Air medical transportation provider Metro Aviation (Booth 9337) strengthened its safety and operational support teams with the hiring of air medical safety veteran Ed Stockhausen and emergency services specialist Becky Ross.
Metro named Stockhausen director of safety. Stockhausen will oversee initiatives at Metro’s completion center in Shreveport, La., along with its 34 operational bases throughout the U.S. He will work to build upon the company’s existing safety practices. Metro has achieved Level IV of the FAA’s Safety Management System (SMS) Pilot Project for both Part 135 and 145.
Stockhausen brings a long background in aviation safety management. He has spent the past decade as v-p of safety for Air Methods, where he helped the operator also achieve SMS Level IV. He also has served as chairman of the Air Medical Operators Association’s Safety Committee and on HAI’s Safety Committee. He further has developed and presented courses for the Association of Air Medical Services. His career began in 1977 as crew chief and loadmaster for the U.S. Army Parachute Team, The Golden Knights.
Ross, meanwhile, becomes Metro’s second director of transport business services. Metro in May created the position with the hiring of Eveline Bisson to support its operational customers. In this role, Ross joins Bisson in providing support to Metro’s operational programs across the country.
Ross formerly was assistant v-p of emergency services for Vidant EastCare in Greenville, N.C. She also had worked with Metro this fall as a consultant for one of its operational customers that was experiencing major changes. She had stepped in as interim program director, while changes were implemented to put the operator on a stronger footing.
“The air medical industry has experienced significant change in the last few years,” said Metro president Mike Stanberry. “We want to make sure our customers not only survive in this changing climate, but excel and continue to provide their communities with the excellent service they have come to expect.”