Partnership is at the heart of aviation, particularly at airports. After all, if airlines and tenants didn’t use them, they’d just be sprawling paved areas next to empty buildings.

At the Allegheny County Airport Authority, we value our partnerships with commercial airlines, FBOs, private aircraft owners, flight schools and everyone else who is part of the robust aviation community in Western Pennsylvania – and beyond.

And while all of them do great work, perhaps none is as critically important as our friends at STAT MedEvac, which operates one of its 18 bases at Allegheny County Airport.

STAT is one of the largest air-medical transport systems in the United States, stretching from Pennsylvania to Ohio, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

When a patient needs critical care and transporting them by ambulance to an emergency medical facility is too difficult or time-consuming, the STAT team can swoop in and dramatically improve that person’s chances of survival.

Each helicopter is staffed by a pilot, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic and is outfitted with equipment to provide life-saving care for a wide variety of medical emergencies.

The company uses EC-135 and 145 helicopters in its fleet, including this 135 photographed by 14-year-old Blake Cassidy recently at AGC. With a top speed of 139 knots and a range of more than 350 nautical miles, this rotor-wing aircraft serves a critical role in our region’s emergency health care network.

Thanks, Blake, and thanks for your dedication to our community, STAT!

Our readers continue to pass along shots of unique aircraft, international airports, historical events, gorgeous views and even family vacation photos for this feature. We love them! Keep them coming—you can click here for submission guidelines.