19 Apr 2017
Jeremy Morse fulfilled his dream of becoming an air ambulance pilot in March 2016, when he started flying with us to help deliver extended flying hours during the summer months. One year on, he’s back alongside our other temporary pilots.
“Flying the air ambulance is something I’d wanted to do for years”, Jeremy said. “I had already spent 17 years flying with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines as part of the Commando Helicopter Force and I love having an operational focus to my work.
“On leaving the military I wanted to do something equally challenging. I was actively looking to get involved with the air ambulance when I got the job working as a contracted pilot for London’s Air Ambulance last year.
“I’ve turned down other full-time permanent positions over the past year so that I could maintain my relationship with the charity. I always wanted to come back again this summer.
“It’s extremely rewarding to see our doctors and paramedics saving lives. It is fabulous flying over London — looking down on the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament - and it’s a privilege to work alongside talented and highly-skilled pilots, but what’s best is seeing the output — seeing what we achieve for our patients.
“But the job also has its challenges. Locating the incident and finding an appropriate safe place to land can be difficult. Quite often this will be in a tight spot and as a pilot you will be under pressure to get the team to scene as quickly as possible. That’s why there is always a captain and a co-pilot. When you are physically flying the aircraft as captain you are always supported by an equally trained co-pilot who is responsible for the mission radios and navigation.
“No two days in this job are the same. When you hear the siren go at the helipad alerting you to a mission you always get a small adrenaline rush; you never know what you’re about to walk in to.
“But the team always responds with professionalism and dedication. Coming from a military background I’m used to working in small teams of committed people and here at London’s Air Ambulance it feels the same. We’re all working hard to achieve something very special.”