A FORMER Royal Navy pilot who flew helicopters during the Falklands conflict and an aircraft engineer have both shown their gratitude to the Great North Air Ambulance (GNAAS) for saving their lives.

Charlie Devine and Ali Mc- Gregor, who worked for the same company, were airlifted to hospital in separate incidents many miles apart.

The pair recently met GNAAS medics to present a cheque for £4,200 raised at a series of events organised by Cobham Aviation Services, based yards from the emergency service’s Durham Tees Valley Airport hangar.

Now retired, Mr Devine, 59, of East Cowton, near Darlington, suffered a stroke while at work in October 2007.

GNAAS crews were on hand within five minutes and a further seven minutes later he was airlifted to The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

Mr Devine fully recovered from his stroke, but is now being treated for an unrelated cancer.

The former Royal Navy pilot, who served in the Falklands flying Lynx helicopters, said: “I have 10,000 flying hours, and the last seven minutes of my flying career were in the back of the air ambulance.”

His wife, Melanie, said: “He wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for the air ambulance.

I owe them for my husband’s life.”

Phil Godfrey, consultant anaesthetist at James Cook and GNAAS, was on duty on the day of Mr Devine’s stroke.

He said: “It was extremely lucky for Mr Devine that we were there at the time. Speed really is of the essence when dealing with stroke.”

Ali McGregor, 25, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, who still works as an aircraft engineer at Cobham, was riding his motorbike in the Lake District when he was involved in a collision with a minibus.

The incident, in July last year, left him with serious head injuries. He said: “My family were told at one point I had a ten per cent chance of survival. Twelve days later I was being discharged from hospital.

“Without the air ambulance I would have had no chance. It is such a worthy cause and needs everybody’s support.”

For information on how to support GNAAS, call 01325- 487263 or go to greatnorthairambulance.co.uk