6 Mar 2026
We regularly visit schools and youth groups across the city so we can educate the next generation that London’s Air Ambulance is a charity, reliant on public donations.
With this year’s British Science Week having the theme “Curiosity: what’s your question?”, we gave schools the chance to pose some questions to us – below are the answers!
What kind of emergencies do you respond to?
Our expert team respond to a variety of emergencies. These can include accidents at train stations, falls, road traffic accidents and medical emergencies. We only attend emergencies when someone is very seriously injured.
Is there a specific phone number for the air ambulance?
There isn’t a phone number to call the air ambulance, so you should always call 999 if there’s an emergency. One of our paramedics is always sat in the call centre, listening to all the 999 calls that come in. They decide when a job requires the air ambulance and the skills of our team and dispatches us from there.
What is the average speed you fly at?
The speeds we fly at change depending on where we’re flying to – we can fly to anywhere in London within 11 minutes. The helicopters have a top speed of 156mph.
Why do the stripes on the bottom of the helicopters have names on?
In 2024, we offered people the chance to put their name – or a name of a loved one – on the bottom of the helicopter for a donation of £100. Over 1,700 people took the chance to do so and now they fly alongside our pilots and medics on every mission.
You can read more about it here and see some pictures of how the helicopters were built!
How many patients do you help each day on average?
On average, we attend to six people every day. When they need us most, our teams get to their side as quickly as possible, bringing what you find in a hospital’s emergency department to the scene of the incident.
How many pilots do you have?
We currently have nine permanent pilots in the team. Every mission requires two pilots to fly – one Captain and one Co-Pilot – one focused on flying and one focused on navigating.
In summer, because we fly for more hours with the daylight lasting longer, additional pilots come to work with us to make sure we have enough people to fly all day long.
Do you have any other mode of transport, like planes?
We don’t have any planes! But as well as two helicopters, we have a fleet of seven rapid response cars.
Our teams use the cars at nighttime and when the weather makes it dangerous for the helicopter to fly. In the cars we carry the same equipment, drugs and crew that we do in the helicopter. Keep an eye out for one of cars, you might see us driving around the city on blue lights!
Do you fly higher than birds?
That depends on which bird!
Our helipad is on top of The Royal London Hospital, which is 284ft in the sky – it’s the highest helipad in Europe.
Our team is ready to serve London, 24/7, 365 days a year. But we’re a charity, meaning we can only continue to be here with your support. If your curiosity has been sparked by these questions and you’d like to request a school visit from our education team find out more here.