Local paper profiles Sioux Falls based flight nurses

Helicopters and fixed wing aircraft serve as ambulances in South Dakota, connecting far flung towns and Reservations to the major medical centers in Sioux Falls.

Good human interest piece showed up in Sunday's Argus Leader.

"The weather, of course, affects their demeanor. They can see the radar just like the pilots can. 'Sometimes you cinch your seatbelts up a little tighter,' VanDerVliet says.

And so does the frequent, inevitable question: Will they make it on time?


It's in those moments, Boik says, that she says a silent prayer for the pilot to go just a little bit faster. 'And somehow, some way, it seems like he does.'

That's not to say they make it back to the hospital in time all the time. Unfortunately, sometimes they don't.


'As hard as we try, sometimes there's a higher power in charge,' Boik says.


And that hurts. It really hurts, Boik and VanDerVliet admit. The two - along with the rest of their team - rely on each other for the emotional support required to do their job day in and day out."