Prior to this he flew celebrities around for a living, from Formula 1 drivers to Hollywood A Listers. So just why did he decide to change this and become a pilot for TAAS, and what does his job actually involve?
Here we ask him a few questions and find out all about what it's like to spend a day in the life of an Air Ambulance pilot...
Name: Joe Moore
Role: Senior Line Pilot for Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance
Why did you choose to work for TAAS?
Before joining TAAS I was a private helicopter pilot, and although it was great to fly celebrities around, I really enjoy working somewhere where I am helping people.
The opportunity work with a close knit, professional group of people while making a real difference to people’s lives was way too good to pass up!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
A great thing is the excitement of not knowing what’s coming and then when it comes in, working out how we can best help the patient.
We constantly have to think ahead, for example - where are we going to land? Can we close that motorway? Where are we going to take the patient? No two incidents are ever the same.
The very best thing is when we get to meet the patient once they are recovered or on the mend, as that’s when we get to see the real difference that we have made.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I’ve got two very active children so horse riding, swimming, dancing etc. is a big part of our family life. But I’m also a biker and ex-motocrosser so I still play with motorbikes when I have time.
Joe's day...
The first ten minutes is administrative work. I read the handover diary for any notes left for me from the previous days Pilot, check the weather and Notams (notices published by the National Air Traffic Service that tell us about flying displays, parachute jumps, flypasts etc.) in our area.
I also check the crew composition for currency and for weight. Then I go and do my daily check of the aircraft and help the crew load our gear on board.
We do a crew briefing where the team discuss things that will affect our day. Weather, amount of fuel we’re carrying, and any medical equipment issues we have so that we are all aware of any issues.
This then speeds up any decision making that we may have to make later in the day when we are under pressure.
Then we wait for the 999 phone to ring…it could be anytime and take us anywhere.
When the phone rings a paramedic will answer it and get the approximate location – I then go and get the helicopter started so that as soon as the paramedics have the relevant information, we are ready to go.
Our helicopter is one of the fastest civilian helicopter’s available and can reach 185mph so as you can imagine I have to look quite a few miles ahead!
Usually our calls are in Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, but we can be called further afield and we stagger our shifts with Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance so that during the summer months all five counties have Air Ambulance cover during daylight hours.
Once we’re getting close to the scene of the accident, I will look for the best place to land. Obviously we want to be as close as possible to the incident, but we also have to ensure that it is safe to land for both ourselves and people that are on the ground near the accident.
We can land in incredibly small spaces – the smallest space we can land in is 26 metres by 26, double the span of the helicopter’s propellers. I’ve landed in some interesting places; from motorways, to school playing fields, to the middle of nowhere in the countryside.
Then it’s time for the paramedics and doctors to do their job treating the casualty and if necessary getting them ready for flight. I assist where possible and when requested to. Sometimes it may be necessary for me to relocate the helicopter, or fly to collect other medical staff and bring them to the scene, as was the case recently with a bad accident on the M1.
Once the patient is safely on the Air Ambulance, it’s time for me to take off again and fly the casualty to the hospital that is most appropriate for their treatment. Usually we take the casualty to major trauma centres so I regularly land at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. However, sometimes we may have to venture further afield if the casualty requires specialist treatment not available at a local hospital.
Then it’s back to our Airbase at Coventry airport to await the next call. We respond to an average of four calls a day however it can be more! Sometimes we may get called from one accident to another.
We really do never know what to expect from moment to the other.
Once the shift is over, we complete some end of day paperwork and ensure the aircraft is prepared for the next day. Then it is home time for a hug with the kids!
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