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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0428.PDF
428 FLIGHT "FLIGHT" photographs The D.H. Heron "John Hunter" seen in forma- tion from its companion aircraft "Sir James Y. Simpson." The Heron was selected because of its particular suitability tor short-stage opera- tions between restricted airfields in bad weather. SCOTLAND'S AIR AMBULANCES : A Service in Great Demand: Two B.E.A. Herons go into Operation AS briefly recorded last week, two D.H. Herons have been off-loaded passengers completing their journey by relief aircraft.• delivered to Renfrew for the B.E.A.-operated Scottish Air From small beginnings there has evolved a highly specialized Ambulance Service. The D.H. Rapides which they replace will unit, operating with its own aircraft flown by highly skilled crews, be taken out of service on April 17th. The Herons as delivered The figures in the table below indicate the steady development: — have standard 14-seat interiors and the conversion to ambulance Flights Patients Mileage layout is being done by B.E.A. Each will be altered so that two 1933-42 540 600* 150,000* stretchers, mounted on a tubular frame, can be fitted or removed 1943 55 70 20,000 quickly and easily. 1944 9 0 20,000 Speaking at the naming ceremony—the aircraft were named ?i5 ,?4 119. lr\'r\r\r\ John Hunter and Sir James Y. Simpson—Mr. Robert McKean, 947 47 [^ ^'"gjj B.E.A.'s manager in Scotland, gave a brief survey of the service 1948 ]" ... ... ... 245 285 67^635 and its history. He explained that the Air Ambulance Service 1949 '. '... "... 304 340 78^908 was initiated on May 8th, 1933, being operated by Midland and 1950 240 290 57,175 Scottish Air Ferries from Islay in the Western Isles, and by High- 1951 268 325 60,312 land Airways in the North of Scotland; and its operation had 9^ ?76 346 ^? been continued by Northern and Scottish Airways, Scottish \QIA '" VIA lin Airways and British European Airways. X 4 5y>t"° In 1935 and 1936, the Argyll and Inverness County Councils Grand Totals 2,920 3,464 722,418 respectively included it in their schemes of public health and hospitals facilities for the islands, and the local medical officers *Approximate totals. of health were given discretionary powers to avail themselves of In 1948, when the National Health Service came into being, the the service. _ Regional Hospital Board became responsible for all ambulance When the patient could not afford to pay for the charter, the services, including air, and the entire cost is now borne by the local authority concerned was given powers to waive the charge N.H.S. The transfer resulted in the utilization of the service and two-thirds of the cost to the local authority was refunded by being nearly doubled. the Department of Health from a special fund. The service is based at Renfrew Airport and covers all scheduled As the service became known, more and more use was made airfields in Scotland—Campbeltown, Islay, Tiree, Benbecula, of it. In the early days no special aircraft were kept for ambulance Stornoway, Barra, Inverness, Dyce, Wick, Turnhouse, the Orkney purposes, seats were removed as necessary from the regular Islands and Shetlands, and also airstrips such as those on Colinsay, machines to make room for a stretcher. In particularly urgent Coll, Sollas and Northton Beach (Harris), and one or two of the cases a machine would be diverted from a scheduled service, the islands in the Orkney group. The two new B.E.A. Herons on the apron at Renfrew Airport, together with one of the Islander class Rapides which they supersede.
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