Life Flight Network has quietly dropped a full-time critical-care airbase into Hillsboro Airport, complete with an airplane, a helicopter and crews on duty 24/7. Company leaders and local responders say the westside station will shave precious minutes off some emergency transports and take pressure off ground ambulances stuck in rush-hour traffic. For Washington County residents and coastal communities that funnel patients into Portland hospitals, those minutes can translate into a real difference in outcomes. The move also marks a return to Hillsboro for Life Flight, which previously operated from hospital-based locations before restructuring its footprint years ago.
The organization first announced the new facility in December and said fixed-wing flights began in January 2026, with helicopter services to follow, according to Life Flight Network. The company described the Hillsboro rollout as a “homecoming” and said the base is intended to serve Washington County along with neighboring coastal and inland counties, carrying ICU-level equipment and blood products to support critical care in the air.
Local television coverage on April 15 showed both aircraft and crews already staged at the Hillsboro field. CEO Ben Clayton told FOX 12 that having a westside base cuts the time air crews spend fighting their way into Portland’s hospitals during heavy traffic. Pilot Isaac Etherington, who said, “I first learned to fly here at this airport,” added that the team is prepared to handle a wide range of emergencies across the region.
What's Stationed At Hillsboro
The Hillsboro base is set up with a Pilatus PC-12 NG fixed-wing airplane and an Airbus H135 helicopter, each configured as a flying intensive care unit and staffed by pilots, flight nurses, flight paramedics and mechanics, per Life Flight Network. The operator says the station will maintain round-the-clock readiness so crews can launch at any hour. Local reporting notes the site is expected to generate roughly 20 jobs for the area, according to the Hillsboro News Times. Together, those staff and aircraft give critically ill or injured patients in Washington County and nearby communities a quicker route to higher-level care.
Why It Matters For Responders And Patients
Local fire and EMS officials have welcomed the addition, saying Life Flight’s presence at Hillsboro will free up ground crews and shorten transfer times during peak traffic, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue Chief David Downey told the Hillsboro News Times. Company leaders made the same case on television, with FOX 12 reporting that the Hillsboro hub gives regional partners a faster, ICU-capable option when they need to move patients to higher levels of care. For first responders on the ground, that can mean getting back in service sooner while the sickest patients continue on to definitive treatment.
The Hillsboro airbase is the latest step in Life Flight Network’s broader expansion as the nonprofit increases its capacity across the West and Hawaii. For people in Washington County, the impact is far less abstract: a closer, faster pathway to hospital care at the exact moments when seconds matter most.
