THE second of Yorkshire Air Ambulance's new helicopters is now fully operational and has taken to the skies.

The £6m Airbus H145 aircraft has received a full medical fit out and crew training has also been completed.

It is based at Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s northern air base at RAF Topcliffe, near Thirsk, and completes the replacement of the rapid response emergency service’s two, ageing MD902 Explorer aircraft.

Last September the first H145 went into service, flying from the charity’s air support unit at Nostell Priory, near Wakefield.

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The new helicopters will have significantly lower operational and maintenance costs and are "night capable", enabling longer flying hours.

The region’s air ambulance doctors and paramedics have been involved from the start in the fit out which sees the helicopters carrying the latest medical equipment.

The £12 million costs of the replacement aircraft has been met through planned savings, grants, careful budgeting and the generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

YAA chairman Peter Sunderland said: “To see the second helicopter in operation is hugely exciting and a very proud day for us as a charity and for the people of Yorkshire.

“These helicopters belongs to the people of Yorkshire and will do so for the next 10 to 20 years. I am very proud to say we now have a level of service which is probably the best of any air ambulance charity in the UK.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance still needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its helicopters flying. The charity attends on average, more than 1,200 incidents a year and to date has carried more than 7,000 patients to treatment centres.

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