Line Pilot

Yorkshire Air Ambulance; Foulby, Topcliffe; Remote; GBP 75,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Loss of licence insurance

Life Assurance

Pension plan

33 days holiday

Flexible working

Simulator training trips

Blue Light Card

Job summary

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is seeking a Line Pilot based at Nostell ASU, Foulby, near Wakefield, with shifts at Topcliffe. The role involves commanding helicopters under the AOC, with a fixed roster and a starting salary of £83,769 per year.

Occasional travel and fundraising duties apply. Requirements include UK CAA ATPL(H) or CPL(H) with IR, substantial PIC hours (including helicopters), H145 rating, NVIS, and willingness to relocate to Yorkshire.

Qualifications

• Current UK CAA ATPL(H) or CPL(H) with Instrument Rating.

Responsibilities

• As aircraft commander, ensure flying tasks are safe and compliant with operations manual and regs.

Skills

UK CAA ATPL(H)

UK CAA CPL(H) with IR

PIC hours

PIC helicopters hours

Night VFR 40h

CAA Class 1 Medical

Yorkshire resident / willing to move

Fluent English

Driving licence

Passport

Right to work in UK

Filming / photography tolerance

Previous experience

NVIS experience

H145 rating

TRI/TRE qualification

Job description

Do you want to feel as though you are helping to save lives every day? When working for YAA as a Line Pilot, that is exactly what you will be doing!

We are seeking to recruit a Line Pilot to join our team, who, under the direction of a Chief Pilot, will be responsible for the command and operation of one of our Airbus H145 D3 helicopters. Unlike most other air ambulances in the UK, we directly employ pilots to fly the helicopters under our own Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC).

If you would like to be part of this high-profile, successful regional charity and think that your skills and experience fit the bill for this exciting role…we look forward to hearing from you!

About the Role

Location: Line Pilot based at Nostell ASU, Foulby, near Wakefield, with occasional shifts at RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk.

Hours: A fixed roster – at Topcliffe it’s a 12 hour shift from 07:00 to 19:00 (3 days on, 3 days off). At Nostell it’s either a variable nine/ten hour shift to cover the operational period between 07:00 and 01:00, Monday to Friday, or a 12 hour shift between 09:00 and 21:00 at the weekends.
This will change to 07:00 – 01:00 7 days a week from April 2027.

Occasional variations to this pattern may be requested, but duty time will never be more than as permitted under the approved FLT scheme.

Role Purpose: To carry out line flying duties as requested by Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Salary: Starting salary of £83,769 p.a.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• As aircraft commander, to ensure all flying tasks are carried out in a safe and efficient manner in accordance with the Charity’s Operations Manual, in addition to any regulations as laid down by the Air Navigation Order and/or CAA as amended by legislation.
• Ensure that, during periods of duty, you manage and organise the Operating Base in an effective manner; briefing crews on their HEMS responsibilities and maintaining the high personal and professional standards expected from any employee of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
• To ensure personal currency in all respects with regard to Flight Crew License, Aircrew Medical, License Proficiency Check (LPC), Operator Proficiency Check (OPC), Line Check, Emergency & Safety Equipment Check (E&SE) and other checks as required by the regulations before carrying out any flight on behalf of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
• Participating in a reasonable amount of fundraising activities on base, including patient visits, base open days and any other activities as required. The role will also require a willingness to be photographed and filmed for YAA marketing materials, including social media posts and for TV partners. You may also be programmed to assist fundraising on duty days when not staffing the operational roster.
• You will be expected to carry out other duties within your normal duty hours. You will not be assigned duties or asked to perform services which it is believed are unreasonable or you cannot reasonably perform, or which are inconsistent with the position you hold.

Knowledge and Skills Required

• Either a current UK CAA ATPL(H) or UK CAA CPL(H) with Instrument Rating
• A minimum of 1500 hours as pilot-in-command of aircraft
• A minimum of 500 hours as pilot-in-command of helicopters gained VMC overland with significant low flying experience
• 40 hours VFR at night as pilot in command
• CAA Class 1 Medical
• Lives in, or prepared to relocate to the Yorkshire region
• Fluent English, driving licence, passport, right to work in the UK.
• Comfortable participating in filming and photography for promotional and educational content for YAA and other outlets as necessary.
• Previous experience in a similar role
• NVIS experience
• H145 type rating
• TRI/TRE qualification (Additional Responsibility Allowance paid for these qualifications)
• Previous experience in a similar role

Additional Information

• Starting salary £83,769 p.a
• Discretionary annual staff bonus scheme based on the Charity’s financial performance.
• Health insurance with BUPA.
• Loss of licence insurance.
• Life Assurance plus access to an Employee Assistance Programme covering Financial, Mental and Physical Wellbeing.
• 33 days paid holiday per annum, inclusive of statutory Bank Holidays (pro-rata). A percentage of the holiday entitlement will be pre-booked in order to manage the roster, and a proportionate number of weekends and bank holidays are rostered as duty days.
• Work-Life/Family Balance – a commitment to helping you achieve a work-life balance, including flexible working opportunities (role dependent), enhanced family leave packages, including maternity, paternity, and adoption/surrogacy.
• 6-monthly visits to the simulator in UK/Germany for PC and OPC currency checks.
• Commitment to training and personal development for all staff, including access to short online training sessions.
• Eligible to apply for a Blue Light Card, gaining discounts at 100s of businesses.
• Contributory pension scheme (contributions matched by the Charity up to 8% and annual pensions advice).
• The role is subject to a 3-month probationary period plus a DBS check and an initial test for psychoactive substances.

The closing date for this vacancy is 5pm on Monday 9th November 2026.
Interviews will take place on 24th November 2026 at our Nostell Air Support Unit.

If you wish to discuss the job role in more detail, please contact:
Owen McTeggart, Chief Pilot via [e-mail] or Steve Waudby, Director of Aviation via [e-mail].

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and groups – we value equality, diversity and inclusion in all our employment practices, including recruitment, selection and induction. If you require any documents in another format or adjustments to any part of the recruitment & selection process, please do let us know.

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