MFC TESTS WYNN HOSPITAL HELIPAD
UTICA, N.Y. -- If you heard a low-flying helicopter in Utica this morning, you heard part of a first for Wynn Hospital.
The first landing at the facility's helipad.
A helicopter from Mercy Flight Central’s Marcellus base christened the new helipad Friday afternoon in a test landing.
"They had a great day for that today, and the weather is going to play a factor no matter where they are landing or where they are taking off from," Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said.
The delayed opening of the parking garage meant that the opening of the heliport was delayed too.
If patients had to be flown to Syracuse, they'd be brought by ambulance to the former St. Luke's helipad.
"All of that seems to be in order, we still have a few things to button up with the garage, but it appears that after today's test flight, it seemed to go very well," Picente said.
Further delaying the helipad's opening, approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
With the completion of today's test, that benchmark may not be too far away.
"All indications point that everything went well, we'll just wait and once we get the green light, then the hospital can begin accepting or transporting patients," Picente explained.
He said more test landings will take place at the heliport in the coming days.
