Our Impact News View from the crew: Why do we need a second helicopter? Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) is tasked to thousands of missions per year, delivering vital pre-hospital critical care to patients across Dorset and Somerset. Our crew shares why they’re so passionate about bringing a second helicopter into our fleet. Staying online for the people of Dorset and Somerset Unit Chief Pilot, Mario Carretta, is first up explaining how a second helicopter will make a difference to operations. I’m really looking forward to the arrival of our second AW169. This new aircraft will have additional performance to Peggy, but importantly, it isn’t being introduced as a second operational aircraft, but to ensure that we always have one helicopter available when it’s needed most. Every helicopter requires routine maintenance, and although our engineer, Wayne, does an incredible job completing as much as possible outside of operational hours, there are times when the aircraft must be taken offline. Unplanned maintenance can also happen, which means more downtime. Peggy also works incredibly hard - until recently, she had flown more hours than any other AW169. A second helicopter will help share that workload, meaning each aircraft will only need to return to Staverton for in-depth maintenance once a year, rather than every six to eight months as it is now for Peggy. Having a second aircraft means that we can remain operational during maintenance periods, giving us the best chance of not missing patients that need critical care.” Unit Chief Pilot, Mario Carretta With daily maintenance requirements, our flying hours are limited and the high demand for our service means that wear, faults, and issues come around all too soon. Owning a second helicopter would give DSAA the resilience, availability and reach to keep flying, ensuring our team can be there when every second counts. More life-saving missions As a doctor on the helicopter, I’m excited about the difference a second helicopter will make. Providing critical care to the most severely ill and injured patients is an immense privilege. Every call carries a huge sense of urgency and timely intervention can change, and often save, lives. Knowing there are patients that we are currently unable to reach feels like a missed opportunity to make a real difference. Having a second helicopter would change that. It would allow us to reach more patients, deliver vital care without delay, and ultimately save more lives. Deputy Medical Director, Dr Matt Taylor Our data shows that around 10% more patients could benefit from our crew’s specialist skills if an aircraft were always available during our current hours of operation. During the hours we are offline, between 02:00 and 07:00, there is no pre-hospital critical care available in Dorset and Somerset at all. A second helicopter will enable hundreds of additional life-saving missions every year and provide the resilience needed to prepare for potential 24-hour operations in the future. The highest level of care Our service brings the hospital to the patient, when every second counts. Dr Matt Taylor highlights how a second aircraft will enable us to reach more patients in need of specialist care each day, supporting our ongoing work to improve care quality. The geography of Dorset and Somerset makes the helicopter indispensable for delivering rapid prehospital critical care and transporting patients over long distances to the major hospitals where they can deliver the best ongoing care. More than just a means of transport, the helicopter is a mobile critical care unit bringing state-of-the-art equipment, critical care expertise and advanced interventions directly to the patient before continuing their care enroute to hospital. Deputy Medical Director, Dr Matt Taylor From blood transfusions to surgical procedures to sedation, anaesthesia, and expert pain management, our teams of consultant level doctors and specialist practitioners go above and beyond to deliver hospital-level treatment directly at the scene, giving patients the best possible chance of survival and recovery, before being flown to hospital. Your £1 Million Mission The 2ndHeli Appeal is about more than just a helicopter. It’s about reaching more patients, saving more lives, and being available for our community. Your support will help fund a second aircraft and strengthen critical care across Dorset and Somerset. Please select a donation amount (required) £25 could help towards the cost of duplicate medical equipment we need to fit out our second helicopter, ensuring it’s ready to save lives from day one £50 could help fund the design and manufacture of a new, and much improved, medical interior that will be fitted to both helicopters £100 could help towards the cost of advanced life-saving technology, like monitoring systems that enable our crew to deliver hospital-level care anywhere Other Set up a regular payment Donate Manage Cookie Preferences