Hyde County Emergency Medical Services in North Carolina deployed this unique Pivotal BlackFly aircraft to respond to real 911 calls. [Credit: Pivotal]
Key Takeaways:
Hyde County, North Carolina, has pioneered the first real-world deployment of an eVTOL (Pivotal BlackFly) for emergency medical services in the U.S., enabling a paramedic to reach 911 calls significantly faster than an ambulance.
The initiative leverages a single-seat eVTOL with simplified controls, allowing paramedics to be cross-trained as pilots to provide immediate advanced life support on scene while awaiting ground ambulance arrival.
Successful deployment required extensive paramedic flight training, rigorous safety protocol development, and overcoming significant regulatory hurdles and initial skepticism from the FAA and local air traffic managers.
This pilot program is seen as a foundational "playbook" for future expansion, with plans to develop more specialized eVTOLs for EMS (e.g., blood delivery) and gradually scale operations to other regions.
Quinn Reece, a paramedic with Hyde County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in North Carolina, is not your average first responder.
Recently, Reece responded to a 911 call about 20 minutes faster than an ambulance. The seemingly impossible feat was enabled by a unique aircraft that lifts off vertically like a helicopter but tilts forward to fly on fixed wings.
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Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.
