National Aviation Week is celebrated August 19 – 25 each year, beginning on National Aviation Day, also the birthday of Orville Wright, a flight pioneer. Aerospace of all kinds is recognized throughout the week, from the first flight in 1903 to modern space travel.
At STAT MedEvac, we take this week to show extra appreciation for our pilots, mechanics and aviation communication specialists, who use helicopter technology to safely transport patients requiring critical care. For this blog post, we specifically focus on pilots.
Everyone’s story starts somewhere. For John Guazzo, a STAT MedEvac training pilot for EC-145 and EC135-T2 helicopters, an interest in aeronautics found him at a very early age.
“I was always into anything that flew,” Guazzo said. “As a kid, I built model rockets and remote-control airplanes, airplane model kits, kites, etcetera. If it had wings, I was interested.”
Guazzo received his helicopter pilot license from the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics in 1995 and got his first job instructing Bell 47s in Louisiana.
“The first job is hard to get. You basically must convince an employer you are worth the risk of flying their aircraft,” Guazzo said. “But even then, those early years were tough trying to get by on a flight instructor’s hourly wage. As I look back, it’s amazing how far I’ve come.”
Guazzo has worked for STAT since 2008 and is now a training pilot for new hires or current pilots who need recurrent or upgrade training.
“The most rewarding part of my job is passing on my knowledge to new pilots and helping them become competent in their new job and aircraft,” Guazzo said.
For some, the thought of a career path in aviation did not come until high school, like Dave Randall, a line pilot for STAT MedEvac 8 (Grove City), whose father encouraged him to pursue the field.
Randall started flying in April 1983 and received two Airline Transport Pilot certificates in multi-engine land fixed-wing and rotorcraft/helicopter, along with being type-rated in a Citation jet.
“Aviation is very humbling at times,” Randall said. “I try to focus on the basics and remember what I have been taught and learned over the years. Experience is a tough teacher because you get the test first.”
Before becoming an EMS pilot in 2017, Randall served as a line pilot for the Pennsylvania State Police from 2006 to 2016.
“I handle the long days by concentrating on being safe and moving forward in a positive direction. Not every day is rough, so take the good with the bad,” Randall said. “It is rewarding when completing a mission and returning safely back to base, knowing that the helicopter made a difference in the patient’s outcome.”
Other pilots like Greg Anthony, a line pilot for STAT MedEvac ME9 (Clearfield), dreamed of working in aviation and achieved the goal by joining the military.
“I had a strong desire to be a fighter pilot from an early age. However, poor eyesight prevented that,” Anthony said. “I avoided the Air Force and joined the Army after high school. Several years later and after LASIK eye surgery, I learned I could fly helicopters in the Army.”
He started flight training in 2008 and flew AH-64D helicopters in the Army until 2017, when he transitioned to the UH-60 Blackhawk.
“On a mission day in Afghanistan, the environmental controls in my cockpit failed, and I flew eight hours in a 97-degree cockpit,” he said. “Looking back at that day, I realized that although it was difficult, I was able to stay hydrated and focused. It was a minor inconvenience compared to what some soldiers and airmen had to experience in that theater.”
After his time in the military, Anthony joined the team at STAT MedEvac in 2021, continuing to make a difference through his aviation skills.
“I really enjoy the satisfaction of providing fast life-saving transport, especially to patients at the scene of an accident or event,” he said.
All our pilots have their own experience in aeronautics that led them to become a part of STAT MedEvac. But no matter how many years put into the field or certifications obtained, they continue to make a lasting impact on people’s lives.
During National Aviation Week, alongside airline pilots, engineers, and others who work in aerospace, it is important to highlight the work of EMS pilots, mechanics and aviation communication specialists, which often goes unnoticed. It is also essential to use this time to engage people’s interest in the field.
“I get extreme enjoyment from inspiring or exciting people with the performance of the aircraft,” said Anthony. “Sometimes all it takes is a flyover with a slight rocking of the aircraft to get people excited about aviation.”