Luftambulanse started discussions with Akershus County Municipality, who were positive to the service. This resulted in Akershus Central Hospital (SiA, today Ahus) being selected as the initial base. NLA's first helicopter was a Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 which was leased from the manufacturer and named Bård 1. To aid funding, it received advertisements. The service was inaugurated on 7 June 1978. Although SiA received a heliport, no helipads were built at Rikshospitalet in Oslo. Therefore, NLA often had to land at Bislett Stadion and transfer patients to an ambulance there. NLA did not have an air operator's certificate to begin with and subcontracted operations to Mørefly. They received NOK 180,000 per month, In addition came the costs for medical personnel, the base and medical equipment. LHL retracted their support in February 1979, citing poor administration. They subsequently sold their shares in the operating company to the foundation. Also Endre Bolsø, Østgaards' stepfather and chairman of the board, criticized the lack of financial control. From 1 May 1979 they therefore switched operator to Partnair. They proposed moving the base to Oslo Airport, Fornebu to cut costs, but this was rejected. The Ministry of Social Affairs evaluated the helicopter ambulance service after a year. They carried out 216 missions, of which the commission found that five instances where the air ambulance had been decisive to rescue the person's life and avoid permanent injury. They concluded that the helicopter was profitable for society, but did not find it to be optimal use of limited resources in the health sector. It concluded that a service would only be efficient if located on-site at a hospital with quick scrambling of anesthesiologist, where it was well-coordinated with ground ambulance services and emergency communications, and in densely populated areas. By February 1980 Bolsø and Østegaard's mother were sufficiently fed up with the situation that they asked that the foundation remove Østgaard's name from its name. This was followed up and on 17 June 1980 the foundation took its current name. The same year NLA received its own air operator's certificate. The section initiative to build a base took place at Rogaland Central Hospital in Stavanger. As in Akershus there were mixed reactions towards the service. Twenty-three municipalities in three counties gave financial support, as did a series of companies. Rogaland County Municipality approved the plans, but did not provide funding. The main area of dispute was whether helicopters