Our Vehicles
Discover all about our helicopters and critical care cars, and how they help us get patients the treatment they need and provide the rapid speed needed to help save lives daily.
YOUR LOCAL AIR AMBULANCE AIRCRAFT
The local air ambulance service gives people the very best chance of survival and recovery. Our helicopter can fly at top speeds of 185mph and carries the very latest lifesaving equipment necessary for the missions we attend.
- Top speed:Â 180 – 185 mph
- Model:Â AgustaWestland 109SP
- Height:Â 3.4m
- Fuel Capacity:Â 575 litres
- Operational range/endurance: 2 hours 30 mins
YOUR LOCAL AIR AMBULANCE CRITICAL CARE CARS
Our operations team is supported by Critical Care Cars, which provide valuable backup for incidents close to the helicopter base, when conditions make it too dangerous to fly.
Like our helicopters, our Critical Care Cars have a paramedic and a doctor on board, effectively bring emergency hospital care to the patient – providing vital medical intervention to them sooner. These are the things that can mean the difference between life and death so it’s important we choose the most suitable way of reaching those who need our help.
Currently, we don’t fly our helicopters at night, and poor weather can limit our capacity to fly. These cars are not hampered by these factors, meaning we are always available to respond to emergencies, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. In fact, our cars are frequently used in the day to attend emergencies which will be quicker to access by road.
2 Aircraft
3,779 Missions in 2024
£2,500 each mission
1 Pilot, 1 Doctor and 1 Paramedic onboard
 683 hours flown
2 Aircraft
3,779 Missions in 2024
£2,500 each mission
1 Pilot, 1 Doctor and 1 Paramedic onboard
 683 hours flown£20
Could pay towards a pair of children’s ear defenders to protect little ears from our noisy rotors
£50
Could pay towards straps to safely secure patients before and during their flight, allowing our crew to focus on treatment.
£100
Could pay towards a vaccum splint, used to support and hold fractured limbs during transport to hospital
We save lives by both road and air.
Together, we save more lives.
No one ever knows when a call will come in for our local critical care team, but we do know that people in our community need our lifesaving services 24/7 and 365 days a year.
Like on our helicopters, the Critical Care Cars, previously known as Night Cars, have highly trained medics onboard who effectively bring emergency hospital care to the patient, providing vital medical intervention to them sooner. These are the things that can mean the difference between life and death, so it’s important we choose the most suitable way of reaching those who need our help.
Right now, we choose not to fly our helicopters at night as we have a good local road network, and the roads are clearer at night, and this is when the car comes into its own. However, our Critical Care Cars are also frequently used within the day to attend emergencies that are quicker to reach by road.
NATIONAL CHILDREN’S AIR AMBULANCE AIRCRAFT
Our clinically designed aircraft provides a flying intensive care unit for babies and children that need to receive urgent care.
We work with 11 NHS paediatric retrieval teams across the UK, enabling them to bring their specialist equipment on board to safely transfer their patients from one hospital to another. If a child is too sick to fly then the Children’s Air Ambulance fly a specialist team directly to the patient.
About G-NICU & G-CPTZ
- Operational From: 2022
- Top Speed:Â 160-165mph
- Aircraft Model: AgustaWestland 169
- Fuel Capacity: 1,110 litres
- Operational range/endurance: 2 hours 40 mins
2 Aircraft
1,000+ Missions
2 Aircraft
1,000+ Missions
£5,700 each mission
11 Clinical Teams
 165mpg Top Speed
£5,700 each mission
11 Clinical Teams
 165mpg Top Speed£20
Could pay towards a pair of children’s ear defenders to protect little ears from our noisy rotors
£50
Could pay towards straps to safely secure patients before and during their flight, allowing our crew to focus on treatment
£100
Could pay towards a vacuum splint, used to support and hold fractured limbs during transport to hospital
Every flight gives a child a second chance.
With your support, we can save even more lives.
No one ever knows when a call will come in for a specialist paediatric transfer, but we do know that critically ill babies and children need our lifesaving service 24/7, 365 days a year.
Our helicopters effectively become flying intensive care units, transferring neonatal and paediatric patients between hospitals for specialist treatment. Onboard are highly trained clinical teams who deliver advanced care in the air, bringing vital medical expertise to the most vulnerable patients when every second counts.
While we don’t respond to roadside emergencies, our national transfer service plays a crucial role in the wider emergency care network — ensuring that children receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.