Cartersville Aviation Company Flew Ebola Patients Home Safely

A new book spotlights Phoenix Air's daring missions evacuating Ebola patients from West Africa

Apr. 11, 2026 at 5:35am

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An extreme close-up X-ray photograph revealing the complex internal structure of an aircraft fuselage, with ghostly outlines of medical isolation chambers, conceptually representing the high-risk Ebola evacuation missions undertaken by the Cartersville aviation company.A specialized aircraft equipped with medical isolation chambers, the critical technology that enabled a Cartersville aviation company to safely evacuate Ebola patients from West Africa.Cartersville Today

A new nonfiction book spotlights Phoenix Air, the high-risk aviation company based in Cartersville, Georgia that helped evacuate Ebola patients from West Africa using specially designed isolation chambers. Author and former paramedic Kevin Hazzard explores how the Cartersville firm's daring missions exposed gaps in America's infectious-disease preparedness and highlighted the everyday heroism of medical crews willing to fly inches from a deadly virus.

Why it matters

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa from 2014-2016 was one of the deadliest in history, with over 11,000 deaths. Phoenix Air's evacuation flights played a critical role in bringing some of the sickest patients back to the U.S. for treatment, while also highlighting the need for better preparedness and safety protocols to protect medical workers on the frontlines of infectious disease outbreaks.

The details

Phoenix Air, a small aviation company based in Cartersville, Georgia, developed specialized isolation chambers that allowed them to safely transport Ebola patients from West Africa to the United States for treatment during the 2014-2016 outbreak. The company's daring missions, which put their flight crews just inches away from the deadly virus, exposed gaps in America's infectious disease response capabilities and the everyday heroism of medical professionals willing to risk their lives to save others.

  • The Ebola outbreak in West Africa lasted from 2014 to 2016.
  • Phoenix Air began its Ebola evacuation flights in 2014 as the outbreak was escalating.

The players

Phoenix Air

A small aviation company based in Cartersville, Georgia that developed specialized isolation chambers to safely transport Ebola patients from West Africa to the United States during the 2014-2016 outbreak.

Kevin Hazzard

An author and former paramedic who wrote a new nonfiction book spotlighting Phoenix Air's daring Ebola evacuation missions.

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What they’re saying

“Phoenix Air's daring missions exposed gaps in America's infectious-disease preparedness and highlighted the everyday heroism of medical crews willing to fly inches from a deadly virus.”

— Kevin Hazzard, Author

The takeaway

The Phoenix Air story underscores the critical role that small, specialized companies can play in responding to global health emergencies, as well as the need for continued investment in infectious disease preparedness to protect medical workers on the frontlines.