| Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance | |
|---|---|
MD-902 helicopter G-LNAA at Bourne rugby club in March 2010 |
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| Abbreviation | LNAACT |
| Motto | Keep us flying |
| Formation | April 1994 |
| Legal status | Non-profit company (02788157) and registered charity (1017501) |
| Purpose/focus | Helicopter airlift to hospital in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire |
| Location | LNAACT House, Bentley Drive, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln, LN4 2QW and Unit 2 Chase Park, Daleside Road, Nottingham, NG2 4GT |
| Region served | Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire |
| Chief Executive | Peter Aldrick |
| Main organ | Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust |
| Affiliations | Association of Air Ambulances |
| Budget | £1.8 million expenditure (2008-9) from an income of £2.6 million |
| Website | LNAACT |
The Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance is an air ambulance based at RAF Waddington that covers the administrative counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire and the unitary authorities of Nottingham, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire. It is one of eighteen such services in England and Wales.
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A group of consultants at the Pilgrim Hospital proposed a helicopter service to ferry seriously ill patients to specialist units at other hospitals, so avoiding the transit times associated with Lincolnshire's road system.
The Lincolnshire Air Ambulance was formed at RAF Waddington in April 1994. Due to the proximity of RAF Waddington to Nottinghamshire, it was soon extended to Nottinghamshire in 1997.
The charitable trust was formed on 9 February 1993. Peter Aldrick, the chief executive, became the first chairman of the Association of Air Ambulances.
It has close co-operation (although not financial) with the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) who request assistance if a patient requires urgent medical treatment and transfer to a hospital Emergency Department.
Other air ambulances in the Midlands are straddled over several counties; Lincolnshire is the largest administrative county in central England, and the reason why the air ambulance is much needed because of distances between hospitals via sub-standard capacity roads in the east of the county. More seriously injured patients would be ferried to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
The main office is in Bracebridge Heath, south of Lincoln, and close to the helicopter base. It has a satellite office in Nottingham on the A612 near Nottingham Racecourse.
It has charity shops in Grantham, Grimsby, Market Rasen, North Hykeham, Spalding, and Mansfield Woodhouse. It often gets funding from Rotary clubs.
In November 2010 the service took delivery of a brand new MD902 Explorer, capable of flying for longer, faster and fully equipped for night operations. The aircraft retains the yellow colour scheme worn by its predecessor, but has the registration of G-LNCT, after the Charitable Trust.
G-LNAA the helicopter operated by the service between 2000 and 2010 was returned to Specialist Aviation Services[1] at Staverton (Gloucestershire Airport), where was overhauled, before being used as the fleet spare for SAS's medical operations. The original helicopter used by the service was a MBB Bo 105, G-PASC, this helicopter serving between 1994 to 2000.