THIS World Pilot Day, an Essex & Herts Air Ambulance pilot has added his voice to a national campaign from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to ask drone pilots to fly safely and sensibly and keep clear of their vital flights.
With Essex & Herts Air Ambulance flying an average of seven life-saving missions a day, Chief Pilot Andy Moorhouse is working with the CAA and calling on drone pilots to follow the rules when they fly and avoid any dangerous disruption.
While drones have access to much of the UK’s airspace they must be kept clear of emergency situations and anyone found guilty of endangering an aircraft with a drone can go to prison.
The CAA and Air Ambulances UK, which represents air ambulance charities, has launched a new set of videos, explaining the rules and advice for drone pilots. They are available at YouTube.
Captain Andy Moorhouse, Chief Pilot at Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, said:
“If you are flying a drone and you see or hear an air ambulance helicopter, please land your drone and let us carry on with our mission. We have no sensors in the aircraft to be able to detect where a drone is and a mid-air collision with a drone could be catastrophic. We’re dispatched to over 150 patients a month on average and it’s imperative that nothing gets in the way of us delivering this life-saving pre-hospital care.”
Drone users must avoid flying near emergencies as Jonathan Nicholson from the UK Civil Aviation Authority explains: “UK regulations specifically state that drones should not fly close to or inside areas where an emergency response effort is ongoing, unless they have permission to do so from the emergency services. Drone users can check the safety rules and advice in our Dronecode available on our website at www.caa.co.uk/drones.”
To find out more or to donate, please visit ehaat.org
