During the RIAT event at RAF Fairford in the Cotswolds on July 20-21, a dramatic rescue scenario will be enacted using three aircraft from Eurocopter's mid-sized, twin-engine helicopter family: an EC145 outfitted for fire and rescue duties, a police-configured EC135 and an EC135 air ambulance.
The mid-day demonstrations will simulate a major automobile accident, with an EC145 deploying a specialist crew of the London Fire Brigade and their heavy tooling to remove the car's roof. Monitoring of the accident scene and downlinking of real-time information to a command base station is to be provided by a Police EC135, while the Devon Air Ambulance will perform casualty evacuation from the scene.
These demonstrations are part of the Air Tattoo's Sky Guardian theme for 2013, which puts the spotlight on civil and military aircraft operators who play an important role safeguarding life, land and liberty - many of which utilize Eurocopter helicopters in the UK benefiting from their commonality and interoperability.
"When time is of the essence, the speed and effectiveness of UK airborne emergency services in responding to an incident can often be the difference between life and death," explained Markus Steinke, the Managing Director of Eurocopter UK. "A fleet of 50 Eurocopter helicopter from the EC135/EC145 family operate daily across the country, serving as the nation's backbone for highly demanding missions in search, surveillance, crime detection and casualty evacuation."
Before and after performing their duties at the RIAT's simulated accident scene, the three helicopters and crews will be at the air show's static park display for visits.
"The daily demonstrations at RIAT will be a rare opportunity for the public to witness the airborne emergency services' skill and bravery, often working in situations none of us would want to find ourselves in," said Air Tattoo Chief Executive Tim Prince. "We are grateful to Eurocopter, whose EC135 helicopter is the aircraft of choice for the UK emergency services, for offering us the opportunity to salute the role of these unsung heroes."
About Eurocopter UK Ltd.
Eurocopter UK Ltd, Britain's civil helicopter hub, and its predecessors have been present and highly active in the United Kingdom for over 30 years, dominating the civil rotary wing(rw) sector. Its contribution to the aerospace sector of the national economy includes the development of police aviation leading to a 75% market share, air ambulances (70% share), and well over 50% of the offshore oil and gas market. Eurocopter UK Ltd is headquartered in Oxford, with additional bases in Dublin (Ireland), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Hawarden (Wales) and Aberdeen (Scotland) and provides the full range of products and services for the rw sector, including prime contractor of the RAF Puma Mk2 programme. Some 450 Eurocopter helicopters form the biggest part of the UK's helicopter fleet and the backbone of vital national infrastructure such as 100 helicopters serving the UK Ministry of Defence for transport, training and high end operational missions. Eurocopter enjoys a reputation for innovation, high quality and a strong customer service ethos. To date, Eurocopter UK Ltd has exported helicopter High-Tech solutions to 23 nations on all continents.The Eurocopter group employs more than 1600 people across the British Isles.