People profile: NPAS Line Pilot

Andrew works with the crews at NPAS London, covering a diverse range of taskings for The Metropolitan Police Service. 

Flying over the capital city, and all highly populated areas, comes with huge responsibility, especially when our crews are tasked to fly at night or at low heights. All our pilots are highly skilled and experienced and some of the best in the business. 

In a nutshell, Andrew's job is to safely and efficiently position the helicopter in the sky, with its usual crew of three, to support police officers on the ground. 

A good day for Andrew is when the crew has made a positive impact to the community, be it locating or assisting a vulnerable person or successfully helping to apprehend a suspect, especially if they are actively trying to evade the police. 

There are occasions when pilots will land, when it is safe to do so, for the officers on board to administer first aid, deliver vital equipment, such as stretchers or defibrillators to colleagues, transport stricken people or even, on occasion, arrest a suspect. 

"Using the equipment onboard, we can locate suspects that would otherwise evade the law, we provide an airborne view to aid management of large public events, we can follow a vehicle, reducing risk to the public during a pursuit, and can land to provide assistance to the emergency services when required. 

But for the pilot, it is the safety of everyone, in the air and on the ground, that is the number one priority. 

"We operate in the busy airspace over London, so I have to work closely with Air Traffic Control to coordinate where we want to go, so they can safely keep other aircraft and helicopters a safe distance away, without causing major disruption," he explained. 

"Add in the challenges of an ever-changing city skyline, with new buildings and cranes popping up regularly, plus the unreliability of the British weather, and it makes for an interesting operating environment."

Like everyone at NPAS, its the team, and making a difference to people's lives, that is Andrew's motivation. 

"I work with a fantastic set of colleagues, who are all motivated to provide the best possible service to the emergency services," he said.

"I get paid to fly a highly manoeuvrable, sophisticated helicopter over the capital city, helping catching criminals and assisting to save lives. Also, the view from the office is pretty awesome.

"I love the dynamic, unpredictable nature of the role. The type of flying we do is unlike any other. You come to work, no two days are the same, and I value the satisfaction we get from ‘a job well done’ at the end of a successful flight. 

"The support we provide to the public is only possible by each member of the crew seamlessly working together, each with their own role and responsibility. We have to clearly communicate to each other, on what task we are performing, and how we need to position the helicopter to achieve this, using all of the role equipment we have onboard.

"We can only provide effective air support if each member of the crew is performing to the best of their ability. I can follow a speeding car or motorbike by flying the helicopter, but it requires the camera operator to keep tracking the vehicle, and the rear crew member to be able to communicate to officers on the ground in order for us to be of any value.