The evolution of air transport systems: a pictorial review.

The air transport of patients began over seventy years ago in primitive biplanes. The ability to fly over the obstacles of the battlefield created enthusiasm in both the military and the medical communities. With the advent of vertical flight, the need for conventional runways was obviated allowing for casualties to be transported directly from the site of injury. After their introduction as air ambulances in 1945, helicopters soon supplanted ground ambulances with their speed and versatility. By the mid-1960s, civilian casualties were being transported by helicopter as regional trauma care developed in the United States. Today aeromedical programs continue to expand rapidly, even as closer scrutiny of their efficacy, cost, and safety are explored. A pictorial review highlighting the evolution of air transport systems is presented.