Video: Prince William flies air ambulance to hospital

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Video: Prince William flies air ambulance to hospital

London - The service's chief pilot, said William was an "excellent" pilot.

By Reuters

Published: Thu 10 Jan 2019, 12:33 PM

Last updated: Thu 10 Jan 2019, 2:55 PM

Britain's Prince William, a former pilot, flew one of London Air Ambulance's helicopters to mark his appointment as patron of the service's 30th anniversary campaign.

William, also known as the Duke of Cambridge, previously worked as a pilot with the East Anglia Air Ambulance in eastern England, a role he gave up in 2017 to focus on his royal duties.

?? The Duke of Cambridge, #30YearsSavingLives Patron, visited Royal London Hospital to learn more about the challenges @LDNairamb face in their life saving work as a first responder in the capital. pic.twitter.com/90DTp9vV8u
- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 9, 2019

On Wednesday, London Air Ambulance sent one of its helicopters to pick up William from his Kensington Palace residence. From there, he took the captain's seat and piloted the aircraft to the Royal London Hospital.

"Through his support, we aim to raise awareness of the life-saving work carried out by us and by air ambulances across the UK," London's Air Ambulance Charity Chief Executive Jonathan Jenkins said in a statement.

Neil Jeffers, the service's chief pilot, said William was an "excellent" pilot.

Through his work as an air ambulance pilot for the @EastAngliAirAmb, The Duke has seen first-hand the impact @LDNairamb first responders have upon the lives of patients with critical injuries.

Find out more about his Patronage of #30YearsSavingLives: https://t.co/PTAfDNaQTZ pic.twitter.com/7O8IeVfzz4
- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 9, 2019

At the hospital, William, second-in-line to the British throne, visited London Air Ambulance pilots, paramedics and other staff, who presented him with a toy helicopter.
"That will go down extremely well. Louis will be chewing that before long," William joked, referring to his eight-month-old son.

The Duke of Cambridge views a 'Moulage' mock-up of an incident and team response of a thoracotomy, a procedure commonly used by @LDNairamb to save lives by the roadside. #30YearsSavingLives pic.twitter.com/ap5moovWcT
- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 9, 2019

London Air Ambulance relies on fundraising and public donations for funding and is made up of doctors, pilots, paramedics and others working as first responders across London.
In 2017, its advanced trauma doctors and paramedics treated nearly 1,800 patients, it said on its website, mostly from road accidents, stabbings, shootings, falls and incidents on the rail network.