December 11 is the submission deadline for Stage 1 of GoAERO—a three-year contest backed by NASA, Boeing, RTX, and other key aviation stakeholders seeking to aid the estimated 4.5 million Americans living in “ambulance deserts,” who may need to wait longer than 25 minutes for emergency services to arrive. The aircraft created by competitors could rescue people in danger and respond to disasters, medical emergencies, or humanitarian crises.

Officially launched on February 5, GoAERO (Aerial Emergency Response Operations) has been recruiting teams of university students who lack the financial backing of large corporations. But the competition is open to just about anyone over the age of 18, GoAERO founder and CEO Gwen Lighter told FLYING.

“It is a call for engineers and entrepreneurs and innovators and universities and students and professors and retirees and businesses and corporations and all of that to join us and to create these emergency response fliers,” said Lighter.

Lighter envisions GoAERO’s emergency response flyers as “another tool in the first response toolkit.” Helicopters, she said, are great for emergency response but are expensive to procure and operate, require a pilot, and struggle to operate in tight spaces.

Drones, at the other end of the spectrum, are excellent for delivering medical supplies. Drone delivery companies Zipline and Wing, for instance, have collectively transported hundreds of thousands of shipments of blood, vaccines, and equipment. But when it comes to search and rescue, drones can only complete the latter portion of the mission.

“What we are doing is we are saying, ‘OK, helicopters are one end of the spectrum, drones are the other,’ and then putting them together, molding them into something that can deliver a first responder to someone in need, rescue someone who needs help, deliver needed goods and supplies, all within the rubric of natural disasters, everyday medical emergencies, events caused by climate change, humanitarian crises,” Lighter said.

The aircraft are intended to be simple, compact, and uncrewed, flying either entirely on their own or with help from a remote pilot. They must also be easily transportable, deployable within minutes, and capable of delivering first responders, patients, or supplies in cities, rural areas, and disaster zones.

Aviation for Public Good

Lighter previously organized GoAERO’s predecessor GoFLY, which similarly sought to put groundbreaking technology into the hands of people who otherwise would not have access. But whereas GoFLY was geared toward personal, recreational flight, GoAERO is about helping others.

“GoAERO is really focused on a singular mission, which is saving lives,” Lighter said. “It is aviation for public good.”

According to Lighter, all GoFLY partners have signed on to the new initiative, and even more have joined. Boeing is the lead GoAERO sponsor, but the contest is also backed by RTX, Honeywell, Iridium, and industry groups such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS). First responders, aviation regulators, and other organizations are on board.

“We’ve had hundreds of discussions with not only aviation [firms], but first responders in a wide variety of different types of response, whether that is search and rescue, whether that is wildfire, whether that is earthquake, whether that is everyday medical emergencies and EMTs,” said Lighter.

She added: “Collectively, we have landed on these technical rules and specifications to create aircraft that really allow first responders to be first responders, rather than pilots and all of these other things.”

GoAERO will provide teams with some design guidelines. But Lighter told FLYING that the goal is for participants to produce a wide range of designs. Teams will be permitted to focus on medical needs and disaster scenarios specific to their area, for example.

“Success for us looks like in three years, at the end of the competition, that we have a multitude of different flyers that show up, and some are better in everyday medical emergencies, and some are better in urban environments, and some are better in remote environments, and some are better in wildfires,” said Lighter.

Participants will have some help from above. The competition offers what Lighter called a “full education platform,” with educational webinars, legal assistance, and one-on-one mentorship opportunities with experts from Boeing, U.S. government agencies such as the FAA or Department of Defense, and other mentors. Those relationships can help them refine design concepts, build autonomy, or raise funding.

GoAERO earlier this month, for example, signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA that will see the space agency lend its personnel to the initiative. NASA also committed $400,000 through its University Innovation Project to support U.S.-based university teams and will grant access to free or discounted software, services, and products.

“I think GoAERO represents bringing the best of aeronautics and aviation to the public space, to public good, making sure that we are bringing our capabilities, our technologies, our genius together to work for the American people and for the people across the globe that need these kind of services,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) and GoAERO mentor.

The Fly-Off

The GoAERO competition will culminate in a three-day “fly-off” beginning February 2027, during which teams will put their aircraft through a series of missions to gauge adversity, productivity, and maneuverability.

At stake are $2 million worth of prizes, including a $1 million grand prize for the winner. In addition, the top performer in each of the three fly-off missions will win $150,000. A $100,000 RTX Disruptor Award will be handed out for “disruptive advancement of the state of the art,” while a $100,000 autonomy prize will highlight the best use of automation.

All missions will be flown in a single-occupant aircraft carrying a mannequin, “Alex,” or other nonhuman payload. The contest will evaluate a range of different scenarios, testing competitors’ ability to save an injured person from under a forest canopy, douse a wildfire, rescue a drowning victim, and complete other emergency missions.

All of these must be performed under difficult conditions such as inclement weather, unknown terrain, or uncooperative air traffic control. Competitors will not have access to the mission courses or locations of obstacles until the day of the event. In addition, they should “expect the unexpected”—mission conditions and elements may not be exactly as advertised.

The FAA helped write the technical rules of the competition and will mentor teams to ensure their aircraft comply with federal rules. The agency will be “deeply involved” in the fly-off to maintain safety.

“We are closely working with the FAA in a number of their departments, and we have fully integrated our programming into today’s FAA certification process, and we will be helping our teams through that,” Lighter said.

During the contest, teams will have to dodge pylons and walls and contend with less-than-ideal takeoff and landing conditions. “The Flood” site, for example, is an 18-inch deep pool with simulated rain conditions—teams must touch or pop a balloon floating on its surface. Other locations will feature inclined slopes, sandy pits, or heavy winds.

A panel of expert judges will rank attempts by completion, speed, and payload, with bonus points awarded for one-person crew operations, quick deployment, and few operator inputs. To be eligible for the grand prize, a team needs to complete two missions, or complete one and partially complete another.

What Happens After?

Lighter emphasized that GoAERO hopes to produce not just emergency response flyers, but an ecosystem around them.

“We’re building this ecosystem so it’s not one company, it’s not one university, it’s not one entrepreneur, it’s not one regulator, it’s everybody coming together to use transformative technology to save lives,” she said.

At the end of the fly-off, the winning teams will have full control over what happens next. They will retain all intellectual property rights and do not necessarily need to commercialize their technology with a partner.

But while there are zero post-competition requirements, GoAERO aims to set teams up for success. Partners such as Boeing and RTX will be present for the fly-off, and winners will then have the option to meet with them and start a partnership.

“What we want to do is enable our teams to make the best choices for themselves at the end of the competition, whether that is licensing technology, whether that is building on their own, whether that is raising funds to commercialize, whether that is joining with a strategic partner—all are open and options for each of our teams,” Lighter said. “We certainly would never dictate to our teams how they should deploy. Rather, we will create the conditions where they have multiple options to be able to commercialize should they wish to do so.”

She added: “We all came together because we realized that there’s been a convergence of breakthrough technologies in aviation and in adjacent industries, and we now have this first moment in history that we have the ability to create new forms of emergency response aircraft.”

How to Get Involved

The deadline for GoAERO’s initial paper submission phase is December 11, which means there is plenty of time to apply.

To do so, applicants can visit goaeroprize.com to find the Stage 1 application forms, which include short biographies of each team member and legal documents covering liability and insurance, for example. Application is free, but there is a design submission fee of $250 for individuals and $500 for teams.

“Everything is on the website, from the technical rules to the schedules to the webinars to who the advisors are and who the partners are to how to engage with us,” said Lighter.

GoAERO excludes applicants under the age of 18, employees of Boeing or RTX and their families, and citizens or residents of countries subject to U.S. sanctions or export controls. But all others may apply, and the competition already includes teams from 40 countries. Entities that would prefer not to form a team but are interested in a partnership can also contact GoAERO.

Ten $10,000 winners will be selected from the Stage 1 pool, and eight Stage 2 teams will win $40,000 each. But teams can enter the competition at any time, including during the final fly-off. For that last phase, participants will need an aircraft with registration and airworthiness certification that has demonstrated, via video evidence, controlled flight with a full payload.

The stage is set. The rules are clear. All interested parties need to do is join the competition.

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The post Innovators Compete to Build Self-Flying Emergency Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The HHS’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) awarded electric aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies $20 million, forming a partnership that could one day send the vehicles to respond to natural disasters or public health emergencies. As part of the multiphase contract, Beta will install 22 electric chargers along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico at sites the partners believe will enable faster response times for potentially life-saving healthcare.

About half of these sites are up and running in states including Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas. The most recent was installed at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers Airport (KJAN) in Mississippi, where the company also agreed to electrify a terminal for FBO network Atlantic Aviation. The rest are expected to come online in 2025, joining a Beta charging network that already spans from Vermont to Florida to Arkansas.

Bridging the Gap

Lack of access to healthcare, whether due to financial or geographical reasons, is a key driver of high morbidity and mortality rates in rural areas of the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Beta, citing a study in the National Library of Medicine, points out that air ambulances, which typically take the form of helicopters, take in more than half a million patients each year. The aircraft have played an increasingly important role as more rural hospitals shut down.

The problem, though, is that these services are often bogged down by costs and inclement weather. Per an investigation by Kaiser Health News and Reveal, between 2014 and 2019, transportation issues during organ transplants caused about 370 “near misses,” or delays of two hours or more that nearly made the organs unusable. Almost 170 organs failed to reach their destination in time and could not be transplanted—instead, they were discarded.

“We’ve had organs that are left on airplanes, organs that arrive at an airport and then can’t get taken off the aircraft in a timely fashion and spend an extra two or three or four hours waiting for somebody to get them,” Dr. David Axelrod, a transplant surgeon at the University of Iowa, told Kaiser Health News.

Beta claims its chargers will allow HHS to establish an Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP)—essentially a network for delivering equipment, pharmaceuticals, and patients without the pitfalls of using conventional aircraft. The idea is to help close the healthcare access gap between urban and rural areas.

“We expect this work with Beta to give ASPR and other federal partners the ability to get vital materials and equipment to ground zero when other land-based modes of transportation are unavailable,” said Arlene Joyner, director of ASPR’s Office of Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain (IBMSC).

The company’s chargers are designed to the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard, a system originally created to be the norm for electric ground vehicles. The systems so far have been purchased by the U.S. Air Force, airports, FBOs such as Atlantic and Signature Aviation, and even other electric aircraft manufacturers such as Archer Aviation.

Beta is developing two electric aircraft that will use the systems: one that takes off conventionally (the Alia CTOL or CX300) and another that lifts off vertically like a helicopter (the Alia VTOL). But the chargers can use grid-tied energy to juice up other manufacturers’ aircraft, as well as electric ground vehicles.

Quicker and Cheaper

According to Beta, electric chargers and vehicles will lower operating costs compared to existing air ambulances. The company further claims electric aircraft such as the Alia CTOL and Alia VTOL fare better in inclement weather, enabling higher usage rates and fewer missed opportunities.

“HHS and ASPR are on the front lines of these issues and we’re excited to be working with them on meaningful, capital-efficient solutions that benefit the public,” said Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta. “We believe this work has the potential to increase access to healthcare and essential services for all types of geographies, including the historically harder-to-reach ones.”

An ASPR spokesperson told Inc. magazine that the aircraft tied to the program will carry a pilot plus four passengers or three pallets of medical supplies, which could include vaccines, personal protective equipment, and other gear. The spokesperson also said that Beta will study pathogen containment on its aircraft in order to transport contagious patients.

The 22 new charging locations will join Beta’s network of more than 30 sites, with another 50 in the construction or permitting process. Some of these locations overlap with the company’s commercial customers, such as Atlantic at Jackson-Medgar Airport in Mississippi. But Beta tells FLYING the chargers will be publicly accessible, meaning they could facilitate an HHS organ transplant and an Atlantic passenger flight on the same day.

Beta aims to certify its Alia CTOL with the FAA and launch the model in 2025, followed by the Alia VTOL in 2026.

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Jump Aero, a manufacturer of eVTOL aircraft for emergency response, on Tuesday announced it is working with the Oregon Department of Aviation to bring its JA1 Pulse to the state’s rural population. 

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the partners cements Oregon as the latest state with plans to introduce the model, which Jump Aero bills as the “world’s fastest sustainable personal aircraft.” 

Capable of reaching a top speed of 250 knots in short dashes—above the speed limit under Class B airspace around many metro areas, but suitable for rural areas—it’s designed to cut emergency response times in half, allowing first responders to fly within a 31 sm (27 nm) radius in as little as eight minutes under certain limitations.

The announcement follows Jump Aero’s collaboration with the Utah Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division, which is exploring how the Pulse could augment the state’s first responders.

“We are confident that the JA1 Pulse will be a critical lifesaving tool in Oregon and look forward to working with first responders there and in the growing list of partner regions,” said Carl Dietrich, president and CEO of Jump Aero. “This MOU and the work it represents is directly in line with Jump Aero’s mission.”

The MOU predicts that Oregon will need up to 126 Pulse eVTOLs to “ensure that a trained professional is on the scene as quickly as possible.” The agreement also states that the aircraft “can make a dramatic impact by helping save lives of Oregon residents and tourists” because of its ability to traverse long distances and challenging terrain in as little as eight minutes.

According to research from the Journal of the American Medical Association, emergency medical services typically take seven minutes to arrive on scene after a 911 call is made. However, the median response time rises to 14 minutes in rural areas, with about 1 in 10 victims waiting close to half an hour for personnel to arrive. Such trips can span longer distances, but winding roads and hilly geography can pose obstacles for ground-based support.

“We look forward to building a long-term relationship with Jump Aero as we explore providing rapid first response to our rural communities with the JA1 Pulse,” said Kenji Sugahara, director of the Oregon Department of Aviation. “We are excited to be bringing cutting-edge solutions to Oregon residents which will positively impact their health and lives in such a dramatic way.”

The Pulse’s 330-pound payload allows it to carry a pilot as well as emergency supplies, though it will not transport patients. And despite its VTOL architecture, the aircraft won’t replace helicopters.

Rather, Pulse is designed to complement ambulances and rotorcraft by providing initial on-scene support to locations where helicopters typically can’t land, such as a two-way residential street. An ambulance would also be dispatched in this scenario, though the expectation is that it would arrive later. 

The tail-sitter biplane—which stands nose-up on the runway—can be deployed in less than 60 seconds, while piston- or turbine-engine rotorcraft take a bit longer to start and initialize for flight. While fully assembled, it’s compact enough to fit in a flatbed trailer, allowing personnel to transport and deploy it where needed.

The Pulse cruises on a pair of fixed wings and runs on eight independent batteries powering eight motors, four on each set of wings. During takeoff, the pilot stands upright before transitioning to a prone position—à la Superman—as the aircraft tilts forward.

A large belly window gives the pilot—who would be looking straight down—an unobstructed view of the ground below, helping to enable trickier landings on slopes as steep as 10 degrees. Safety features include simplified flight controls with full envelope protection, ballistic airframe parachute, and adaptive flight controller. The aircraft can continue hovering at about 9,500 feet with a failed propulsor.

So far, Jump Aero has yet to announce a hard entry-into-service deadline for the Pulse. Some eVTOL manufacturers, including Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, hope to launch commercial air taxi services as soon as 2025. Others, such as Wisk, are looking further out, eyeing the range of 2028 to 2030.

When Pulse is eventually rolled out, it will have a few early customers. In an announcement unveiling the design, Jump Aero revealed that Falck Ambulance Services purchased an option to order a single aircraft, making the Danish firm its first prospective buyer. Just a few weeks later, a second customer, Australian sustainable innovation holdings company Electro Ventures, placed an order for 10 aircraft.

Jump Aero is backed by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force—a recent $1.8 million tactical funding increase (TACFI) brought its total contract value with the department to $5.4 million. AFWERX will partially fund Jump Aero’s first full-scale, proof-of-concept prototype and work with the company to mature its technology.

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The Samaritan’s Purse Douglas DC-8 has responded to Haiti in an effort to deliver aid after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the Carribean nation over the weekend, killing at least 1,200 people.

The aircraft flew out Sunday, according to the organization, bringing more than a dozen disaster response specialists and 31 tons of relief supplies, including emergency shelter material, medical supplies, and water filtration units. A medical team will also deploy to provide basic care and begin health assessments.

Teams are working closely with local authorities and church partners to assess needs, distribute aid, and mount a strategic response in hard-hit locations. The organization said a second airlift would be set up to transport the medical teams to serve trauma patients if necessary.

In 2020, Samaritan’s Purse was among the first aid organizations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering 38 tons of medical relief supplies, including an emergency field hospital, to Italy. Missions last year also included trips to aid:

Families who fled conflict in ArmeniaHurricane victims in HondurasFamilies in Lebanon impacted by a deadly explosion

The DC-8 was first deployed in 2016 and is configured to carry up to 84,000 pounds of cargo and 32 passengers. It’s part of a 23-aircraft fleet, including two helicopters, in the Samaritan’s Purse aviation division.

The DC-8 was recently on display at EAA AirVenture 2021 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

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