AMSL Aero and CareFlight have deepened their partnership to refine and test the aeromedical fit-out of Vertiia, the world’s longest range and most efficient zero emissions electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Vertiia will save lives by allowing CareFlight to offer a direct service from remote sites directly to the hospital. Vertiia will be able fly from CareFlight bases and land directly next to a remote medical clinic without needing to transfer patients between aeroplanes and road ambulances, thereby reducing clinical risk and delivering better patient outcomes.
AMSL Aero recently completed the maiden test flight of Vertiia, the first by an Australian-designed and built eVTOL, the new generation of aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter, but flies like a plane. Vertiia will be able to fly up to 1,000km, three times the range of any eVTOL, which makes it the most efficient eVTOL in the world. It has zero carbon emissions and can carry four passengers and a pilot at a cruising speed of 300kph.
To mark the agreement with CareFlight, AMSL Aero is displaying its prototype aeromedical cabin fit-out for Vertiia at the Avalon International Airshow in Victoria from 28 February to 5 March 2023.
AMSL Aero CEO and Vertiia inventor Andrew Moore said: “It is absolutely critical to provide the best level of care to a patient while in flight. The fitted-out Vertiia will serve as a flying hospital with all of the best emergency equipment at the clinician’s fingertips.
“Aircraft are typically designed first, then an aeromedical fit-out is shoehorned inside. We are doing the opposite: we’re starting with the optimum aeromedical fit-out and designing the aircraft around it, with the needs of our key partners such as CareFlight front of mind.”
AMSL Co-Founder Siobhan Lyndon said: “CareFlight is a leading Australian innovator in rotary wing retrievals. They developed the rapid response helicopter service in Australia, so we are hugely grateful to them for their expertise. Vertiia is not only safe and quiet, but it was also developed for the harsh long-distance conditions in Australia. If it can work in Australia, it can work anywhere. We expect to commence deliveries in 2026.”
CareFlight CEO Mick Frewen, said: “Our mission is to save lives, speed recovery and serve the community. We transport patients on jets, turboprops, helicopters and road vehicles, so when AMSL approached us about the Vertiia eVTOL, we leapt at the opportunity. The Vertiia can supplement our road, helicopter and turboprop fleet. We love the huge doors on the Vertiia. The doorway is two metres wide, which is wider than on any aircraft we operate.
Frewen added: “CareFlight sees the potential for the Vertiia across a number of our existing operations. We look forward to reducing patient transport times and improving patient outcomes, and see it as a significant part of solving our future aeromedical fleet.”
