In the first part of the Hyde County story, EMS One-Stop explored how a small rural North Carolina EMS system became the first in the nation to deploy an eVTOL aircraft as part of a 911 response. In this episode, host Rob Lawrence talks to the people who actually took the concept into the air.
Quinn Reece, a North Carolina paramedic with a background in emergency management, austere medicine and technical rescue, became the first pilot-paramedic to fly the Pivotal BlackFly on a 911 response in Hyde County. On both of the operational calls she flew, Reese arrived and began providing ALS care approximately 20 minutes before the responding ground ambulance.
Joining Quinn is James Robinson, an experienced North Carolina paramedic who served as ground support and supporting pilot for the project. Together, they take Rob behind the scenes of the proof of concept: intensive simulator training, emergency procedures, actually flying a single-seat eVTOL, operational control, weather and range calculations, landing close to patients, carrying a 38-pound ALS package, and using a Cybertruck as a mobile charging platform.
They also tackle the inevitable criticism around new technology and explain why the project was never about replacing the ambulance. It was about finding another way to put a skilled clinician beside a patient sooner when geography, water, distance and limited resources make conventional response difficult.
Memorable quotes
- “The pilot is 100% flying the aircraft.” — James Robinson
- “I did run the first two calls to provide ALS care on scene 20 minutes before an ambulance on both times.” — Quinn Reece
- “For you to first time sit back in it, you feel like almost an astronaut being projected up.” — Quinn Reece
- “That patient had no idea how I got there. They weren’t looking outside to see what I arrived in. They were just happy that care was there in an appropriate amount of time to help them for what they needed.” — Quinn Reece
- “To have them [my sons] actually see the aircraft for the first time and watch their mom fly was actually really inspirational for me.” — Quinn Reece
- “You don’t have a copilot sitting there that can bail you out.” — James Robinson
- “This is just another tool in the toolbox that allows you to pop straight up in the air, fly over the top of all that water that would otherwise be an obstacle.” — James Robinson
Episode timeline
- 00:26 – Rob introduces the second chapter of the Hyde County story and reflects on the leadership, determination and regulatory work required to move the concept from idea to actual flight.
- 02:04 – Meet Quinn Reese and James Robinson.
- 02:32 – Quinn explains her background in paramedicine, emergency management, technical rescue and austere environments, and why that experience helped prepare her to operate as a sole provider ahead of the ambulance.
- 03:27 – James introduces himself and describes almost 30 years in emergency services and his role providing ground support for the Hyde County project.
- 04:41 – Quinn recalls receiving the initial phone call in December 2025 asking whether she would consider joining the project.
- 06:13 – Quinn admits to some nerves as a North Carolina paramedic suddenly surrounded by engineers and PhD students — before telling them she was there to fly the aircraft operationally.
- 07:22 – Inside the simulator: VR goggles, moving seat, sound, wind and realistic flight environments.
- 08:30 – Two days of intensive simulator work including check rides, GPS and radar failures, parachute deployment, wind management, and transitioning between hover and cruise modes.
- 09:16 – James explains why simulator training and muscle memory are so critical in a single-seat aircraft where there is no copilot sitting beside you.
- 10:53 – Who is actually flying? James makes it clear: the pilot is controlling the aircraft, while built-in systems help prevent unsafe maneuvers.
- 12:43 – Quinn explains what happens when the controls are released in cruise and hover modes.
- 13:09 – The ballistic parachute: how an emergency parachute can lower the entire aircraft.
- 14:31 – Quinn remembers her first real flight over Monterey Bay.
- 15:06 – “You feel like almost an astronaut being projected up.” Quinn describes the sensation and power of the aircraft on initial vertical takeoff.
- 17:02 – Navigating the operational missions using both the aircraft display and SARTopo/CalTopo to plot call locations.
- 18:00 – James emphasizes that this was a prototype and a proof of concept designed in part to identify exactly these operational issues.
- 19:34 – Moving the aircraft: the BlackFly breaks into three major sections and fits into a 16-foot trailer.
- 20:08 – Range and weather: Quinn explains the roughly 20-nautical-mile operating capability and how wind changed the practical mission radius.
- 21:29 – The unusual support vehicle: a Cybertruck capable of charging the BlackFly repeatedly in the field.
- 25:34 – The first 911 call arrives while Quinn is already conducting a proficiency flight. She hears the dispatch over the radio, lands, plots the call, checks the weather and operational parameters, and launches toward the patient.
- 27:42 – Quinn arrives at the patient — and nobody initially understands how the paramedic got there.
- 28:43 – One of the less glamorous first-flight lessons: getting the medical bag out of the aircraft proves harder than expected, leading to changes before the second mission.
- 29:12 – Quinn begins patient care and explains that, from the patient’s perspective, the method of arrival was irrelevant: they were simply pleased that help had arrived.
- 29:40 – Meanwhile James and the ground team arrive, recharge the aircraft and prepare it for departure while neighbors slowly realize there is an aircraft sitting in the yard.
- 31:07 – From pilot Quinn to paramedic Quinn: what medical equipment did she carry?
- 32:48 – Public reaction evolves from skepticism and raised eyebrows to families bringing their children to see the aircraft and learn about the program.
- 33:23 – Rob addresses the skeptics: Is this just an expensive gimmick with limited range?
- 33:53 – James makes the clinical case: in rural areas where conventional 10-minute response simply is not realistic, an eVTOL is another way to overcome geography and put ALS care beside the patient sooner.
- 36:34 – What happens next? Quinn and James describe taking the aircraft to emergency management and aviation events to demonstrate the concept and educate other agencies.
- 38:15 – Other possible missions: moving critical medications across flooded areas, search and rescue, disaster assessment and other emergency-management applications.
- 39:07 – Quinn discusses the evolution from the BlackFly toward Pivotal’s newer Helix platform, with greater range, payload and capability.
- 40:13 – Will Quinn fly operational EMS missions again? She hopes so, with growing interest from other agencies exploring the concept.
- 44:35 – A personal moment: Quinn describes bringing her two young sons to Hyde County and watching them see their mother fly the aircraft.
- 44:53 – Rob closes the two-part Hyde County story, reflecting on the enthusiasm, belief and determination of everyone involved.
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