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Aircraft

Jump Aero wants to taxi first responders by eVTOL

By David Szondy
January 08, 2020
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An example of a landing zone schematic, for a suburban cardiac event response
Jump Aero
An example of a landing zone schematic, for a suburban cardiac event response
Jump Aero

In search of a new niche market, startup Jump Aero wants to use eVTOL aircraft to ferry first responders to emergency scenes at speeds of up to 200 mph (320 km/m). The goal is not only to deliver responders quickly, but also to allow them to land on suburban roads.

Though electric aircraft propulsion is still in its infancy, there are already any number of companies carving out their share of their market. While some concentrate on package delivery, others are looking to short-haul passenger flights or urban air taxi services.

In hopes of trimming emergency response times by half, Jump Aero wants to exploit the small size of eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) craft in such a way that their limited range won't be a drawback. Led by founder Carl Dietrich and the people behind Terrafugia, Still Water Design, and the Community Air Mobility Initiative, the company is still in the very early stages of funding and recruitment, so details are thin on the ground.

"We intend to fly first responders to the scene of an emergency as quickly and safely as technology will allow," says Dietrich. "We are excited to partner with local communities and first responder organizations to help our heroes save lives."

Source: Jump Aero

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AircrafteVTOLEmergencies
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David Szondy
David Szondy is a playwright, author and journalist based in Seattle, Washington. A retired field archaeologist and university lecturer, he has a background in the history of science, technology, and medicine with a particular emphasis on aerospace, military, and cybernetic subjects. In addition, he is the author of four award-winning plays, a novel, reviews, and a plethora of scholarly works ranging from industrial archaeology to law. David has worked as a feature writer for many international magazines and has been a feature writer for New Atlas since 2011.
6 comments
guzmanchinky
That does sound excellent, but why not do what the Germans do and put first responders on motorcycles to get to the patient ultra quick and then have a slower ambulance come up later?
Graeme S
I thought that is what we currently use emergency helicopters for. They are limited to where they can land as would any other type of aircraft, so where is the advantage?
Mark Tuovinen
I like this idea a lot better than having the general public buzzing around over our heads. I suspect one big advantage over helicopters is the VTOL or in this case EVTOL don't have a long, spinning wing(rotor blade), overhead that needs more room to safely operate. That and it may be that EVTOL will cost less to operate, helicopters are expense to operate and maintain.
Towerman
Exactly @ Mark Tuovinen

This is a brilliant idea, funny how you still get people too dense to understand that EVTOL is superior to any road or any other air vehicle.

NOW lets get this started !
Bruce H. Anderson
The amount of thrust needed to lift a given weight will be the the same whether by a single helicopter rotor are multiple fans on an EVTOL. That means propwash, and in a residential area that will cause lots of excitement. This device sounds like it is meant to take two responders and some basic equipment to the site to do triage and stabilization. No evacuation. So it will be smaller than a life-flight chopper, which typically requires a 40x40 pad and an 82x82 safety zone. Residential streets may be 20-28 feet wide.
Towerman
You miss the point, responding with a VTOL rather than an ground ambulance will reduce the time beyond imagination which will increase saving lives by the thousands. Besides the VTOL benefits being far superior than any road vehicles. They are cheap to use and maintain.
Helicopters are for one only used for a select "few" maintenance hogs, can't land anywhere, and takes time to get into the air. And requires an FAA Commercial pilots license to operate. the key and most important factor is getting the medics to the patient ASAP, A VTOL will delivery in every way.
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