If Ferrari made an SUV, it would look like the Cal-Ore Life Flight plane.

At least, that's how David Ravetti put it. And he should know -- he's the pilot.

”It's a very fast, very quick airplane,” said Cal-Ore Life Flight President Dan Brattain. And by November, the Piper Cheyenne twin turboprop that serves as an ambulance for Southern Oregon, Del Norte and Humboldt counties, will be stationed at Eureka's Murray Field for the first time.

The plane flies patients from rural hospitals to those in larger areas that can handle more critical patients, such as the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, the UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, hospitals in Redding, Santa Rosa, and occasionally as far as Portland, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Of the 25 to 30 medical flights that depart Humboldt County's hospitals monthly, Cal-Ore Life Flight handles between 60 and 70 percent of them, Brattain said. Santa Rosa and Redding-based flight companies take care of the rest, he said.

But the planes that serve Humboldt County currently take off from Crescent City, adding 13 to 14 minutes' time to a trip.

”The health care in Humboldt County is good, so when (patients) are on the plane, they're very sick,” Brattain said. “For them to order the flight, they can't get the care here.”

But taking a sick person in the air, in an area smaller than the back of an ambulance, has its difficulties.

”It's really a challenge because of the altitude and weather,” said Kathleen Peterson, a registered nurse who oversees patients during flights.

Especially the weather, Brattain said. Even if a hospital has a bed for the patient, bad weather can halt the expedition. “The weather's either good enough or not (and) we can either fly or not,” Brattain said.

And pilots must check their emotions at the door and not get pushed into flying under questionable circumstances because of a patient's condition, Brattain said. That and being ready to go at any moment can lead to stressful days.

”If you're on duty, you're on duty,” he said. “You have to be geared and ready to go when that call comes in.”

Most patients need a high-level of care and have brain injuries, are infants or children, or have burns, Peterson said.

But the payoff is well worth it, he said. “It's very rewarding to get someone to a place where they can get the medical care they need,” Brattain said.

Karen Wilkinson can be reached at 441-0514 or kwilkinson@times-standard.com