WILTSHIRE Air Ambulance has welcomed a new recruit to take up the position of being a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) pilot after serving in the military for 17 years.

Matt Wilcock, 38 completed his training on WAA's £5m new helicopter, the Bell 429, at Fairoaks, Surrey, and began flying the air ambulance earlier this month.

Mr Wilcock, who lives with his family in Andover in Hampshire, has had a wealth of experience with helicopters after graduating with an honours degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of London and was then commissioned to the Army Air Corps in 1999 serving across the world, including in Kenya.

For the last six years he worked as a test pilot and instructor at Boscombe Down, near Amesbury, Wiltshire.

Mr Wilcock said: “The public support for Wiltshire Air Ambulance is great. When we have landed at locations to attend an incident local people have offered their help, such as driving our paramedics from the helicopter to the scene.

“I like the role and challenge of flying an air ambulance. It’s unique in what it does in civilian flying and I can bring my 17 years of experience in the military, including night flying.”

Mr Wilcock will now be leading training on using night vision goggles for the pilots and paramedics at WAA to deal with flying at night.