Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is to benefit from a new navigation system to enable it to land in low cloud.
The air ambulance frequently helps patients across the Burnham-On-Sea area during life-critical incidents.
Currently, the helicopter is allowed to fly in poor visibility but not if the cloud is below minimum levels at its landing site.
However, its base at Henstridge Airfield in Dorset is one of five sites selected to be upgraded with a new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which will enable it to land even if the site is not visible from the air.
The technology uses 3D information from satellites to guide aircraft approaches instead of using ground-based systems.
The charity submitted a successful bid to the Civil Aviation Authority and Department for Transport at the end of September for a share of £200,000 to pay for the technology alongside Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Sussex and London.
Dorset and Somerset’s AW169 helicopter is already equipped to use GNSS for approaches, and its pilots are licenced to fly them.
The availability of GNSS means the aircraft will no longer be stranded away from base as a result of the weather.
A charity spokesperson says: “We are delighted with the news that Henstridge Airfield is now part of the GNSS programme as it fully supports the charity’s commitment to reaching more patients who need critical care.”
