Родом из Антиго: пилот-медик Коллин Элдридж вернулся на родину, чтобы спасать жизни в вертолёте

You Know You’re From...Antigo: Medic Pilot Collinn Eldridge RHINELANDER, Wis. (WSAW) - Life Link III has called Rhinelander home for a little over five years. The organization has additional Wisconsin bases in Marshfield and Rice Lake, and eight more in Minnesota. “We knew that there was a need. It was a very large area and a long response time,” said Luke Stoflet, senior manager of partner engagement and strategy for Life Link III. Crew provides air medical transport A team of two medics and a pilot provides air medical transport for the service. “I don’t think it ever goes away that your heart rate goes up a little bit when the tones go off,” said Holly Zyhowski, a flight nurse with Life Link III. “We’ve got a job to focus on in the back and they have a job to focus on in the cockpit,” said Wylie Lee, a flight paramedic with Life Link III. “I know that I can get the job done safely,” said Collinn Eldridge, a medic pilot with Life Link III. From Antigo to the cockpit The man at the controls is Antigo native Collinn Eldridge. “Probably when I was eight years old I told my whole family that I was going to grow up and fly helicopters,” Eldridge said. Getting here wasn’t a direct flight for the former Red Robin. After graduating in 2019, he went to flight school. The last few years, he worked in Las Vegas flying Grand Canyon tours. “I flew quite a bit. So, I was flying 600-800 hours a year for the first couple of years that I was flying. So I was able to acquire a lot of hours,” Eldridge said. It didn’t take long to get the 2,000 hours needed for the job. Every day for a year, he monitored an aviation job website. “I have to apply for this job tomorrow. You know, I want to get on it right away,” Eldridge said. Finding his way home In January, Eldridge found his path home, flying in the Northwoods. “Out west you have one big mountain range that runs north and south, so you really can’t get lost out there. But, out here it all looks the same. Even though I’m from around here there’s a lot of times when I’m in the air and it’s all farm fields and trees. So, it’s good we have a nice GPS in there,” Eldridge said. At 25, he’s young for his position, but his skill set shows he’s equipped for the call. “We want to have confidence in who’s taking us up and flying. Because at the end of the day, a lot of our safety is in his hands, as well. The attention to detail really helps build that trust,” Zyhowski said. “I want people to know that I have the least impressive job at this base here. Helicopters, they’re not all that smooth. So, to be sitting back there and doing that is really impressive,” Eldridge said. Every flight ends on a small platform Every flight ends on a small platform with wheels. “If one of your skids, if you’re too far to the left and your skid goes down that way, it’s not a good day,” Eldridge said. “I won’t want anyone watching me or filming me park my truck in a parking space. Much less a helicopter,” said Heather. “When you get up in the air and you look down and go, ‘wow. That’s not a very big square,’” Lee said. “I’m on the yellow line, but it’s not perfectly straight. So, I’d give it a seven. 7.5,” Eldridge said. Eldridge is engaged to his flight school sweetheart, with a baby arriving any day now. “Yeah, they’re a great company. I’ll probably work here for the rest of my life if they’ll keep me,” Eldridge said. Click here to download the WSAW news app or WSAW First Alert weather app. Click here to submit a news tip or story idea. Copyright 2026 WSAW. All rights reserved.