4 ms·

That was my first impression as well - but I suspect people probably said the same thing the first time they saw a helicopter!

MaxBarraclough 6y ago
> I suspect people probably said the same thing the first time they saw a helicopter! Odds are that they would have been right - early helicopters probably weren't safe enough to use as ambulances. Well-run modern air ambulances are very safe edit: perhaps not, see replies (twin-engine helicopters with very experienced pilots) and can serve hundreds of patients per year, generally only serving very urgent cases of course. [0] My question for the jet-pack folks is why not use a helicopter? Presumably the suit is a great deal cheaper, but are there any other advantages? Curiously the article doesn't mention helicopters at all, but in the video, they did their interview in front of one. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London%27s_Air_Ambulance_Charity#Missions_and_major_incidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London%27s_Air_Ambulance_Chari...
- ColinWright 6y ago
  > ... why not use a helicopter? Mentioned elsewhere in this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24626472 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24626472
- nradov 6y ago
  The first really widespread use of early helicopters in any capacity was as air ambulances for the US military during the Korean War.
  - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
    The risk profile is rather different in wartime. I presume those aircraft were a good deal less safe than modern ones, but I could be mistaken.
- inglor_cz 6y ago
  A friend of mine has been an emergency doctor since 1990. A helicopter crashed with him on board once, killing the patient and causing him injuries that still can be seen after twenty years. His comment: "We are ready to take risks. That is part of our work, just like cops' or soldiers'. Some missions are extra risky - industrial accidents or anything involved drugged or drunk people. We still take that risk." IDK what the hazards of a first generation jetpack are, but odds are he would try it out eagerly.
  - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
    Looks like you're right, nowhere near as safe as I'd imagined. [0][1] I'm not sure if those figures are true globally or just for the US. [0] https://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/helicopters/air-ambulance-safety-closer-look/ https://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/helicopters/air-ambulance... [1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123370317612745375 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123370317612745375
    - inglor_cz 6y ago
      Probably just US, it would be hard to compile such data globally. I dropped my friend a line and he answered back with a detailed description of his helo accident. It was one helluva freakish story. They loaded an older lady in a hilly, wooded area not quite close to Ostrava (the largest city in the region, my birthplace). She had symptoms of a serious stroke, it was 1998, no one really expected her to live long, but not that short either. A few minutes into the flight something (a nut?) exploded in the rotor and they went down like a stone. Very, very hard crash, still in a hilly, wooded area, but close to a big water reservoir, an artificial lake. The lady died on impact. All other people on board survived with serious injuries, but they were saved by an unbelievable coincidence. A mine rescue team from Ostrava had a regular training on the lake and the helicopter crashed in their sight, less than a kilometer away. So they were there in like 3 minutes, dragged them to safety and put the burning wreck out. If this was a movie, it would look totally unrealistic. But it happened. Three months of rehabilitation and friend's lower back is still bad. He cannot stand completely upright, tilts slightly to a side.

MaxBarraclough 6y ago

> I suspect people probably said the same thing the first time they saw a helicopter! Odds are that they would have been right - early helicopters probably weren't safe enough to use as ambulances. Well-run modern air ambulances are very safe edit: perhaps not, see replies (twin-engine helicopters with very experienced pilots) and can serve hundreds of patients per year, generally only serving very urgent cases of course. [0] My question for the jet-pack folks is why not use a helicopter? Presumably the suit is a great deal cheaper, but are there any other advantages? Curiously the article doesn't mention helicopters at all, but in the video, they did their interview in front of one. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London%27s_Air_Ambulance_Charity#Missions_and_major_incidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London%27s_Air_Ambulance_Chari...

ColinWright 6y ago
> ... why not use a helicopter? Mentioned elsewhere in this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24626472 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24626472
nradov 6y ago
The first really widespread use of early helicopters in any capacity was as air ambulances for the US military during the Korean War.
- MaxBarraclough 6y ago
  The risk profile is rather different in wartime. I presume those aircraft were a good deal less safe than modern ones, but I could be mistaken.
inglor_cz 6y ago
A friend of mine has been an emergency doctor since 1990. A helicopter crashed with him on board once, killing the patient and causing him injuries that still can be seen after twenty years. His comment: "We are ready to take risks. That is part of our work, just like cops' or soldiers'. Some missions are extra risky - industrial accidents or anything involved drugged or drunk people. We still take that risk." IDK what the hazards of a first generation jetpack are, but odds are he would try it out eagerly.
- MaxBarraclough 6y ago
  Looks like you're right, nowhere near as safe as I'd imagined. [0][1] I'm not sure if those figures are true globally or just for the US. [0] https://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/helicopters/air-ambulance-safety-closer-look/ https://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/helicopters/air-ambulance... [1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123370317612745375 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123370317612745375
  - inglor_cz 6y ago
    Probably just US, it would be hard to compile such data globally. I dropped my friend a line and he answered back with a detailed description of his helo accident. It was one helluva freakish story. They loaded an older lady in a hilly, wooded area not quite close to Ostrava (the largest city in the region, my birthplace). She had symptoms of a serious stroke, it was 1998, no one really expected her to live long, but not that short either. A few minutes into the flight something (a nut?) exploded in the rotor and they went down like a stone. Very, very hard crash, still in a hilly, wooded area, but close to a big water reservoir, an artificial lake. The lady died on impact. All other people on board survived with serious injuries, but they were saved by an unbelievable coincidence. A mine rescue team from Ostrava had a regular training on the lake and the helicopter crashed in their sight, less than a kilometer away. So they were there in like 3 minutes, dragged them to safety and put the burning wreck out. If this was a movie, it would look totally unrealistic. But it happened. Three months of rehabilitation and friend's lower back is still bad. He cannot stand completely upright, tilts slightly to a side.