5 Cool Things About Jump Aero's 'Pulse' Emergency eVTOL Aircraft
By Joshua Kupietzky
Californian electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company Jump Aero has revealed its first response aircraft. Although the startup has been developing the jet since 2019, Jump Aero just unveiled its JA1 "Pulse" model, which was created to cut emergency response time in half. Here are five of the most impressive features of this new emergency eVTOL aircraft.
Quick arrival time
The California-based startup has stated that the JA1 Pulse aircraft can fly emergency responders and medical professionals to situations in rural areas faster. It can fly equipment and personnel anywhere within 31 miles in under eight minutes. This will be convenient and life-saving as first responders will not need to deal with traffic or other possible delays, especially in areas off the beaten path. The Pulse jet can reach a speed of 250 knots and has a payload of 330 pounds, enough to transport a pilot and life-saving emergency equipment.
Falck, a first response business based in Denmark and operates in 26 countries worldwide, will take delivery of the first commercial examples. In early September, the company purchased an option to order a single eVTOL Pulse jet. The company provides around 8 million emergency response and healthcare services each year. It will utilize the plane to improve future response times in remote areas in a sustainable and timely manner.
Serving a special niche
Jump Aero has stated that the Pulse jet will not replace helicopters, which serve a vital role in transporting victims to hospitals to receive treatment in a timely fashion. Instead, it will complement helicopters as the Pulse jet will be able to land in areas where helicopters can't, thus expanding the locations first responders can land, for example, in front of a house on a two-way residential block. Moreover, the eVTOL aircraft takes significantly less time to start and get in the air than a turbine or piston-engine helicopter. In such situations, the minutes waiting for a first responder can seemingly last for an eternity.
Since the aircraft is not large enough to carry extra passengers, it will not replace ambulances. Alternatively, in emergencies, a Pulse and an ambulance will be sent as the responder transported by the Pulse would arrive first and be able to start treatment for the patient immediately. Jump's use of eVTOLs to save lives differs significantly from other companies such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. It is much more likely to be accepted by society.
Battery-powered life-saving impact
The eVTOL aircraft is powered by batteries rather than fuel, allowing it to be deployed faster than comparable transport. Pulse can be deployed in under 60 seconds, reach any location within 30 miles in just minutes, as mentioned earlier, and avoid traffic on the road. The aircraft runs on eight independent batteries powering eight motors, four on each wing.
In an emergency, a mobile app is used to contact a first responder. A Pulse aircraft with a pilot-medic on call at a fire or other emergency station is immediately scrambled. With its electric motors and batteries, the eVTOL aircraft can instantly spin up and take flight without waiting for the engine to warm up like a helicopter. This cuts response time where every second counts and allows the pilot to be at the scene of a medical emergency within a critical window of time before oxygen loss affects the brain, irreparable organ damage occurs, or a patient passes, depending on the level of injury.
Vertical takeoff
Unlike other eVTOL aircraft, the Pulse aircraft will have its tail sitting on the ground in a vertical position so the pilot climbs in vertically. After climbing steeply to the allocated altitude, it will tilt to shift to forward flight. Along with the plane, the pilot will travel parallel to the ground in a prone manner.
The belly of the aircraft features a window providing a clear view of the ground below to allow for steep approaches and enabling it to land on 10-degree slopes, perfect for most civilian driveways and roads. Since the current aircraft model does not include the transportation of patients, the aircraft is relatively tiny, featuring just a 19-foot wingspan and a gross takeoff weight of 3,150 pounds. Its small size allows the aircraft to fit in a flatbed trailer without being disassembled, allowing companies to transport it and deploy it in a variety of areas.
Easy to maintain and use
While the Pulse aircraft is equipped with the latest technology, it does not feature some of the complex engineering other jets have, such as retractable landing gear and articulating motors, thus making it easy to maintain. The cockpit will include simplified flight controls, a ballistic airframe parachute, and an adaptive flight controller, strengthening the aircraft's impressive safety features. Jump design incorporates a high lift-to-drag ratio, allowing it to hover at 9,500 feet in the event of a failed propulsor.
According to Jump, one Pulse aircraft can service a rural city with a population of 10,000 people with just a seven-perfect chance of overlapping calls. This means there is a meager chance of the jet being unable to respond to two emergencies simultaneously. With that said, many questions remain about the aircraft and business in general. Following flight and ground tests, a prototype will be completed by July 2025, hopefully answering the remaining inquiries.
