Air ambulance set to take to the night sky
The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) charity has unveiled its revolutionary new night flight helicopter.
The new helicopter will serve the whole of Bedfordshire, and can undertake night missions until the early hours,
It is the first such helicopter in the country to be given clearance to fly at night by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Pilots, doctors and paramedics who work with the EAAA will begin training in the new Eurocopter EC135 T2e on Wednesday (September 19).
Previous helicopters used by the charity were unable to fly in darkness but it is hoped the German-built EC135 will be called into operation as late as 1am.
EAAA’s paramedic ground vehicles will also be starting their shifts earlier than they do now, so they could be available as early as 6am.
As such the organisation hopes that it can move closer to providing a true 24-hour service.
Briefing members of the media at Cambridge Airport’s Business & General Aviation Day on Tuesday (September 18), founder and chairman Andrew Egerton-Smith heralded a new era for the EAAA.
After holding a tendering process for the new helicopters Mr Egerton-Smith said trustees were delighted to secure the services of Bond, an experienced operator in the air ambulance field.
He said: “Today marks the next big step for us and I anticipate an exciting future where working with us will be a badge of honour for clinicians who will want to join our team to hone their trauma skills and knowledge and that individuals and companies will continue to support our life-saving and life-changing work.”
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Saturday 25 May 2013
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