Yorkshire Air Ambulance www.gtc.org.uk

For three years, freelance cameraman and GTC member John Anderson has been filming and flying with the crew of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance

I hope it’s not just me but every now flying with camerawork have After a series of meetings with the someone who’s been seriously injured. and again a job comes along that come along, but none more paramedics of the YAA, production When we were dispatched to just, well … makes you smile. I know exciting than the latest one. meetings and flight safety briefings, incidents, though, I was working on we’ve all had jobs that certainly filming began in summer 2006. my own, acting as camera/director don’t, but hopefully the former Aerial opportunity and, certainly for the first few jobs, outnumber the latter. Any filming About three years ago now, a phone Unbelievably, the air ambulance it was fair to say the pressure was that happens to combine a personal call came from the BBC asking if was experiencing a really quiet on. As well as all the shooting, I had interest just adds a certain spark I’d like to shoot a pilot programme time (…‘You should have been here to interview the paramedics as and and, for me, any job that involves about the work of the Yorkshire Air last month’…). Typical! How many when possible, obtain consent to helicopter work is a particular bonus. Ambulance (YAA). Naturally, I said times have we all heard that? film from patients and any relatives, yes. Not only did it tick all the above I guess like many wanting to become boxes, but also a very good friend of cameramen, I was influenced by the mine, pilot Steve Cobb, with whom “about a week after we’d stopped television shows I watched when I I’d flown many aerial shoots when was young and a huge influence for he previously worked for a helicopter filming, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance me in the 1980s was the Channel charter company, had since taken 4 series Treasure Hunt. As a young a new job as chief pilot for the attended an incident that would teenager, I had already developed a Yorkshire Air Ambulance. I was really desire to work behind camera but keen to fly with Steve again and to catapult them into the headlines in also harboured a yearning to become see his new work environment. a helicopter pilot. So when I saw a quite extraordinary way” Treasure Hunt and realised my two The project would involve filming favoured careers could work together and flying with the paramedics … well, you can guess the rest! of the charity-funded YAA in Call-outs were few and far between, fly, which is tiring in itself, and their state-of-the-art which of course in this case is actually of course deal with the incidents Over the years various opportunities £2 million, 150 mph, MD Explorer a good thing (apart from for the themselves, both from a personal to fulfill that ambition of helicopter, call sign Helimed99. filming) since you know that when and a safety point of view. I also had combining my love of helicopter they do get called out they’re going to to liaise with emergency services

18 Autumn 2009 ZERB www.gtc.org.uk Yorkshire Air Ambulance R oger K eech

on the scene and, most importantly, make sure I didn’t get in the way. I certainly knew I’d done a day’s work at the end of a 12-hour shift.

We spent a couple of months with E arnshaw D avid the Air Ambulance, covering the few jobs there were, which was enough for the pilot programme, and this was duly compiled and sent off to the ‘powers that be’ at the BBC. It was now a case of waiting to see if they would commission a series.

YAA in the news Bizarrely, about a week after we’d stopped filming, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance attended an incident that would catapult them into the headlines in a quite extraordinary way. The BBC’s Top Gear presenter had been seriously injured in a jet-car crash at Elvington Airfield near . Paramedics Darren Axe and Pete Vallance were on the scene, flown in by my mate, Captain Steve Cobb. I, however, was sat at home with a cup of tea and a bun! Sod’s law I think?

John and recordist Nigel Chatters shooting programme links with presenter Rav Wilding Autumn 2009 ZERB 19 Yorkshire Air Ambulance www.gtc.org.uk

I don’t know if the Hammond paramedics were running but also incident had anything to do with proved a lot lighter for them to wear. the BBC’s decision, but anyway It provided us with some great close they commissioned 10 x 45 min footage at incidents and, more vitally, episodes for transmission from audio from the second crew member. G ardner D avid September 2007 and someone came up with the idea of having Richard It was then a case of waiting for Hammond present it. Hammond’s the so-called ‘Bat Phone’ to ring. Heroes was the working title. When it did, Helimed99, the crew and myself were ready to fly off Filming proper started in April 2007 to the incident in question. with me once again working as camera/director. The series was to be First call-out shot on DVCAM and although I have My first proper job for the series a trusty Ikegami camera, I’d decided was an RTC (road traffic collision) to use a Sony DSR 570 with Canon in North Yorkshire, near Settle. As J9 wide-angle lens (later exchanged we flew in, it suddenly dawned on Attending an M62 Motorway emergency for a HJ11). The 570 is just that bit me that normally I‘d be stuck in the smaller than the Ikegami and space line of queuing traffic, frustrated can be at premium in the helicopter. and wondering how much longer The standard crew is two paramedics before I could be on my way. Now, I plus pilot and sometimes a doctor may was flying over the traffic jam, to be fly as well, so with me plus a patient deposited right at the heart of the G ardner D avid onboard it could all get a bit cosy! accident. And this time it was serious.

There were occasions when I was left A BMW, which was now half its behind at the site of an incident when original length, had hit a Transit van the pilot was unable to take a full at high speed, head on. Amazingly, load with a patient. I was basically the van driver had walked away left to make my own way back to with cuts and bruises but the BMW’s base - stranded, often in the middle occupants had not been so lucky. of nowhere in full flight suit, with The front seat passenger had been helmet and camera kit, but this was killed on impact and the driver all part of the agreement. Sometimes, had suffered severe leg and chest they’d even tell me where I was injuries along with a broken neck. Interviewing Chief Pilot, Steve Cobb about motorway landings before flying off into the distance! The YAA paramedics worked tirelessly Mini-cams along with fire crews to free the “at any incident I would only have Two onboard mini-cams were fitted trapped driver and to attend to his in the aircraft, one giving an external life-threatening injuries. At first, the time it took for the crew to attend POV and the other looking back into I did feel very uneasy about being the cockpit to give a wide angle of there. It was a strange feeling being to the patients” the pilot and front seat paramedic. right there seeing at first hand what Both were rigged for sound from was causing the tailback through had been under the influence of drugs Ambulance Explorer helicopter, which the helicopter’s comms and fed into the Dales. As I filmed the line of – apparently overtaking dangerously involved shooting aerial sequences. Sony DV clam-shell recorders with traffic, I could see people trying to and driving far too fast for the type a one touch button for standby/ peer over their cars to see what was of road. His family gave permission For these I recorded onto DigiBeta record. A Sony MiniDV camera was happening - little did some of them for us to use the footage in order to using a FLIR Ultramedia camera, also rigged for an over-the-shoulder realise the severity of the situation. show the horrific consequences. a system I’d acquired when Steve shot of the front seat paramedic previously flew helicopters for HeliJet who would wear my Micron Explorer I had to work quickly. At any incident The BBC had decided to base itself Aviation in . This is a gyro- radio mic fed into the 570. I would only have the time it took for at the Air Ambulance HQ, with camera system ideal for the type of the crew to attend to the patients, full edit facilities on site. By now air-to-air work required. The camera During flights, I also had a and during that time I would have though, they were looking at being is nose mounted to a Bell LongRanger comms line feed into my camera to try to interview the paramedics at there seven days a week – enter helicopter based just across the for in-flight interviews. convenient points about the situation the producers with Z1 cameras. road from the Air Ambulance, at and the condition of those involved, Leeds Heliport. The kit takes about The rear seat paramedic sitting plus talking to the fire crews and In fairness, there was no way I could an hour to rig and I would operate opposite me from my rearwards-facing police officer in charge at the scene, film and fly on all the missions from the back seat of the aircraft. seat was fitted with a body camera, before boarding the helicopter and (even though I would have liked affectionately known as ‘Paracam’. getting the patient off to hospital. to). It was just too tiring, but even I was keen to have Steve fly the The first incarnation of this was a the producers admitted themselves Air Ambulance on our aerial shoot small PCB type camera recording On this occasion, back at base at Leeds that some of their Z1 items days, not just because I trust him onto a mini DV camera. This proved airport, a call came through were better shot than others! but having flown with him for many temperamental at times and was an hour or so later to say that, despite years I knew he was aware of the later changed for a compact flash everyone’s efforts, the driver had died Ultramedia’s blind spots and would Air to air recorder unit which was not only less in hospital from his injuries. We later know where to place Helimed99 in Another key element to the susceptible to problems when the found out that the driver of the BMW relation to our camera platform. programme was to feature the Air

20 Autumn 2009 ZERB www.gtc.org.uk Yorkshire Air Ambulance

The producers were keen to chase own Z1 shooting now, as it’s virtually the Air Ambulance to emergency a 364 day a year operation with the jobs and this worked to a certain two full-time aircraft. I am still flying ardner G extent but I did suggest we should though and am now trying out the avid also do some specific air-to-air new Sony Z7 camera for some of D days. Part of the problem was that the jobs. It’s a great little camera, the Explorer helicopter could easily far better than the Z1, and the size outfly the camera helicopter and I is ideal for use in the helicopter. was struggling to provide them with The pictures in DVCAM mode are dynamic shots. Usually, I don’t like to very good. Dare I say it though, it’s film above 80 knots but there was no a bit too lightweight for me; I’m “the rear seat paramedic was fitted with a body camera, affectionately known as Paracam” way I could limit the speed of the Air finding it very difficult to run along Ambulance when they were attending with the paramedics and get steady, a call-out. Eventually we managed usable pictures as per the DSR570. to do several choreographed aerial sorties coordinating both helicopters But the best thing is, I am still to obtain some great footage. enjoying this. I started by saying how some jobs just make you smile and, Presented by Richard Hammond as for me, being in the privileged position a thank you to the crew of YAA for of spending nearly three years filming helping to save his life, series I of and flying with a fantastic team of Helicopter Heroes (so called by the dedicated, hard-working, life-saving commissioners and not much liked professionals has done just that. by the paramedics!) aired on BBC1 in September 2007 and was subsequently There is something in all this that John Anderson with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance re-commissioned as a 20-part second I wish not to overlook though. series for transmission in 2008. Throughout my time spent with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, I’ve Series II and III witnessed some terrible accidents. I’ve Fact File filmed incidents that have changed As well as a new presenter for series Lighting cameraman John Anderson turned freelance in 1992 after people’s lives forever and, worse II, Crimewatch frontman Rav Wilding, working for an independent production company. In 2006 he was still, seen some tragic fatalities. It there was to be a new addition to awarded a Royal Television Society Camerawork of the Year award, the Air Ambulance fleet. A second could happen to any one of us. as well as an RTS Best Documentary award for a 90 minute BBC Explorer helicopter, Helimed98, had Timewatch programme. He was part of the camera team which gained been bought and paid for through I consider myself extremely lucky a GTC Award of Excellence in 2007, and in 2009 won two RTS extra donations made to the charity to have realised both my boyhood documentary awards for the tragic story of Michael Barnett, who died as a result of Hammond’s accident. ambitions of working behind the whilst trapped in a drain during the freak floods of 2007. In 1999, John camera and in the air. I, we, have a realised a life’s ambition and learnt to fly helicopters. Mobile: 07850 204466 Amongst other things, I am currently great job, one of the best jobs in the world. Smile and enjoy every minute Email: [email protected] working on series III, yet another Website: www.westriding.tv 20 programmes to be broadcast in of it – because, believe you me, September this year. The producers things could be a whole lot worse! Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity: www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk are having to do yet more of their

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