Helicopters
We rely on our aircraft to cover all of Wales 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Our helicopters
We rely on our aircraft to cover all of Wales 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They need to handle challenging conditions and be able to land in different environments such as mountain ranges, busy motorways and built-up areas. Thankfully, we’ve got just the helicopter for the job.
- We have four H145 helicopters plus one reserve, which are based in Dafen, Cardiff, Welshpool and Caernarfon.
- They can carry two flight crew, three clinicians and a patient, whilst providing a considerable increase in cabin space and performance than our previous models.
- Our helicopters, pilots, and engineers are provided by Gama Aviation but are funded by the Wales Air Ambulance.
- The average cruising speed of the H145 is 120kts (138mph), which is twice the legal motorway speed limit, although its top speed it up to 145kts (167mph).
- The aircraft is 14ft high and 38ft 3in long and can hold up to 900 litres of fuel. Operationally, we normally fuel to about 750 litres, enough to fly the length of Wales and back.
- When empty, the H145 weigh approximately 2 tonnes, the same as a white Rhinoceros. Once fully loaded with equipment, crew, fuel and a patient, the aircraft can weigh a maximum of 3700kgs or 3.7 tonnes.
- Our helicopters need an area of 28 meters in length to land during the day, which is about half the height of The Leaning Tower of Pisa. However, when flying at night we need double that amount.
Aircraft Registrations
An aircraft registration, similar to a vehicle number plate, identifies a civil aircraft. The G at the start of the registration shows that the aircraft is registered in the UK.
As a proud Welsh Charity, we are passionate about the Welsh language. Our aircraft registrations pay tribute to that and are all Welsh words that represent the service provided by the lifesaving Charity. They are:
G-WENU (meaning smile)
G-WYDN (meaning resilient)
G-LOYW (meaning bright/shining)
G-WOBR (prize)
G-WROL (brave)
Helicopter History
Several aircraft have flown for the Charity over the years, and they’ve varied in shape and size as well as varying liveries.
The Wales Air Ambulance launched on St David’s Day in 2001 with a distinct AA yellow and black Bolkow 105 DB helicopter, with the registration G-AZOR.
The Bolkow 105 DB helicopters were upgraded to the EC135 helicopters and then later it operated three H145 helicopters and one smaller H135.
When the new contract with Gama Aviation, The H135 was upgraded so that we have a full fleet of H145 aircraft.
Does the weather have an impact?
The Welsh weather can be unpredictable, but whether it’s a glorious sunny day, snowing or torrential rain, the pilots have to consider the impact them.
During the summer, the air is thinner so the aircraft requires more power, which then means more fuel. The helicopters become very hot, so you’ll likely see them on the ‘apron’ with their doors wide open to allow air to flow through – along with a member of crew with an ice lolly in between missions.
Where as in the winter, just like when you wake up to a frosted car windscreen, the helicopter can have the same, so the pilots may decide to keep the helicopter in the hangar for a longer period. It is quicker for the pilots to bring the aircraft out when a call comes in than to remove the ice.
The pilots keep a very close eye on weather forecasts and maps, with additional interest tkane on higher and lower level ground. With wide mountain ranges and coastal areas, it may be safe to lift from base but the place they’re aiming to get too is unsuitable due to weather restrictions. If the wind forecast is above 30 knots, the pilot will also need to think about the impact this has on the blades. Depending on the strength of the wind, the team may be unable to fly by air, but they have access to the fleet of rapid response vehicles in these instances.
The pilots are also fully qualified to fly in clouds with sole reference to instruments and the aircraft is capable of flying an instrument approach to an airfield using a ‘state of the art’ autopilot system.
During the day, the pilots need 500ft cloud base and 1.5km visibility to be able to fly. This increase at night to 1,200ft cloud base and 3km visibility. The crew have a screen in the crew room which shows current weather maps and forecasts to support their planning.
Despite the weather, the service still remains a 24 hour service – so even when the team can’t attend missions by air, the critical care team can attend via road (they may choose to attend by road anyway, regardless of the weather). The medical equipment on the RRV’s and the helicopter is identical, so no matter whether we attend you by air or by road, you will be receiving the highest level of pre-hospital care.
Landing sites
The pilots onboard Wales Air Ambulance are highly-skilled professionals in the aviation field. From a mixture or commercial and military backgrounds they have gained many years’ experience of flying to and landing at unsurveyed sites. This experience is essential when flying HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) missions where the flying is dynamic, and they never know where they may be tasked to next.
To help pilots map and identify potential landing sites, they have iPads with Google earth overlays, which also highlight fields and hazards, such as electricity cables.
During the day, the crews will assess potential landing sites as soon as a task comes in, and they can continue this planning en-route. During the day, the crew will aim to be airborne within six minutes. At night, there are more safety considerations so the crew will do this essential planning before they leave, which is why it takes longer to lift during the hours of darkness – they aim to be airborne within 15 minutes at night.
Within 200ft of the ground, both on landing and take-off, pilots operate a ‘sterile cockpit’ where only relevant aviation matters are discussed. This cuts out additional noise and ensures optimum concentration to take off and land safely.
When the helicopter arrives at the scene, prior to landing, you may see it perform ‘racetrack patterns.’ This is the crew recceing the area to access safe landing areas, check for hazards and to support the clinicians in how they can exit the landing area quickly and safely to reach the patient in need of critical care. They will also consider how the patient can be safety transported back to the aircraft if a transfer by air to hospital is required.
Sometimes, the pilot will need to land slightly further away from the patient, due to limitations on landing. In these instances, the crew will either walk on foot or will receive a lift from a member of the public or fellow emergency services. The pilot will then remain with the aircraft at all times.
Pilots use the ‘Five S’ rule when considering landing options: shape, size, surround, surface and slope. Downwash is also a vital safety consideration; the downwash created by the powerful rotor-blades is extremely powerful and is enough to throw debris into the air or cause somebody to fall.
