DEVON Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT) has just passed its first annual audit by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC).

The AOC means the Charity, under its operating arm Devon Air Ambulance Trading Company Limited, has clearly demonstrated it meets all of the stringent operating and safety competencies required by the CAA. This includes airworthiness management, training, quality systems, ground infrastructure and finances.

It also requires the appointment of key accountable staff that are responsible for specific safety critical functions such as training, maintenance and operations.

DAAT’s Chief Executive Heléna Holt is the AOC’s Accountable Manager.

She said: “We are delighted to have passed our first annual audit, especially as the feedback we had from the CAA’s inspectors was so positive. I think they were impressed with the standards we have achieved in our first year.

“The AOC is very important to us because it means DAAT is truly independent and self-sufficient and able to manage our resources to continually improve the service on our own terms.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in the process of maintaining our AOC: our externally appointed quality manager and continuing airworthiness managers as well as our own Operations Director Nigel Hare, Flight Operations Director Ian Payne and our Safety Manager, Rob Mackie.”

DAAT has now flown almost 22,000 missions since it started flying in 1992.