East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), which covers the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, says it has been "very pleasantly surprised" at the good service levels for the BK 117.

"Maintenance has never been an issue," says Simon Gray, ceo. But he says that part of the agreement with Norwich-based operators Sterling Aviation, is that EAAA has a Bolkow 105 on standby cover if there should be any problems.

"One of the great aspects of the BK 117 is that it has quite a small footprint and disc size in proportion to the internal space available and it can land in very tight spots if necessary. We upgraded from the Bolkow 105 and are benefiting from the increased capability. We chose the BK 117 because of the added comfort for the patients. It has proved a good choice."

The BK 117 was developed under a joint collaborative effort between MBB of Germany, now part of Eurocopter, and Kawasaki of Japan. It is now out of production.

John Himpleman, Sterling Aviation's operations manager, says the BK 117's dispatch rate has been good. "Its strengths are the load, the range which is suited for coverage of the East Anglia region, and its carrying capability." On average the EAAA is called to four incidents daily.