Skyryse, a transportation technology company, and Air Methods, an American air medical transport company, have agreed a partnership to retrofit more than 400 single-engine helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in the Air Methods fleet with FlightOS, a shared mission to advance further safety measures to protect pilots and patients.
The new Skyryse FlightOS hardware and software stack replaces overly complex and manual flight control systems, allowing pilots to control helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft with a far simpler and safer control interface.
Air Methods has also invested $5 million into Skyryse Series B, bringing the total raised to $205 million, further backing the LA-based company’s automation hardware and software.
Skyryse’s FlightOS state-of-the-art technology provides increased operational safety in clear or inclement weather using advanced sensors currently only used in commercial aviation and advanced military aircraft, meaning more missions are completed, and more lives are saved.
The flight system is operational through every phase of flight and during any situational hazard, designed to never go offline, including during emergencies.
Air Methods will use the Skyryse technology to elevate air crews’ ability to safely perform their core function of providing immediate, critical care where it is needed most.
Dr Mark Groden, CEO of Skyryse, says: “We are excited to partner with Air Methods to bring our innovative technology to their aircraft and patients who benefit from their remarkable services.
“We created FlightOS to enhance safety, especially in critical life-saving missions, where technology unlocks dramatic potential for all people to receive the safest, most effective medical care available in the direst situations.
“The Air Methods partnership highlights the value of our technologies interoperability and safety across all types of aircraft.”
Air Methods will retrofit FlightOS within their diverse and complex fleet of single-engine helicopters, such as the EC130, AS350, and Bell 407, and fixed-wing aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-12.
Air Methods intends for the immediate benefits of FlightOS to reduce operational complexity by making the flight deck more intuitive and standardized.
JaeLynn Williams, Air Methods CEO, says: “As the leading Air Medical provider in the United States, we are always looking for ways to make rotor wing flight safer.
“Skyryse is a cutting-edge technology that will drive a step change in the safety of rotor wing flight not only for Air Methods, but for our customers and the entire HEMS industry.”
FlightOS is designed to protect a pilot from exiting the flight envelope and can safely manage the aircraft through various flight emergencies, including complete engine failures and autorotation.
Leo Morrisette, Air Methods executive vice president of operations, says: “The Skyryse Flight Operating System is a transformational technology for the industry, and we are honored to be partnering with Skyryse.
“The results of deploying this technology will first and foremost improve safety, lower cockpit workload, and allow our fleet to fully maximize the potential of patient care in a wide range of aircraft models and types.”
