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Mercy Flights, Inc. has added a new fixed-wing airplane to its fleet. The new aircraft arrived Wednesday afternoon. The Beechcraft King Air C-90 GTx can land on a shorter runway and carry a heavier load, Mercy Flights officials say. will help deliver patients to Portland more quickly. Communication on-board the craft allows personnel to talk, text, or exchange data with the incoming hospital. Founded in 1949, Mercy Flights is the only nonprofit air medical transport in the state of Oregon. Today, it owns three aircraft, a helicopter, and 24 ground ambulance units and boasts a membership of more than 17,000 households. The Witters family used Mercy Flights to transfer their son, Benjamin, from a hospital locally to Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland after his kidneys started failing. “Benjamin is a survivor, and he had to spend a month up in Doernbecher for kidney failure issues,” said Kelly Witters, Benjamin’s mother. She credits Mercy Flight in part for saving her son’s life. “They did it really quick and really fast, they zipped off. “They picked him up at the hospital within an hour of the call and had the plane preflighted and ready to go,” Witters said. “And he was able to get up to Portland and be where he needed to be to get the help he needed.” The Witterses have since purchased a membership, but hope they never need it. “This new plane is part of our long-term plan to update and upgrade our fleet,” said Mercy Flights Inc. CEO Doug Stewart. “It will provide better efficiency for our community and keep our costs down and reasonable. It’ll also increase and enhance the safety of our program. “We are honored to continue our 70-year legacy in our hometown communities,” Stewart said.