Pilot Mike Jones joins the aircrew

Cornwall Air Ambulance is pleased to announce its latest aircrew recruit, Captain Mike Jones, who has joined the charity as a pilot.

Mike grew up in North Wales and moved to Cornwall at the age of 20. He spent seven years as a beach lifeguard whilst also funding his own flying training.

He went on to work as a flying instructor in Liverpool, before joining the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance as a co-pilot for five years.

Now Mike has joined Cornwall Air Ambulance, which is something he’d always dreamed of doing.

He said: “I’d always wanted to work for Cornwall Air Ambulance, even in my 20s as a lifeguard watching the helicopter land on the beach at Polzeath. And during the early stages of learning to fly, looking at the helicopter and thinking ‘is that something I could do one day?’.

“I love Cornwall and I always wanted to live in Cornwall, and this for me was the only job that I wanted.”

Mike’s favourite areas of Cornwall to fly over are Bodmin Moor and Rough Tor, along with the Isles of Scilly.

“It’s just great to get up and out on a nice day, it feels like a privilege to go flying”, said Mike. “It also can be very hard work when the weather is challenging. I think you get to see places in a different way to a lot of people, you forget that sometimes, you forget how unusual it is to most people.

“Particularly with HEMS I like to be able to contribute in the way that we do to the patients, and to make a difference. This is at the front line of things.”

Outside of work Mike enjoys surfing, mountain biking, spending time at the beach and taking his son out in his go kart.