Royal Visit Marks Naming of Cornwall Air Ambulance’s Second Helicopter

Her Majesty The Queen visited Cornwall Air Ambulance’s airbase in Newquay on Tuesday 2nd September to officially name the charity’s second helicopter.

Royal Patron Visits Newquay Headquarters

Queen Camilla, the charity’s Royal Patron, was welcomed to the headquarters where she met past and present crew members, staff, volunteers, trustees and local dignitaries. Local school children also performed during the event.

Among those introduced to Her Majesty was charity Ambassador and former patient Steven Webb. Steven was left tetraplegic following a swimming pool accident in 1991 and was airlifted by Cornwall Air Ambulance from Truro City Hospital to a spinal unit in Salisbury, a journey that helped save his life.

The Duke of Cornwall Takes Flight

The new aircraft, an AW169, was officially named The Duke of Cornwall. Queen Camilla unveiled the name by removing a Cornish flag from the nosecone. The name complements the existing helicopter, The Duchess of Cornwall, which was named after her title when she first became Patron of the charity.

The aircraft was then blessed by the Bishop of St Germans, The Right Reverend Hugh Nelson.

Speaking at the unveiling, The Queen said:

“As Cornwall Air Ambulance’s very proud Patron I would like to thank everyone, the pilots, doctors and paramedics, volunteers and all the people who are kind enough to give money to it. It is vital to this part of the country, which is huge, so obviously having two helicopters is going to help a lot, they have saved so many people’s lives, and I have heard so many stories of people who wouldn’t be here without it. Thank you very much indeed and I look forward to coming back again at some point, who knows, maybe there will be a third one.”

Backed by the Heli2 Appeal

The naming ceremony follows the success of the Heli2 Appeal, which raised £2.85 million towards the second helicopter. The AW169 arrived in July and officially went into service on 5th August 2025.

Tim Bunting, Chief Executive of Cornwall Air Ambulance, said:

“It was an honour to welcome Her Majesty to the airbase to see and name our second AW169 helicopter. This has been a momentous year for the charity, as for the first time we now own and have two state-of-the-art helicopters at our disposal. This has only been possible thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the people of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and beyond, who donated to the Heli2 Appeal. It was wonderful that Her Majesty has been able to see all the hard work that has gone into bringing this second aircraft to Cornwall and to hear about the difference it is already making to the resilience of our service. This second aircraft will help us save many more lives for years to come.”

Honouring Cornwall Air Ambulance’s First Pilot

The visit also included the naming of the charity’s dedicated operations wing, now called The Newman Wing, in honour of Cornwall Air Ambulance’s founding pilot Geoff Newman. A plaque was unveiled by Queen Camilla in the hangar.

Geoff, who attended the ceremony, said:

“To have a building named after you and to meet royalty in the process is a real honour, and very humbling. What a wonderful moment. Cornwall Air Ambulance has evolved massively in its 38 years, and I am incredibly proud to be the pioneer of the service it has become today.”

A Lifesaving Service

Cornwall Air Ambulance, which Her Majesty became Patron of in 2011 as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, responds to over 1,000 missions each year across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, providing critical support to those most in need.