attributes to its high level of patient care and flight safety. “Safety is the single most important priority for our teams. We want to make sure our crews return home after each shift to be with their family and friends and that our patients get where they need to go safely.” Since its inception, CALSTAR has safely completed over 48,000 transports with no injuries to patients or crew members and to date CALSTAR has flown over 70,000 accident-free flight hours.

The EC135 is a proven and reliable platform with over 1,000 helicopters delivered worldwide. It was designed to meet the unique requirements of operators in several industries. In the U.S., there are more than 240 EC135’s in service, and it has made a name for itself in a variety of industries. With its cabin size, flexibility, performance and reliability, the EC135 has become the twin-engine helicopter of choice in the air medical services industry.

“Over the last ten years, the EC135 has accounted for over 80% of the light twin helicopters delivered to the U.S. air medical industry,” explained Paganini. “CALSTAR’s selection of the EC135 just reinforces what we already know: the EC135 has become the twin-engine platform for the U.S. air medical industry.”

The aircraft’s high endurance, extended range and outstanding maneuverability enables it to perform a full range of mission requirements, while carrying more payload over longer distances than any twin-engine aircraft in its class.

Eurocopter press release