At the October Parish Council meeting a parishioner raised the question of whether the Wiltshire Air Ambulance helicopter was occasionally flying too close to the village. The Council raised this with them and here is their reply:
Apologies for the late response and yes, I have had a look at the past two months of activity.We fly on average less than twice per day and our exit routes take us straight Eastward or Westward: we cannot take off in, or approach from, different directions.We only turn towards the location of our call after we have reached an altitude of 1,000 feet, as the minimum altitude at which we can fly over populated areas; this happens within half a mile after take off and it means that we are certainly above 1,000 feet when we are in the proximity of the village.We do not have records of overflying the village in the past two months at any altitude, not just the 1,000 feet.Local residents have contacted us in the past and we are aware that the aircraft, seen from the ground, might look like being exactly on top while it would be at some substantial distance from it. On a few occasions, the reported aircraft was in reality a neighbouring air ambulance or an unknown aircraft just overflying the area.We do not really benefit from overflying the village, unless there was poor weather and low clouds, in which case we are mandated, for example, to maintain visual contact with the ground and with our base, when approaching for landing.My suggestion is that you ask residents to promptly report any event, including day, time of the day and location, to the email address hello@wiltshireairambulance.co.uk. Any query will come to me and to the Chief Pilot and we’ll be able to investigate the occurrence straight away. …I hope this helps for now and please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance on this matter. Thank you for your continuing support to our life saving operations.Best wishesGiorgio Bendoni | Director of Aviation | Accountable Manager
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