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Oct
06
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The terms “air medical service” (AMS) and “cool” just seem to naturally go together when it comes to rotorcraft advances. Here’s what’s happening on the rotorcraft AMS front now…
Pivotal eVTOL: Proving Itself for AMS
Pivotal’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft (pivotal.aero) is an eight-motor, single-person vehicle that takes off and lands vertically yet flies horizontally like a fixed-wing aircraft. It has already impressed the general aircraft critics by winning the Gold 2025 Edison Award in The Future of Personal Flight & Drive. The Pivotal eVTOL has also impressed the San Bernardino County (Cal.) Fire District by showing off its skill during a public demonstration on 23 June 2025.
“The demonstration highlighted the potential of eVTOL technology to dramatically reduce response times and overcome traditional barriers like traffic congestion, natural terrain, or rural distances,” stated an SBCFD news release after the event. “Our goal was to evaluate if this aircraft could deliver a paramedic safely, with gear and whole blood, to improve patient outcomes in the real world. This aircraft represents a powerful new tool in time-sensitive trauma care.”
[Read More...]
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Sep
26
2025
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I am the CEO of Aerotoscana, a Chilean helicopter company. I serve as the chief pilot, flying a Robinson R66 primarily for agricultural operations, including frost control and fruit drying, with a special focus on Chile’s cherry growers. I carry out this work alongside my wife, a team of engineers, and strong accounting support, allowing us to perform each operation with the highest level of dedication and professionalism.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Aerotoscana
Felipe Reitz Lobo
Helicopter Cherry Drying Chile
Helicopter tours Patagonia chile
Heliglamping chile
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Company Profiles
Human Interest
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Sep
22
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Air medical providers across the U.S. are united in their dedication to safe and reliable service for the communities they serve. Unfortunately, even highly dependable organizations are making compromises to their in-service rates, fleet composition, response times, and coverage areas as they face workforce instability, system fragmentation, and financial pressures. These are some of the operational challenges confronting the modern air medical system requiring attention. Fortunately, there are policy and practice opportunities that can help improve air medical operations.
Rotor Pro took the opportunity to seek the insights of three individuals in the industry with differing backgrounds and perspectives in order to learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing the air medical services industry. We jumped at the chance to learn more from:
Brett Reeder, president of the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA)
Kyle Danielson, founder and principal consultant for Flightline Strategy
Steve Soliz, HEMS segment manager for Bell Flight
[Read More...]
Tags:
Air Medical Services Challenges
Air Medical Services Legistlation
Air Medical Services Opportunities
Air Medical Services Pilot Shortage
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Helicopter Sectors
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Sep
15
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Optima Aero and its founding CEO have been having a “moment”—for approx. 15 years. Toby Gauld founded his business in 2010 from zero in Quebec, Canada, and his company has been adding numbers in front of that 0 by providing refurbished and certified parts, components, and engines to helicopter operators, maintenance centers, and OEMs worldwide. By “adding numbers,” we mean growing Optima Aero at a 38% annual rate (with 60 employees now) and putting a 42 in front of six zeroes to add up to $42 million (USD) in sales this year. Optima Aero expanded its Beloeil, Quebec, headquarters for engine maintenance and component repair to 30,000 square feet, plus has equally sized centers in Tarnos, France, for part-out activities, and Grand Prairie, Texas, for MROs. Expected this August is an Asian landing in Singapore to further spread Optima’s reach. The globally ambitious Gauld is also looking for acquisition opportunities around the world.
[Read More...]
Tags:
helicopter-industry carbon emissions
Optima Aero
Toby Gauld
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Sep
08
2025
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Posted by Admin
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With no fewer than 12,000 calls per year, the familiar yellow trauma helicopters are a frequent site in the Netherlands’ skies. Onboard is a Mobile Medical Team (MMT), consisting of a pilot, a doctor, and a paramedic, racing to any medical emergency where seconds count.
Although we’ve become accustomed to helicopters responding to serious accidents, this form of emergency medical service is still relatively new in the Netherlands. In Germany, however, doctors were already sounding the alarm in the late 1960s due to a rapidly increasing number of traffic fatalities. To improve survival chances, it was essential not only to reach accident scenes more quickly but also to transport patients to trauma centers faster. The ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club) took the initiative to conduct trials using rented MBB Bö-105 helicopters. The results were so promising that, in November 1970, the first permanent civilian rescue helicopter was stationed in Munich. In the years that followed, the number of locations grew significantly. Partly thanks to the success of the German network of military and civilian rescue helicopters, interest in establishing a similar service in the Netherlands grew in the mid-1980s—especially as traffic in the Randstad region became increasingly congested.
[Read More...]
Tags:
ANWB Medical Air Assistance
EC-135 helicopter
MBB Bö-105 helicopters
Netherlands Helicopter Air Ambulance
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Sep
01
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The global helicopter air ambulance industry stands at a critical juncture, balancing life-saving innovation with complex challenges. As demand for rapid medical transport grows, particularly in remote and rural areas, the sector continues to evolve, driven by technological advancements and increasing healthcare needs. However, it faces hurdles that require urgent attention.
Helicopter air ambulances are indispensable, providing swift access to emergency care where ground transport falls short. Advanced avionics, night vision systems, and medical equipment have enhanced operational efficiency and patient outcomes. The global market, valued at approximately $7 billion in 2024, is projected to grow steadily, fueled by aging populations and rising trauma cases. North America leads, with nearly 1,000 medical helicopters in operation, while Europe and Asia-Pacific are expanding rapidly due to healthcare infrastructure investments. On page 48 we highlight ANWB, an air ambulance service which has grown dramatically in the Netherlands.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Rotor Pro Editor's Letter
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors
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Aug
25
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Far from replacing helicopters, drones are expanding the capabilities of airborne law enforcement by adding cost-effective tools for overwatch, surveillance, search and rescue, and tactical response. As a result, drones are providing police commanders with more options for doing their jobs better. This includes deploying helicopters where they are most needed, rather than for every job imaginable.
Drones: Fast, Affordable, and Flexible
There is no doubt that drones are doing more jobs in airborne law enforcement than ever before. There’s a good reason for this: Drones cost less to fly than helicopters.
“Agencies and departments are under pressure to do more with less: smaller budgets, fewer personnel, and rising expectations,” said Jason LaFond, customer success manager, public safety at Skydio, a drone manufacturer. (LaFond is also a former NYPD detective with 18 years of experience, so he personally understands law enforcement’s needs.) “This fact has driven rapid adoption of drones, particularly autonomous flight systems, because they offer helicopter-like capabilities at a fraction of the cost,” he said.
“Today, drones are being used as first responders, enabling officers to respond with complete visibility in high-risk situations, often facilitating de-escalation,” noted Wayne Baker, director of stakeholder engagement at DJI, another drone manufacturer. He adds, “For example, drones enable officers to plan safer approaches for themselves and suspects in high-risk situations.”
Mike Bucari is senior manager of marketing-Americas at Leonardo Helicopters, which manufactures drones and helicopters. “Drones (AKA unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs) are becoming more popular due to their relatively low cost, versatility, and ability to provide real-time surveillance,” he said, agreeing with LaFond and Baker. “Today, small-size multirotors are widely used for surveillance, crowd monitoring, search and rescue operations, traffic monitoring, and even in pursuit situations. Drones also allow for the deployment of specialized equipment like thermal imaging cameras, which aid in search operations and tracking suspects at night.“
[Read More...]
Tags:
airborne law enforcement drones
dji
Drones and helicopters
skydio
UAVs
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors
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Aug
18
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Covering almost 17,000 square kilometers (10,560 square miles) that includes famous nature reserves such as the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe and pyramid lake, Washoe County is also known for its “Biggest Little City in the World”— Reno. The city is known for its many casinos, but also for the renowned Reno-Air Races and attracts thousands of tourists. Therefore, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office relies heavily on its airborne law enforcement unit called RAVEN.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Bell OH-58A+ Kiowas
Regional Aviation Enforcement Unit (RAVEN)
Washoe County Sheriff’s Office
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Aug
11
2025
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Posted by Admin
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To put me in perspective: I didn’t have a squadron command tour, no beltway time, and I wasn’t a ring knocker. I was just a fleet average major trying to do above average work. I was an XO, a schoolhouse advanced IP, a JTAC, a school-trained ASO, and I even flew Marine One for a bit. So, I thought I had the experience to succeed in the civilian HEMS landscape and that’s what I wanted to do. I had no interest in the airlines, agriculture or utility. With that background on me, here is my take on challenges and wins I realized in my transition to civilian flight and my final recommendations for those making the transition.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Chris Janecek
Military to Civilian Helicopters
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Career Development
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Aug
04
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Leading Edge Aviation (LEA) is a family-run business that was established in 1996 in Nelspruit, South Africa. Mark and Charmaine Jackson, with their sons Peter and Stephen, lead an impressive team of pilots, engineers, and aircrew. The company specializes in firefighting and heavy-lift helicopter operations utilizing the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk and the Bell UH-1H Huey.
[Read More...]
Tags:
firefighting and heavy-lift helicopter operations
Leading Edge Aviation (LEA)
Categories:
Company Profiles