A plane for Maine.

A Plane for Maine.

A promise to every Mainer.

Every day across Maine—on rural roads, remote islands, and in small community hospitals—lives hang in the balance. In those critical moments, when time, distance, and access to care become barriers, there is one constant: LifeFlight of Maine.

For more than 25 years, LifeFlight has ensured that no matter where you live, who you are, or what you can afford, you have access to lifesaving care. It is a promise rooted in equity, compassion, and the belief that every life matters.

Today, that promise has never been more essential.

A vital component of LifeFlight’s statewide critical care system is its fixed-wing airplane, which provides long-distance, all-weather transport to more than 350 patients each year. For more than a decade, LifeFlight’s airplane, Lima Mike, has served as a mission-critical asset for patients across Maine, particularly those in rural and remote communities.

Operating only one plane no longer provides the level of reliability Maine patients require.

LifeFlight’s most urgent need is the acquisition of a second medically equipped airplane that will strengthen the reliability and availability of critical care transport across the state.

When the airplane is unavailable, there is no true substitute: helicopters may be grounded by weather or are inefficient for long-distance missions, and ground transport can add hours to time-sensitive care.

For Maine’s most ill or injured patients, those with no room for delayed care, this second airplane represents reliability, access, and survival when every minute matters.

Patient Story: Kallaway Thebarge

“They’re family now. I replay that day often, and it wouldn’t have gone as well without their comfort and support,” – Lindsey Thebarge

Matthew and Brian Dolan

“It was a feeling of relief that someone just knows what to do, especially in a rural area.” – Christina Dolan

Maine to Manhattan: The Eliasberg Family’s LifeFlight Experience

For generations, the Eliasberg family has spent their summers in Maine. Year after year, they return to their camp on Georges Pond in the Downeast community of Franklin, a place that holds family history and memories of reunions and offers the kind of time together that’s hard to come by the rest of the year. […]

Lima Mike: LifeFlight’s Workhorse

The airplane is used for transports greater than 150 miles, for all weather capability, and regional interstate transport for specialty care services not available in Maine, with an arc including Boston-based hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic, and mid-Atlantic specialty centers such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

There are many days out of the year when weather has the helicopter fleet grounded and the airplane is the only asset flying. In addition to its weather capabilities, the airplane flies twice as fast as the helicopter and is more suitable for longer range transports. It is also an important emergency resource during major events, such as October 2023 when the plane transported blood and additional critical care personnel to Lewiston during the mass shooting.

Lima Mike has experienced increasingly high utilization for an aging aircraft. This level of use has resulted in significant out-of-service time related to required maintenance, inspections, and pilot training, totaling approximately 40 percent of the year.

LifeFlight seeks to add a pre-owned Beechcraft King Air B250 as a complementary asset to the fleet, one that reduces out-of-service gaps, increases availability during high-demand periods and preserves helicopter capacity for the communities they are best suited to serve.

LifeFlight of Maine is undertaking a carefully structured plan to support the acquisition of a second medically equipped fixed-wing aircraft that will strengthen reliable access to critical care across the state. The total project cost is $7.0 million, reflecting the purchase, medical configuration, and entry-into-service costs for a King Air B250 aircraft.

Philanthropic Support

The LifeFlight Foundation is seeking $3.5M in philanthropic support from donors and foundations to help fund this capital investment. Philanthropic dollars will be applied directly to the aircraft acquisition and medical interior configuration, ensuring that donor support has an immediate and lasting impact on patient access, safety, and service reliability.

Shared Investment

The remaining $3.5M will be funded through either a Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) request which was submitted to the offices of Senators King and Collins, or a combination of internal and external resources, demonstrating LifeFlight’s shared commitment to the project.

If LifeFlight’s CDS request is not approved, LifeFlight anticipates generating a portion of the needed funds through the planned sale of two older-model helicopters that are nearing the end of their optimal service life. Additional financing will be assumed by the organization and supported through operating revenues, consistent with the organization’s long-standing practice of responsibly financing essential fleet assets.

This blended funding approach reflects careful stewardship of donor resources and ensures that philanthropic investment is leveraged alongside organizational assets and operational capacity. By sharing the cost of this project, LifeFlight is positioning itself to sustain critical care transport services while minimizing financial risk and preserving resources for future patient care needs.

Support the plane.

If you or someone you know can help LifeFlight secure the funding we need to upgrade and expand our fleet, please contact Ashley MacMillan, Director of Annual Giving, at (207) 357-5508 amacmillan@lifeflight.me.