Royal Navy helicopters are playing their part in the national struggle against the coronavirus, helping millions of Britons in the West Country.
As part of the Royal Navy support to the NHS throughout the UK during the pandemic, Merlin helicopters from Culdrose will act as flying ambulances and transporters, flying supplies and personnel.
The Royal Navy helicopters – typically used for submarine-hunting – will provide round-the-clock assistance to the NHS and South West Ambulance Services, serving a population of more than 4,500,000 people across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Somerset, the Channel Islands and the Isles of Scilly.
Three Merlin Mk2 helicopters and their crews from 820 Naval Air Squadron have been set aside for the task, aided not just by their own engineers and technicians, but the entire support network at the Helston airbase: medics, air traffic controllers, safety and logistic experts.
The submarine-hunting equipment which normally fills the helicopters’ cabins has been stripped out so the Merlins can carry several stretchers, passengers and stores quickly, smoothly and efficiently over long distances.
“This is very different from our ordinary role, but jobs like this are in our DNA. We are helping out the nation and the National Health Service during these testing times – it’s a real moment for everyone to pull together,” said Commander Chris ‘Grassy’ Knowles, 820’s Commanding Officer.
“It demands a real team effort for us here at Culdrose in terms of getting the aircraft and the crews ready, getting all the logistical support in place – providing air traffic controllers, meteorological information, so that we can operate 24 hours a day.”
Commander Knowles said efforts had been made to protect crews – “and the whole Culdrose family” from the risk of infection, following medical guidelines for isolating patients and decontaminating the helicopters, equipment and uniforms. “We’ve had a run through and it was very successful.”
His air and ground crew will be working 12-hour shifts to be able to respond to the pandemic, carrying NHS paramedics with patients when required.
image © Crown Copyright
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Post written by: Matt Brown
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