Medevac helicopter flights in US could be grounded by new 5G rollout

A medevac helicopter lands atop Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles in April 2020. — Los Angeles Times/TNS

The critically ill newborn baby was whisked by helicopter Saturday from rural Silverton, Oregon, to a children’s hospital in Portland, the kind of life-saving transport Life Flight Network makes thousands of times a year.

But starting Jan 19, when new 5G wireless service kicks off across the country, such routine air-ambulance missions may no longer be permitted.