Medical Flight Crew

Every patient is unique, which is why each medical flight crew comprises a mission-specific combination of a Flight Doctor and Flight Nurse or Flight Paramedic. Highly-trained and professional, the medical flight crew have ACLS and PALS, ATLS, pre-hospital EMS, ICU and trauma experience.

Medical Director – Dr Glenn Staples

With almost two decades of experience in aeromedical services, including more than 400 fixed-wing flight missions and more than 600 HEMS missions, Dr Glenn Staples is more than qualified to head up this essential service offering as Universal Air Evac’s General Manager.

He leads the team with his unique range of skills and experience, including ten years of pre-hospital primary response EMS work (road ambulance), three years of anaesthetics experience, 18 months of dedicated ICU experience, as well as two years of full-time experience in a Level 1 Trauma Unit.

He has also been involved in the establishment and management of Fixed-Wing, HEMS and Helicopter Surf Rescue Operations across Africa and is a qualified BLS, ACLS, PALS and APLS Instructor.

General Manager – Shane Marais

As an Advanced Life Support Flight Paramedic with extensive experience in aeromedical operations and medical assistance services in Africa, Shane Marais has over 20 years of experience in the operational and managerial aspects of the pre-hospital and aeromedical environment, as well as flight operations management. He has also worked in establishing and managing Fixed-Wing, HEMS and Helicopter Surf Rescue operations across Africa.

24/7 Flight Desk

Great outcomes in the air rely on excellent support on the ground.  At Universal Air Evac, support and logistics are managed by a 24/7 Flight Desk, staffed by medically qualified personnel. The Flight Desk handles all flight requests and tracks every flight from start to finish, communicating detailed updates on flight progress to clients throughout. The Flight Desk operates from a full call centre platform that includes a case management system and voice logging.

Maintenance & Scheduling

Aircraft maintenance and scheduling is controlled and managed through Universal Air Evac’s in-house maintenance controller and line support. Dedicated engineers enjoy full manufacturer and OEM support, while the fleet types ensure parts support, availability and common knowledge bases and skillsets.