Prince William starts work as air ambulance pilot

The Duke of Cambridge has said he is “hugely excited” about his new job as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

William clocked on at Cambridge Airport, where the air ambulance is based, at 7am for his turn as a pilot with the charity, which operates in Suffolk as well as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Bedfordshire.

“I’m trying to be a good guy, to do what I can and trying to be a decent individual”.

“At the same time, there is a lot of responsibility, especially when George is around – he’s been a little monkey”, he said. I’m enjoying it, and I like the challenge, but yes, inevitably down the line, things will probably become a little bit more difficult for me to do that.

He has now completed the training and is expected to report for his first day of duty based at Cambridge Airport.

The Duke will be on a six-strong team on a roster of day and night shifts, which last nine and a half hours and could fall on Christmas Day.

Today he will work alongside pilot Captain Dave Kelly, Dr Gemma Mullen and paramedic Tim Daniels.

His first duties included carrying out safety checks and refuelling the aircraft before taking part in a team briefing.

William will be responsible for helping navigate and fly the helicopter to emergency scenes, ranging from road collisions, cardiac arrests and sporting injuries.

William and his crewmates began work right way, responding to a first emergency call at 9:20 a.m. (0820 GMT, 4:20 a.m. EDT).

The Duke of Cambridge, who has previously flown RAF search and rescue helicopters, will be transporting patients to hospitals in life-saving dashes. He has undergone a civilian pilot’s course as well as training in the specifics of the EC135 and EC145 helicopters used by the charity and 999 response training.

Talking about the arrival of Princess Charlotte he said: “It has been fantastic and she has been a little joy of heaven”.

Officials say the number of shifts he works will be a private matter between him and his employers, Bond Air Services, along with his salary, which he is donating to charity. The charity plans to release details of the incident later Monday.