School’s out for helicopter tour
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Pupils at
A group of 30 excited
youngsters were given a guided tour of the nearby Dunsfold base by pilot Captain
Peter Driver and his team.
Three pupils -
Tara Benton, Issy Simpson and Zachary Barnett – are pictured sitting proudly in
the cockpit of the MD 902 helicopter.
Critical Care Paramedic
Justin Carding gave a talk to the five-year-olds who are studying the emergency
services as part of their Spring term project.
He told them:
“Because we are an air ambulance we pick up poorly people who have hurt
themselves.
“When we pick up
the poorly people we take them to hospital and one of us stays in the back of
the helicopter with the patient then we fly them off to hospital.”
Captain Peter
Driver explained to the children that the helicopter could fly for about two
hours at a maximum speed of 150mph.
He told them: “We
don’t have to land at airports, we can land in fields, on the road and in
people’s back gardens which we often do so that we are very close to the poorly
patient.”
The youngsters
were also allowed to sit in the Surrey Air Ambulance rapid response car
complete with flashing blue lights and blaring sirens.
Justin added:
“When the helicopter is not working or it is dark we use the car to take the
doctor or paramedic to the poorly person.”
The Surrey Air
Ambulance is a charity which needs £1.7m-a-year to keep its helicopter flying.
