Flight For Life

What Flight For Life does

Flight For Life Inc is a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization founded in 1984 that operates a premier critical care air medical helicopter transport program across the state and surrounding region. Following the May 2026 merger with ThedaStar, the combined program operates under the DBA "Flight For Life – ThedaStar" from four 24/7 bases in Waukesha (headquarters, also housing the Communication Center), Burlington, Hartford, and Neenah. The service is authorized for use by Wisconsin fire departments, EMS agencies, law enforcement, dispatch agencies, and hospital emergency, OB, and critical care units; transport requests are initiated via phone through the Communications Centers or through the Flight For Life Web App.

The fleet consists of EC145C-2, EC145C-2e, and EC135 T2+ aircraft configured as flying ICUs with cardiac monitors, defibrillators, ventilators, 2 units of packed red blood cells and 2 units of liquid plasma carried on every flight, plus advanced cardiac assist device transport capability (IABP, ECMO, Impella, LVAD, BiVAD). Dispatch is supported by Computer Aided Dispatch software, satellite aircraft tracking, and security-cam views of base helipads. Aviation services are contracted through Apollo, while the medical crew (flight nurses and flight paramedics), training programs (human patient simulator scenarios, ongoing CE), and clinical specialty partnerships with Froedtert Health CVICU, Children's Wisconsin Transport Team, Medical College of Wisconsin, and ThedaCare Neenah are operated in-house.

The business model is non-profit healthcare utility: Flight For Life bills patients and insurance providers for transport on a transaction-fee basis, with any surplus reinvested into operations and community services. CAMTS accreditation (first in Wisconsin, 1996) anchors a Safety Management System. Distribution is direct-to-authorized-customer via Communication Center dispatch; the only disclosed coalition-based commercial move is membership in the Aeroterra Health consortium launched in November 2025 with four peer non-profit air medical programs.

Name

Flight For Life

Legal name

Flight For Life Inc

Website

https://flightforlife.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Flight For Life is a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization operating critical care air medical helicopter transport across the state from four 24/7 bases (Waukesha, Burlington, Hartford, Neenah), serving hospitals, EMS, fire, and law enforcement agencies with specialty clinical capability including ECMO, LVAD, and neonatal/pediatric transport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Medical Transport Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (62191), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219), Support Activities for Air Transportation (4881)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Medical Transport (Helicopter/Fixed-Wing) (HLAFANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Air Transport (Air Ambulance/Patient Transfer) (TLAFABAG), Medical Passenger Transfer (Non-Emergency Patient Transport) (THABAGAG), Helicopter Medical Passenger Transport (Non-Emergency) (TLAFACAI)

Keywords

• Air medical transport
• Helicopter EMS
• Critical care transport
• Emergency medical services
• Air ambulance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Waukesha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Air Medical Transport Services: Revenue generated from providing critical care air medical helicopter transport services to hospitals, EMS agencies, and emergency services. Services are billed to insurance providers and patients. As a non-profit organization since 1984, any surplus is reinvested into program operations and community services.
2. Patient Billing and Insurance: Billing services for emergency care and medical transport. Patients may receive bills for co-payments, coinsurance, and deductibles. The organization provides billing contact information and online payment options through their billing department.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Flight For Life provides critical care air medical helicopter transport services for seriously ill and injured patients across Wisconsin and the surrounding region. The program operates a fleet of EC145C-2, EC145C-2e, and EC135 T2+ helicopters from four 24/7 bases, staffed by flight nurses and critical care paramedics trained in advanced cardiac, neonatal, and pediatric care. Each flight carries advanced medical equipment including cardiac monitors, defibrillators, ventilators, blood products, and cardiac assist device support, with transport requests coordinated through dedicated Communication Centers and the Flight For Life Web App.

Product overview

Flight For Life - ThedaStar is a unified air medical transport program that operates as a single core product combining helicopter emergency medical transport services with supporting technology platforms. The primary offering consists of critical care air medical transport using EC145 and EC135 aircraft fleets operated from four bases across Wisconsin (Waukesha, Burlington, Hartford, Neenah). This core service is supported by the Flight For Life Web App for streamlined transport request processing, and a Communication Center with satellite tracking and Computer Aided Dispatch capabilities. Additional offerings include community outreach programs such as Landing Zone Training, presentations, and educational initiatives. The program was formed through a merger of Flight For Life and ThedaStar in May 2026, uniting two of Wisconsin's most experienced air medical teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flight For Life – ThedaStar Air Medical Transport Critical care air medical helicopter transport program delivering rapid transport across Wisconsin and the surrounding region for trauma, cardiac, stroke, neonatal, pediatric, high-risk obstetrics, and organ procurement cases. The program combines Flight For Life and ThedaStar operations following the May 2026 merger and operates from four bases (Waukesha, Burlington, Hartford, Neenah).
• Flight For Life Web App Web-based application available to hospital and healthcare providers throughout Wisconsin that streamlines the process of requesting helicopter medical transport, allowing clinicians to focus on patient care while making transport requests more efficient.
• Community Outreach and Training Programs Educational and training programs including Landing Zone Training for Fire/EMS agencies (recommended every 2 years), community presentations, base tours, mock drills/training exercises, Communication Center observation shifts, and the Dead or Alive distracted driving prevention presentation for schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Decreased response times to injuries in Southern Wisconsin including Racine, Walworth, and Kenosha Counties through Burlington Base expansion.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Aeroterra HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2025Five nonprofit organizations united to launch Aeroterra Health, a Health Care Utility to improve patient transport during critical medical moments. Partners include Advocate Health, Flight For Life Wisconsin, HealthNet Aeromedical Services, Intermountain Health, and MedFlight of Ohio. Supported by Mindshare Institute, the partnership aims to increase safety through shared best practices, reduce costs by leveraging combined resources, and support long-term sustainability for nonprofit medical transport services.
• ApollocoreOthersAir transportation provider contracted by Flight For Life. Pilots are contracted aviation-vendor employees of Apollo. The partnership provides the aviation component necessary for air medical transport operations.
• Froedtert Health CVICU TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlight For Life partners with Froedtert Health's CVICU team to transport patients requiring intensive care. These transports often include cardiac assist devices such as Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps, ECMO, Impellas, and Ventricle Assist Devices. At times, a Froedtert perfusionist may accompany the flight team to manage ECMO devices.
• Children's Wisconsin Transport TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlight For Life works collectively with Children's Wisconsin transport team for all neonatal and pediatric interfacility transports. Children's team carries specialized equipment and medications and utilizes an isolette for neonatal transports. FFL medical crew members are trained in all Children's Transport team equipment, isolette, and safety procedures annually.
• Medical College of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond- or third-year Emergency Medicine residents participate in the program when scheduled. Medical College of Wisconsin physicians participating in an EMS fellowship also contribute to the program.
• CAMTScoreOthersCommission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) provides voluntary evaluation of compliance with accreditation standards. Flight For Life was the first program in Wisconsin to achieve CAMTS accreditation in 1996.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MedFlight of Ohio: Non-profit critical care air and ground medical transport program based in Ohio with CAMTS-accredited operations and a fellow Aeroterra Health coalition partner; directly comparable in mission, fleet footprint, and multi-base service model to Flight For Life.
• HealthNet Aeromedical Services: Non-profit hospital-coalition-owned aeromedical transport program serving West Virginia and surrounding states; an Aeroterra Health coalition partner with multi-base rotor-wing operations and critical care capability closely comparable to Flight For Life.
• Intermountain Life Flight: Hospital-system-owned air medical program of Intermountain Health providing rotor-wing and fixed-wing critical care transport across the Mountain West; an Aeroterra Health partner with clinical and operational scope closely parallel to Flight For Life.
• Boston MedFlight: Non-profit critical care medical transport provider serving New England with rotor-wing and fixed-wing aircraft and CAMTS accreditation; directly analogous to Flight For Life in non-profit mission, multi-base footprint, and high-acuity patient mix.
• Advocate Health Air Medical: Air medical transport arm of Advocate Health, an Aeroterra Health coalition partner; comparable scale, hospital system integration, and critical care mission to Flight For Life's Wisconsin program.
• STAT MedEvac (UPMC): Affiliated with UPMC and operating one of the largest hospital-system-owned rotor-wing air medical networks in the eastern U.S.; directly comparable multi-base critical care transport model to Flight For Life - ThedaStar.

Broad incumbents

• Air Methods Corporation: Largest U.S. air medical operator providing rotor-wing and fixed-wing EMS across dozens of states; a national incumbent that competes with Flight For Life for regional hospital contracts and partnership arrangements.
• PHI Air Medical: Major national air medical operator with helicopter and fixed-wing EMS services across multiple states; competes with Flight For Life for hospital contracts while operating on a broader national scale and aviation-services depth.
• Life Flight Network: Largest non-profit air ambulance provider in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West; offers rotor-wing and fixed-wing critical care with a regional hospital-consortium model similar to Flight For Life's.
• REACH Air Medical Services: California-based air medical operator providing rotor-wing and fixed-wing critical care across the western U.S.; comparable mission and patient acuity to Flight For Life with broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/flightforlife

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flight For Life