Midlands Air Ambulance to unveil new helicopter
The first wholly-owned helicopter to join the Midlands Air Ambulance fleet will be unveiled today - as the charity cuts the ribbon on its new airbase at RAF Cosford in Staffordshire.
The £4.5 million EC135Te helicopter is the first to be owned in full by the service, with all previous machines leased from Bond Air Services.
At a celebration event today, the Air Ambulance will also launch an appeal to raise £250,000 towards extending the service's winter flying hours.
Currently, the choppers only fly during daylight hours - but the extra cash will help keep them in the air for 12 hours a day.