Air Medical Services

You may recognize Chuck Surack as the Founder of Sweetwater Sound, Surack Enterprises, the owner of Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, or as a community leader, serving on the boards of many local non-profit organizations.

What you might not know is that Chuck is a helicopter pilot and aircraft enthusiast. Inspired by his aviator father, Chuck has loved flying since childhood, even keeping his Boy Scouts Aviation merit badge to this day. His first flying experiences were in his dad’s Aeronca Chief based at Smith Field. Chuck would go on to own many other airplanes and helicopters, such as the Cessna 414, Cessna Citations, and the Airbus H130, just to name a few. He loves flying and can often be found at the helm of a helicopter.

In addition to Sweet Helicopters, other aviation related businesses under the Surack Enterprises umbrella include Sweet Aviation, which provides charter flights, training, and rental for fixed-wing aircraft from both Smith Field Airport and DeKalb County Airport and Aviation Specialty Insurance, which insures the aviation industry including corporations, light aircraft, flight schools, drones & UAVs, and more.

He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons and a daughter.

Keith Shivers retired from the US Army as a Chief Warrant Officer Four with twenty years of military experience, nine of which he spent with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky. He first found his passion for aviation as a 13-year-old kid, leading him to work tirelessly and complete his student pilot license the same week he received his driver’s license. Keith most recently served as Chief Pilot for a worldwide defense contractor company, and before that, as the Program Manager for a large hospital-based Helicopter Air Ambulance in Ohio.

As much as Keith loves flying, he’s equally gifted in leadership. He now focuses his attention on leading Sweet Helicopters’ dynamic team to become the best it can possibly be. He brings with him a BBA from Austin Peay State University and an MBA from Embry Riddle University. As Director of Operations, Keith is responsible for managing day to day operations, representing the certificate and operational control to the FAA.

Outside of work, Keith and his wife Tracey enjoy attending professional and collegiate football games. They have two children together and six grandchildren.

Lewis Vondy handles the day-to-day administrative responsibilities required to keep Sweet Helicopters operational. He’s a certified flight and instrument instructor for both airplanes and helicopters. Lewis grew up listening to his father’s stories about flying in an Aeronca Chief, which inspired him to join the Air Force JROTC and Civil Air Patrol. He would go on to earn his private pilot certificate even before graduating high school. In college, helicopter pilots became his heroes as he watched brave officers hover over icy waters in daring rescue attempts. Lewis then had the privilege to spend the next three decades combining his love for flying with a career that meets people in what is often their hour of greatest need. His military career includes service spent in the US Army National Guard, the Wyoming Guard, and the Arizona Guard.

He and his wife Michelle love to observe wildlife together, whether that be out on the hiking trail or closer to home on their rural, five-acre property. They have three grown children and a growing number of grandchildren, whom they adore.

Daniel  helps oversee all aircraft maintenance operations, ensuring compliance with FAA regulations, company policies, and manufacturer standards. Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Daniel holds an Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Maintenance from Clover Park Technical College in Puyallup, Washington. Before entering aviation, he served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a rifleman and Light Armored Vehicle Crewman, including a deployment to Afghanistan. His path to aviation began unexpectedly while waiting for college credit transfers, when he discovered a passion for aircraft maintenance that evolved into a rewarding career. Daniel holds multiple FAA certifications, including Airframe, Powerplant, and Inspection Authorization, along with various factory and specialized maintenance trainings. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family—his wife, a pilot for Sweet Helicopters, and their young son.

Austin has always found himself fascinated by fast cars and motorcycles. He says flying was his first outlet where he didn’t get in trouble for going fast. Austin began learning to fly as a teenager in Huntington, IN. He went on to complete a degree in Professional Aviation Technology at Purdue University, and later, he received his CFI license from a flight school in Oregon. Austin puts his knack for speed and precision to work every day as an HAA Pilot for Parkview Samaritan, where he provides both transport from a crash scene and inter-facility transfer.

While Austin might be the first person to become a pilot in his family, he’s not the first person to work for Parkview. His father is a Parkview Emergency Department Physician, and Austin says that sometimes, their paths cross during transports. Austin has a wife, a toddler son, and a daughter on the way.

Michael Smith has always made serving his community a priority. Before serving as Pilot in Command for Samaritan 2, Michael was serving his country in the U.S. Army. He is a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Michael spent seven years in the infantry and 13 in Army aviation as an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Pilot in Command. While he has since retired from the Army, Michael remains just as committed to saving lives. He now provides Air Ambulance support for Parkview, transporting patients across Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. When every second counts, Michael is up for the challenge, of transporting critically injured trauma victims to hospitals as quickly and safely as possible.

Michael is an ATP-certified pilot. He is happily married to his wife Crystal. Together they have three children: Cody, Jesse, and Emma.

Derrick Potter says he feels incredibly humbled to be a part of the Samaritan program. It’s his responsibility to make sure the AS365N2 aircraft stays airworthy and continues to save many lives. His childhood was spent at the airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he watched the planes land with his father. Derrick and his childhood best friend both decided to attend the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Indianapolis to become aircraft technicians. Since then, Derick has logged more than 250 hours of Ascend Leadership training. He now has ten years of project management experience.

Derrick married his high school sweetheart. They’ve been married for more than 15 years. Together they have two kids. Derrick’s older boy aspires to become a pilot for Samaritan when he grows up. In his free time, Derrick enjoys fishing, learning about space, and skydiving.

Joseph McConnell has worked to keep aircraft in flying shape for decades. He graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics in 1979 with an associate degree in aviation maintenance. Before he began maintaining Parkview’s fleet, Joseph already had some piloting experience, but he wanted to learn more about helicopters and how they work. He now knows several aircraft inside and out, including the AS365N, N1, and N2.

In his free time, Joseph loves to read, collect scale models, and restore old cars. He has two sons: Alexander and Cameron.