Helicopter Pilot
Devon Air Ambulance
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Hi, my name is Tilda.
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I’m a HEMS pilot. Helicopter, emergency
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medical services pilot, and I fly for Devon Air Ambulance.
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My job involves flying a helicopter
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in order to get the critical care team, which consists of either
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two paramedics and a critical care doctor or just two paramedics to an incident.
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We are literally bringing A&E to the scene.
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So it’s a 999 call out
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where they say they need a doctor or critical care paramedic.
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It’s a lot more service than the land ambulance can provide,
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and we carry a lot more specialist equipment
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that you wouldn’t be able to afford to put on every land ambulance but you could afford to put
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perhaps on two helicopters.
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The best bit is when it’s a happy ending and that you do save a life
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and you’ve really made a difference.
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Obviously, when it’s not a successful outcome,
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it’s very difficult.
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Then you really feel for the people that are left behind.
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So I find, yeah, that can be very, quite emotional.
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But so I’ve learned to become detached from it.
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So you have to be quite
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strong about it and just switch off.
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It all started when I was about 13 and we had a careers form that came around school and said,
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What do you want to be when you leave school?
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And so I said either a stunt woman, a secret agent,
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an astronaut or pilot, and the pilot was the easier option.
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So I did actually write to the Air Force
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when I was about that age because I knew they didn’t
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let women fly in the military – I said ‘why don’t you let me fly?’
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And they said, Well, you never know.
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Perhaps by the time you’re old enough, things might have changed.
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And they did.
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So I actually started flying when I was at university.
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I joined the University Air Squadron
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which is run by the Air Force and they teach you how to fly.
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And then I joined from there.
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I’d say that three strong points that you need to become a HEMS
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pilot would be to be flexible, to be able to put up with
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rapid planning and depending on the weather, depending
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on the type of the incident where you need to go, who you’re carrying.
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Be fairly practical and be willing to get your hands dirty,
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often landing in really muddy fields,
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having to help move the patient to and out of the aircraft,
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and also be able to stay emotionally detached.
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Because obviously you do get to meet
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the patient’s family or relatives quite often.
“The best bit is when it’s a happy ending and that you do save a life and you’ve really made a difference.” When she was 13, Tilda wanted to be a stunt woman, a secret agent, an astronaut or a pilot. She went on to join her university air squadron where she learned how to fly. She then joined the RAF but now works as a helicopter pilot for the ambulance service.
More information about Aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers
The UK average salary is £29,813
There are 37.5 hours in the average working week
The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male
Future employment
- Studies flight plan and makes any necessary adjustments
- Directs or undertakes checks on engines, instruments, control panels, cargo distribution, fuel supplies, aircraft's stability, response to controls and overall performance
- Directs or undertakes the operation of controls to fly airplanes and helicopters, complying with air traffic control and aircraft operating procedures
- Monitors fuel consumption, air pressure, engine performance and other indicators during flight and advises pilot of any factors that affect the navigation or performance of the aircraft
- Maintains radio contact and discusses weather conditions with air traffic controllers
- Directs the movement of aircraft and maintains radio and/or radar or visual contact en-route to its destination, in and out of controlled airspace or into holding areas ready for landing
- Gives landing Instructions to pilot and monitors descent
- Plans flight route, calculate fuel consumption and optimum flying height and obtains information on weather and other conditions, such as cargo distribution
- Handles emergencies, unscheduled traffic and other unanticipated incidents
- Accompanies pupil on training flights and demonstrates flying techniques
