February 21, 2023 7.30 pm This story is over 23 months old

Charity’s pilot swaps Lincolnshire fens for South African bush

A new adventure caring for cheetahs in South Africa

A Lincolnshire pilot will leave his career with the life-saving charity Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) to embark on a new adventure with his wife of caring for cheetahs in South Africa.

Ben Hare always dreamed of working within a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and was soon keen to join the LNAA crew that he applied two years before a position became available.

He joined the LNAA crew in 2021 and has flown over 170 life-saving missions, including one on Christmas Eve 2022 which he will never forget.

Ben will care for cheetahs in South Africa. | Photo: LNAA

Ben said: “Our team was activated to attend a cardiac arrest near Grantham. We were the first medical resource to arrive and after treating the patient, we flew him to Lincoln County Hospital.

“It was certainly the speed of our helicopter and the immediate intervention from our highly skilled HEMS medics that played a pivotal role in the patient survival.”

Landing near Grantham on Christmas Eve 2022. | Photo: LNAA

Ben will keep a hand in flying helicopters alongside supporting his wife’s work as he has taken a flight role in oil and gas support, something he did prior to joining LNAA.

On his new adventure, Ben said: “My wife has been given an opportunity to do some conservation-based field research in South Africa working with cheetahs. We met on a similar project, five years ago, and having worked with these beautiful cats before, it was probably only a matter of time before Africa called one of us again.

“My parents are farmers, and I would see helicopters land on neighbouring farms to attend agricultural accidents, so I realise the value that the service has to our county, especially with its poor road network.”

Ben has flown over 170 life-saving missions for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance. | Photo: LNAA

Ben added: “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve at LNAA and to my colleagues for the comradery and friendship over the last 18 months. HEMS is known for being difficult to find work close to your home, and many pilots travel across counties to serve an air ambulance.

“That being said, I have strong family ties in Lincolnshire, and I hope that when my personal situation allows me to return to the UK, an opportunity at LNAA will again present itself. I would certainly love to come back and serve the people of my county”.

Chief Pilot Llewis Ingamells said: “Ben is a true ‘Lincolnshire Lad’ and will be immensely missed. Not only a superb pilot, Ben is also one of a small number of people internationally qualified to service and repair our state-of-the-art night vision goggles in-house.”


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