The UK’s sole Bell 429 in air ambulance configuration G-WLTS (HELIMED 22) Is wholly owned and flown by the newly rebranded Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance charity. At the end of 2024 the charity sent the Bell 429 away for routine maintenance and took full advantage to rebrand the helicopter. Westleigh Bushell takes a more detailed look at the helicopter and its operation with the charity.

The Bell 429 is now sporting a new paint scheme and branding that now highlights that the long-served city of Bath is covered by the charity and is now named Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance

The Bell 429 has been operated by the charity since 2015. Taking delivery of the first of its type in the UK to be used for Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), the Bell 429 replaced the charities previous cab, a McDonnell MD902 Explorer, that had been operating in the county since 1998. The MD902 G-WPAS was part of a joint Police Air Support/Air Ambulance service. This joint operation dates back to the beginning when on the 15th March 1990, Wiltshire Police Aviation Service began operating a Bolkow Bo-105 with a 3 person crew consisting of a pilot, Police officer and a paramedic.

The police headquarters in Devizes were to be the home for the new joint Police air support/Air Ambulance. With a single hangar and some office space available the charity made this home until 2018.

Following the formation of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) in 2012 and Wiltshire Police Air Support unit joining NPAS in 2014, Wiltshire air Ambulance was now operating as a standalone HEMS unit. Having begun as an independent charity in 2011, a new helicopter was seen as a step forward and the Bell 429 was ordered and subsequently handed over at the Helitech show in Amsterdam in October 2014.

While the Bell 429 was based at the Police HQ in Devizes, all the administration for the charity was based in Calne. With that in mind and the lease at the Police HQ due to expire at the end of 2017, work begun to place all departments under one roof, and plans to build a purpose-built airbase that could accommodate office space, operations, and a hangar went into full swing. After a year long search, Semington on the outskirts of Melksham was seen as the ideal location to build the new home. The charity purchased land in Outmarsh farm for the new site and this location allows any part of Wiltshire to be reached by G-WLTS in 11 minutes. May 2018 saw the charity move into the new base and begin operations.  The move into the new base was not however without its bumps in the road! Less than a month after moving into Semington, the offices were cleared after (it was discovered?) that the Bell 429 may have flown some of the paramedics that attended the nerve agent Novichok incident in Salisbury, Wiltshire. This temporary measure was cleared after no contamination was found.

When delivered, the Bell 429 was (initially) operated by and held the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) by (of) Heli Charter ltd. However, in January 2019 Heli Charter went into voluntary liquidation which meant the AOC that G-WLTS operated on (under) was now suspended. This grounded any flying in the Bell 429 immediately. With the help of Staverton based Specialist Aviation Services, an MD902 was leased until a permanent arrangement could be found. In November 2019 after a long period of no flying, Wiltshire Air Ambulance became the fourth Air Ambulance charity to hold their own AOC which meant G-WLTS could resume flying with immediate effect.

Tasking

South Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) is responsible for dispatching the HEMS teams when a 999 call comes in. Five Air Ambulance charities fall under the SWAST umbrella

Wiltshire +Bath Air Ambulance

Great Western Air Ambulance

Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance

Devon Air Ambulance

Cornwall Air Ambulance

These five charities collectively provide funding to cover the cost of the Trust’s Critical Care and Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) dispatch desk, based in Exeter.

The dedicated HEMS desk will identify which Air Ambulance is needed and will dispatch the closest Air Ambulance to the scene.

When the call is picked up at the Air Ambulance base, the Pilot will head out and prepare the Bell 429. Every Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance paramedic is fully qualified as a Technical Crew Member (TCM). To qualify for this, the paramedics are required to complete a HEMS Technical Crew Member course which covers aircraft functions, aircraft safety, emergency procedures, marshalling the aircraft, meteorology, geography (to locate) suitable landing sites.

A series of take-off checks are carried out prior to lift off, this includes making sure the cabin is secured and all kit is strapped down. One paramedic stays outside and checks all the doors and cowlings are secure before getting in.

The paramedic who sits in the front left seat in the cockpit next to the pilot assists with navigation and radio communication with the HEMS desk. The paramedic who sits in the back of the aircraft is the clinical lead and will manage the treatment of the patient and the scene.

HEMS Crew

Keeping current on the Bell 429 is supplemented by using two simulators in Europe; Helispeed in Blackpool and the Bell training academy in Valancia, Spain. The use of these two simulators allows the charities five full time pilots to keep current and train for real life scenarios in the safety of a simulator. The five pilots led by Chief Pilot Matt Wilcock have a long history of military and Test pilot flying as well as offshore Search and Rescue. This background has huge benefits for HEMS flying as most landings are surrounded by all sorts of obstacles as well as being un-prepared landing sites.

Another skill from their previous flying experiences would have been the use of Night Vision Goggles (NVG). Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance are the only charity in the South West and South Central area that fly after 02:00 (local hours in the UK). In 2001, Wiltshire Air Ambulance became one of the first HEMS teams to operate night flying in the UK.

Critical Care Cars

Alongside the Bell 429, a Volvo XC90 and a BMW X5 are on stand by to cover when the Helicopter is unable to fly. The cars (are able to) carry the same equipment as the helicopter and have their own callsigns CC22 and CC23

The Air Ambulance charities operating HEMS missions cover the entire United Kingdom. In 2024 over 45,000 missions were flown by a fleet of 37 helicopters across the UK. This (amounts) to an average of 126 missions a day; an incredible number only (made) possible ‘almost’ exclusively by donations

AeroResource would like to thank, Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance, and Graeme Lovell and Liam Daniels for their image use.

You can find out more about Wiltshire+Bath Air Ambulance here: In Your Area | Bath | Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity

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