fbpx

Scott AFB 11th Airlift Squadron C-9A Nightingale

Scott AFB 11th Airlift Squadron C-9A Nightingale, vintage style Heritage art.

The 11th Airlift Squadron was born at Scott AFB, IL as the 11th Aeromedical Transport Squadron, Light on 8 Nov 1956. It was re-designated as the 11th Aeromedical Transport Squadron on 25 Jul 1964 and again as the 11th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron on 12 Jan 1966, gaining it’s final designation, the 11th Airlift Squadron, on 1 Oct 1993. The 11th AS performed the aeromedical airlift mission, flying the C-9A Nightingale until that aircraft was retired 30 September 2003, at which point the 11 AS deactivated. The C-9A, known as the “Nightingale”, was developed to fill the need for an aeromedical evacuation (medevac) aircraft. The Air Force purchased 20 C-9As to replace older propeller driven medevac planes. The C-9A Nightingale is a modified version of the McDonnell Douglas’s DC-9. It is the only aircraft in the inventory specifically designed for the movement of litter and ambulatory patients. The C-9A’s airlift capability to carry 40 litter patients or 40 ambulatory and four litter patients, or combinations of those, provides the flexibility for AMC’s worldwide aero medical evacuation role.