Senior pilot retires from YAA
UK Air Ambulance charity Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) has announced the departure and retirement of one of its most experienced pilots, Ian Mousette.
UK Air Ambulance charity Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) has announced the departure and retirement of one of its most experienced pilots, Ian Mousette.
Mousette had a flying career that stretched for 39 years, with the last six having been spent flying for YAA. Previously Ian had flown in the army for 24 years, before becoming a commercial pilot for a period, before settling on becoming a HEMS pilot.
“I have been very, very fortunate that I’ve ended my flying career at Yorkshire Air Ambulance,” said Mousette. “It’s one of the most satisfying jobs in the world, although someone has got to be having a very bad day for me to get to do the thing I enjoy most.”
He was based in YAA’s northern base at RAF Topcliffe, taking part in hundreds of missions in the service’s Airbus H145s.
“People regularly came up to me and offered to make donations. It was a real pleasure to go to work flying over the amazing landscapes of my home county every day and being part of a great team helping to save lives,” he continued. “I cherish the memory of a lady who, struggling to walk, came up to myself and a paramedic after we had landed at a job to thank us for previously airlifting her mother to hospital in bad weather.”
Captain Andy Lister, Director of Aviation at the YAA, added: “On behalf of everyone here, I’d like to wish Ian and his family all the very best for the future. Ian has been a much-valued member of our team for the last six years, and it was a privilege to fly and work with him.”