UK AIR Ambulance?
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UK AIR Ambulance?
Gentlemen,
For those of you who fly air ambulance, could you give a little insight into the hours and shifts..days on/off etc. that one might expect to do?? Average starting pay? How much holiday? Standard four weeks? Also, do you enjoy it? What does a typical day hold instore for you??
Appreciate your time.
Many thanks,
Fatigue.
For those of you who fly air ambulance, could you give a little insight into the hours and shifts..days on/off etc. that one might expect to do?? Average starting pay? How much holiday? Standard four weeks? Also, do you enjoy it? What does a typical day hold instore for you??
Appreciate your time.
Many thanks,
Fatigue.
Re: UK AIR Ambulance?
Fatique- as no other keyboard gifted "gentleman" has replied, I will have a go at answering your questions with my bestest one fingered typing.
Hours; as close to the CAA max 200 duty hrs/ 28 days as the contracting company can get. ( av about 180)
Pay; low (for a Captain on a Public Transport operation) ( for a cross profession comparison; on my unit, NHS paramedics max pay is now closing to within £4K of a starting (Captain) pilots pay)
Conditions. minimum. ( eg; my latest pension forecast for age 60, after 14 years employment, is approx £2k/yr. And that's including the SERPS contracted out contributions!)
"....do you enjoy it..." Not sure that's the right word! I would say I find it interesting.
Average day; 3 jobs (1100 last year). Away from base up to 6 hours for about 9 sectors of 10 minutes each. Comforting shocked relatives x1. Mopping out blood from aircraft x1. Advertising the worth of the air ambulance charity to passers-by x3. Back at base; cheque presentation, talk and tour of aircraft x1.
Check A, pulling a/c in and out of the hangar, met, notams, loadsheet, paperwork: 1 hr.
Waiting for call, tea, sarnies, and appallingly un-PC jokes by the paramedics; 1.5 hrs.
Hours; as close to the CAA max 200 duty hrs/ 28 days as the contracting company can get. ( av about 180)
Pay; low (for a Captain on a Public Transport operation) ( for a cross profession comparison; on my unit, NHS paramedics max pay is now closing to within £4K of a starting (Captain) pilots pay)
Conditions. minimum. ( eg; my latest pension forecast for age 60, after 14 years employment, is approx £2k/yr. And that's including the SERPS contracted out contributions!)
"....do you enjoy it..." Not sure that's the right word! I would say I find it interesting.
Average day; 3 jobs (1100 last year). Away from base up to 6 hours for about 9 sectors of 10 minutes each. Comforting shocked relatives x1. Mopping out blood from aircraft x1. Advertising the worth of the air ambulance charity to passers-by x3. Back at base; cheque presentation, talk and tour of aircraft x1.
Check A, pulling a/c in and out of the hangar, met, notams, loadsheet, paperwork: 1 hr.
Waiting for call, tea, sarnies, and appallingly un-PC jokes by the paramedics; 1.5 hrs.
Senis Semper Fidelis
Join Date: Feb 2001
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Re: UK AIR Ambulance?
Us members of the "Joe Public Inc" have a lot of admiration for the Pilots and Pax of the Air Ambulance service, indeed some of us have actual personal reasons for giving monthly donations to the local service, our local one at EGNH has recently accquired a new Heli( Brand new due to a very kindly Old lady leaving them somthing in her will).
Chaps you may be bored sitting waiting for some poor unfortunate to have some sort of incident, and the money may never get you into the next years Forbes Mag, But never ever think you are not valued,
we all appreciate your efforts and work
Many regrds to you all wherevever you are based!
PeterR-B
Chaps you may be bored sitting waiting for some poor unfortunate to have some sort of incident, and the money may never get you into the next years Forbes Mag, But never ever think you are not valued,
we all appreciate your efforts and work
Many regrds to you all wherevever you are based!
PeterR-B
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Out on a dark Stormy night
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Re: UK AIR Ambulance?
I hear from a friend of mine that the pilots in HEMS are poorly paid but are a very professional and skilled bunch of lads.
They also do a lot of
work on scene at taskings and back at the base, bit from my experience most of them seem to like the challenge and the fact that in most calls they are the difference between life and death as seen in London on 07/07/2005, a rapid response plan was activated and flown with pressision to get EMS staff to the scene's and sometimes bringing patients to hospitals and supplys to the scenes, this is just one of the incidents where HEMS has proven its worth.
I am sure there is alot of people out there who owe there life to HEMS crews world wide Pilots, Doctors and of course the Paramedics..
Well done lads keep up the good work
They also do a lot of
work on scene at taskings and back at the base, bit from my experience most of them seem to like the challenge and the fact that in most calls they are the difference between life and death as seen in London on 07/07/2005, a rapid response plan was activated and flown with pressision to get EMS staff to the scene's and sometimes bringing patients to hospitals and supplys to the scenes, this is just one of the incidents where HEMS has proven its worth.I am sure there is alot of people out there who owe there life to HEMS crews world wide Pilots, Doctors and of course the Paramedics..
Well done lads keep up the good work
