Night vision will enhance HALO service

By Brian Konrad

Working on our night moves

Night-vision goggles will expand HALO’s capabilities

Apr 6, 2022 | 11:22 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Sharp-eyed observers may have noticed something unusual over the city last night.

HALO Air Ambulance was flying after sundown.

It’s something they’ve not been able to do before, operating only under daytime visual flight rules.

But thanks to fundraising efforts HALO has begun training pilots using night-vision goggles.

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CEO Paul Carolan says the training will allow HALO to provide service no matter the time of the year.

“In the winter, we might only have six or seven hours of daylight and that had been restrictive for us, in that as a daytime visual flight rule only program we were only able to provide service for a limited period of time,” says Carolan.

READ MORE: Sustained HALO funding the culmination of almost 20 years of advocacy

With the equipment and training, Carolan says they will be able to offer 12 hours of service for 365 days of the year.

Carolan says HALO is fortunate in that its pilots have previous experience with night-vision goggles.

The training and goggles were the result of fundraising, but they had to wait until the Texas-based trainers were allowed to travel after the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

The training will continue over the next six to nine months.

Carolan says they will try not to disturb people on the ground with their night training.

At the moment, HALO doesn’t have plans to offer 24/7 service, due to staffing issues, but that will be considered as part of long-term strategic planning.