Now due in service sometime in 2020. :rolleyes:
https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/..._july_2018.pdf

MG, Well they're certainly not giving much away in that report, are they?

Would you expect anything else? :ok:

Not a chance. It's been smoke and mirrors all the way because the system was a failed idea from the outset. Whoever sanctioned the ill-conceived purchase of these fixed wing certainly needs to be held to account for it. It's the equivalent of buying something like Morris Minors as replacements for traffic cars.

And at the bottom of the first page they have moved the goalposts..... in a big way.

We now have a new date of birth of NPAS of 1/11/2017.

That means the stuff created before the national borderless service can be ignored..... which means that the HMIC report sits in a time period where the NPAS was not yet complete so perhaps this might be an excuse for that report to be discredited?

Where did all the years go...?? :)

The links to attachments that are allowed under the FOI request reveal two letters that are now a year old and appear to suggest that the West Yorkshire hierarchy were on their knees trying to get an audience with Amber Rudd, the then Home Secretary [or her successor] to plead for cash for newer helicopters. Of any meeting acheived we have no details and there are large redactions anyway. Perhaps fortunately in the light of the attempt at a rebirth noted above they do admit to being a wee bit older than the November 2017 date in the text!

So, what organisation would accept a 2-3 year delay in the acceptance of a new airframe especially when it has employed at least two fixed wing pilots on significant remuneration at least three years before the newly announced service acceptance date? I thought they were short of money? One wonders whether the pilots will be eligible to retire before the P68 arrives in service.

@NPASBoreham tweeted earlier announcing their closure.

Today marks the end of an era at Boreham. 29 years of police aviation, yet NPAS only announced the closure to the public on the day.

they also claim they're moving crew and aircraft to lippitts hill, but then they say their aircraft is going into maintenance. London already seems congested with lots of aircraft there, 2 145s and a 135 already, there surely isn't capacity for 4 aircraft to operate from there? East Anglia's coverage just got even worse... Is Cambridge still being looked into?

Lippitts Hill spaced out
 

I think they mean it as a temporary measure, in the sense that it will only be until they close NPAS down completely.

The new joint Police/Air Ambulance unit being built at Almondsbury just outside Bristol is nearly finished. The Air Ambulance is well supported financially by local people and is not in danger. Never can be sure of the NPAS side of things though. My old unit at Filton just a memory now.

TF

The new joint Police/Air Ambulance unit being built at Almondsbury is up for sale. It seems that BAE do not want to be the land agents of a small parcel of land next to the M5.

I am unsure whether it is an open sale or simply directed at one of the tenants. Anyway GWAAC already have HELP funding towards the reported £1,25 million price tag.

I await detail from GWAAC but NPAS are not in the buying business and simply expect to be tenants of GWAAC rather than BAE.

I can see it now... the Charity Police Helicopter.

PCSOs rattling tins outside Tesco.

PANews, where did that come from? It is certainly not in Public Knowledge around here, and as one of the Local Councillors and one who helped set this move up, I would have expected to be informed. BAE wanted this unit off of their airfield which they had sold to a developer, - they actively assisted in the search for a new location nearby and approved of the choice.
With that in mind it does now appear rather strange that the Unit is up for sale before it is even completed. Are you suggesting that the Unit will not now open as envisaged?

TF

Very much public knowledge: www.buyourbase.co.uk

Yes now confirmed by my own enquiries. We were originally told that BAE wanted to move both the Air Ambulance and the Police, off the old airfield which had been sold to developers, and that their continued presence on the old airfield site was not accepted by the purchasers,- (the developers). BAE at that time keen to close the sale, assisted the search for a new base and a planning application was put forward. Hotly opposed by the local people living in Almondsbury. The proposed site was eventually granted planning permission, and work began in the early part of this year, now almost completed. The two units are scheduled to move in in about October. At some point BAE the owners of the new base, appear to have decided that they didn't want to become landlords, to the new combined facility, and put the base up for sale. The Ambulance trust are trying to raise the £1.25 million to secure their share, but it is still unclear where that leaves the Police side.
All very unsettling for the staff of both units, who until fairly recently appeared to think that their future was secure.
The People of the greater Bristol Region are digging deep to support their very popular Air ambulance, and are still supporting "THEIR" Police helicopter. Most do not understand that it has not been theirs for some years now, because after NPAS took over the unit remained at its original base. The public expected it to move to the new joint base at Almondsbury, but some now wonder if that will happen. It is not yet clear if the £1.25 million that the Air ambulance are trying to raise is the total cost of the new site, and that they will then become the owners of the base, sub letting half to NPAS. Hopefully clarity will soon be possible.

TF

Good luck with that.

Looks like GWAAC are not in the business of open talking.

I requested clarity at the start of the month from GWAAC and NPAS and [surprisingly] the latter were straight back to say 'not me mister' .... they cannot afford to be buying into land deals like that now, and may never manage it ever I guess.

Nothing yet from GWAAC. I was out of country so it was e-mail rather than phone calls at the moment. I remain uncertain whether this is a general sale or something specific for GWAAC, it looks like having the potential of the highest bidder pushing up the price so £1.25M could grow.

But...... looking at the original press story from the HELP Appeal Charity who put up the money [£300K] and the website I am a little incredulous on the tactics. www.buyourbase.co.uk and the press story are saying that HELP is 'buying' the helipad at Almondsbury .... because that is what they do.... fund helipads on hospitals etc. They have not, until now bought 'a helipad' especially one that is to be jointly operated by for GWAAC [HEMS] and NPAS [Police] and is in any case being bought and equipped already by BAE. This smells of misrepresentation. Then add the blurb on the web site about the WW1 hangar, leaky roof etc and they are, with tears in their eyes, asking for a new base...... a new base they already have! https://helpappeal.org.uk/news/30000...-new-air-base/

Maybe that is why they have been a little slow in their reply.

Hi all, I'm Anna Perry the CEO of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. I thought I would try to address any questions you have outstanding, and answer any new ones. We have responded promptly to all emails we have received asking us for information. If people haven't received our replies, please let us know so we can re-send them or try to see what the problem is.

The entire Almondsbury base is being bought by GWAAC for £1.95m. This is a fixed price as we have exchanged contracts with BAE, who are selling it to us.
We are running a public appeal for £1.25m to help us buy and equip the new airbase. We will meet the remainder of the cost from our reserves. We still desperately need public support in our fundraising efforts.

The public appeal was launched on 9th July and was reasonably well covered in the media. We were unable to discuss the purchase publicly before then.
The HELP Appeal have kindly donated £300,000 to GWAAC to help us buy the new base.

NPAS and GWAAC will take up tenancies in the new base during October, all being well. NPAS will become GWAAC's tenant when the sale of the base to GWAAC completes. We don't have a date for this yet.

Press releases are naturally succinct and focus on what the general public are likely to be interested in, but none of the above is secret or has been intentionally held back. If you have any other questions, then please let me know. Thank you to everyone on here who supports GWAAC and helps spread the word about what we do.

Many thanks,
Anna Perry, GWAAC CEO

Well that really is good news Anna, and at last we have some clarity on the subject and very positive news. Thank you!


TF

Over the last two days there have been management changes within the upper echelons of NPAS.

OD is now designated as the Temporary Chief Operating Officer for the National Police Air Service as confirmed by Linked In.