THE Yorkshire Air Ambulance has announced that Jonathan Binnie has joined their team of helicopter pilots.

The charity employs seven pilots to fly its two H-145 helicopters.

Mr Binnie, who currently lives in Lancashire, started his new role in August following a varied flying career, most recently having worked in the Shetland Islands.

Previously he worked for oil and gas support in the North Sea, Police Air Support, Coastguard Search and Rescue, as well as the Scottish Air Ambulance and the Northern Lighthouse Board.

Mr Binnie said: “Yorkshire is a great patch to fly in, from the coast to the Yorkshire Dales, with a lot of built up areas in between. It’s a varied operation to work on.

“I’m looking forward to flying the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s H-145s. Offshore flying is very much flying in a straight line, out and back. It is challenging flying in tough weather conditions, but it is also very repetitive.

“I’m looking forward to doing something where every trip is different and you all have to work together to get the best results for the patient.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity needing to raise £12,000 per day to keep both of its air ambulances in the air and maintained – the equivalent of £4.4m each year. Last year, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance responded to 1,523 incidents and treated 1,149 patients. Last month it responded to 155 incidents – ten per cent up on last year.