Hyde County, North Carolina, has become the first US county to deploy electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for emergency medical response. During two live 911 calls, a flight-trained paramedic piloted a Pivotal eVTOL directly to patients, arriving approximately 20 minutes before ground ambulances in one instance. The programme involved Hyde County Emergency Medical Services, Code Blue Resources, and Pivotal, with Akute Networks serving as aviation programme manager. The team completed over 300 training flights before launching live missions. Hyde County spans nearly 1,500 square miles, making traditional emergency response challenging. Unlike medical helicopters, the eVTOL can land in small clearings with minimal noise and rotor blast. The initiative establishes a new model for delivering advanced life support in rural areas where geography creates barriers to rapid emergency response.

New states, aircraft confirmed for FAA's AAM test program. Pennsylvania will lead a consortium of 18 participants and test at least one eVTOL not previously announced. Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 04:00 PM ET Key takeaways: Several states and at least one new OEM on Tuesday confirmed their participation in the FAA's three-year, 26-state advanced air mobility (AAM) test program. The U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) in March revealed the eight lead eIPP participants but did not name all 26 states expected to host air taxi, cargo drone, and other demonstrations under the program. It said one lead agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), will work with 13 unnamed states to "revitalize regional flights across the country, including routes similar to those supported through the Essential Air Service program." Pivotal, a developer of personal eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft that was not initially announced as an eIPP partner, said Tuesday that it and PennDOT will bring those activities to the "heartland of the country that often gets bypassed by new technologies and services." In a news release, Pivotal said the partners will engage with the National Association of State Aviation Officials' (NASAO) AAM Multistate Collaborative, which comprises 34 state agencies committed to safely integrating the technology. The DOT in March identified the collaborative as PennDOT's partner but did not say which of its members would participate. Other PennDOT partners revealed some of them. Beta Technologies said it will study organ delivery logistics in Maryland and Virginia in partnership with customer United Therapeutics. Electra shared plans to demonstrate 50-to-500-mile links between Atlantic City in New Jersey and locations such as Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL). Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) confirmed Washington state's participation. Now, Pivotal has named the remaining members of the consortium, which it said has swelled to 18 states. Participants not previously announced include Massachusetts, Alaska, Illinois, Maine, Delaware, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Tennessee. Perhaps the most notable is California, where several AAM manufacturers build, test, and plan to operate aircraft. Also part of the group - which Pivotal called the "Multistate Collaborative eIPP (MSCE) National Integration Complex" - are North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, and Oklahoma, all of which were previously confirmed as lead eIPP participants or partners on other projects. AAM in the Heartland. Led by PennDOT, the National Integration Complex is intended to create a wide-ranging sandbox for the testing of AAM aircraft across state lines, Pivotal said. It aims to identify areas of unmet need - such as in cargo or medical logistics - in order to ensure AAM services are economically viable in the future. "The MSCE wants to make sure that every American has access to the new technologies and services that are being created through AAM...not just large, wealthy [communities]," Pivotal said. In addition to the 18 states, the complex includes seven infrastructure providers, six universities, and "over 30 stakeholder partners representing 68 sites with the potential to reach over 50 million Americans," Pivotal said. It also comprises four operators - United Therapeutics, Republic Airways, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's STAT MedEvac, and an entity called "Nulton Aviation Tri State Charter." Nulton Aviation Services is the FBO for Johnstown Airport (KJST) in Pennsylvania, where Tri State Charter - operating as Slate Aviation - provides trips across the Northeast U.S. The operators will fly Beta's Alia electric aircraft and eventually Electra's EL9, which is designed for takeoffs and landings from soccer field-sized spaces. Pivotal said it is "supporting the MCSE" as a light eVTOL OEM but did not say whether its BlackFly or Helix - both Part 103 ultralight models with simplified controls - will participate. Six private individuals have taken delivery of the BlackFly, a prototype of the Helix. Commercial deliveries are anticipated soon, with the latter available for $190,000 in the U.S. Volunteer medics in Hyde County, North Carolina, are participating in a BlackFly "proof-of-concept" program, testing the aircraft's ability to support emergency medical services, law enforcement, firefighters, and search and rescue operations. They will not transport any patients, cargo, or delivery equipment at first, but the idea, ultimately, is for a BlackFly to escort first responders to the scene before an ambulance arrives. The MSCE could explore similar demonstrations. As the eIPP progresses, activities are expected to incorporate more advanced aircraft and operations such as passenger transport. The FAA may even allow participants to generate revenue. "It's an extraordinary opportunity to do things people had thought about before, like taking an airplane from the parking lot next door to an Atlantic City casino and flying it directly into one of the major airports in the neighborhood," Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, told FLYING in March. "Or flying it into the vertiport at the south end of Manhattan, down by Wall Street." 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.