The US is using its famous 'Ebola plane' private jet to rescue coronavirus-stricken Americans around the world. Take a look inside the modified Gulfstream.
picture alliance/picture alliance/Getty
The Gulfstream III air ambulance used by the US Centers for Disease Control and the US State Department is seeing a resurgence as COVID-19 cases rise and infected American citizens need to get home for treatment.
Known as the "Ebola plane" for its use during the 2014 crisis, the plane is once again flying across the world to evacuate Americans afflicted with the novel coronavirus.
The jet is operated by Phoenix Air, a Georgia-based air ambulance operator that's the go-to for the US government, also assisting in the evacuation of Americans from Wuhan.
During the Ebola crisis, one Gulfstream jet was tasked with over 40 lifesaving missions as it traveled to and from hotspots in Africa bringing those infected with the deadly illness to hospitals in the US.
The "Ebola plane" or "Ebola Gray," as it came to be known, became the go-to mode of transportation for the US Centers for Disease Control and US State Department for medical evacuations as it featured an onboard isolation and containment chamber necessary for the safe transport of afflicted patients.
Now, the modified air ambulance is taking on a new role as the "COVID-19 plane."
With Ebola largely mitigated and the novel coronavirus pandemic in full swing, the battleship grey-painted Gulfstream is flying missions once again, this time to bring American citizens infected with COVID-19 back home to be treated.
Take a look inside the plane that the CDC and State Department turn to when a US citizen with an infectious disease needs to get home.
Though it may look like any other private jet, this nondescript Gulfstream is a highly-specialized air ambulance frequently used by the US government.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and the US State Department rely on the jet and a select few like it to get Americans home for treatment that have been infected with a contagious disease.
The Gulfstream came to prominence during the Ebola crisis as it transported over 40 patients from Africa to the US and Europe for treatment.
Source: Phoenix Air
This modified Gulfstream III jet built in 1982 first saw service with the Royal Danish Air Force, hence its battleship grey paint and military look.
Source: Jalopnik
Despite boasting the iconic Gulfstream look, the air ambulance is largely unluxurious and its passengers are often in critical need of care, unable to fly in normal airliners.
The infectious nature of the passengers being transported means that all precautions must be taken, including wearing personal protective equipment and destroying onboard anything that may still hold the virus after infected patients disembark.
Source: USA Today and Discovery
The aircraft is often met by an ambulance once it arrives in the US for quick transport to the destination hospital. During the Ebola crisis, Atlanta was a frequent destination as it is home to the Emory University Hospital, a primary treatment center for Ebola patients.
Source: NBC News
And then any potentially infected items are discarded.
The primary feature of the aircraft is the containment chamber that can be loaded into the cabin of the aircraft.
Source: Phoenix Air
The modified Gulfstream comes with a cargo-loading door so the chamber can be slid directly into the cabin.
Source: Phoenix Air
Only one infected patient can fly at a time in the Aeromedical Biological Containment System, which features an isolation chamber complete with stretcher, toilet, and monitoring equipment.
Source: Phoenix Air and Wall Street Journal
Air is pumped into the chamber with an air pump and high-efficiency particulate air filter and then jettisoned from the aircraft to prevent any onboard contamination.
Source: Wall Street Journal
It's not the typical ride one would expect on a Gulfstream but it has saved the lives of those infected with Ebola by bringing them back to the US to receive treatment.
The jet isn't operated by the US government, rather an air ambulance operation based in Cartersville, Georgia by the name of Phoenix Air.
Phoenix Air has multiple modified Gulfstream jets and the US government is one of its top customers, especially now.
One of the company's first missions in the fight against COVID-19 was a trip to Paro, Bhutan, COO Dent Thompson told Business Insider in an email.
The jet flew over 8,000 miles and enlisted a Bhutanese navigator to help assist in getting to the patient by landing at the notoriously dangerous Paro Airport.
Paro's danger comes from its surrounding geography as the airport is located in a valley flanked by mountains.
Once the elderly patient was on board, Thompson told Business Insider that the patient was "barely alive but highly contagious" and assisted by life support and intubated ventilation.
Phoenix Air described the rescue as the "most complicated air ambulance mission in aviation history," sentiments echoed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
"It was one of the most complex medical evacuations in history, and the State Department pulled it off," said Pompeo during a March 31 press conference.
Source: US State Department
The State Department also turns to Phoenix Air to contract larger aircraft when the situation requires, Thompson said, including the evacuation of American citizens from Wuhan in January.
The Georgia-based company chartered a Kalitta Air Boeing 747-400 freighter converted for passenger use to rescue around 200 American citizens. The jumbo jet featured a larger multi-patient Aeromedical Biological Containment System pioneered by the company and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Source: Phoenix Air and Wall Street Journal
Phoenix Air also arranged transport home for Americans on the Diamond Princess once it docked in Japan.
Read the original article on Business Insider
