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The Flying Medic
Jim McMahon
Hikers injured in the United Kingdom’s Lake District may soon be rescued by a real-life superhero. The local air ambulance service has teamed up with jet suit maker Gravity Industries to bring jetpack technology to paramedics working in the area’s hilly terrain. In September, they took a jet suit for a test flight. The hike would normally have taken a medic 25 minutes, but it took just 90 seconds with the suit, which is powered by five mini engines, two attached to each hand and one built into a backpack. With medics able to reach the injured that much quicker, they’ll save more lives, says Andy Mawson, director of operations at the Great North Air Ambulance Service. The successful test flight seems to have convinced those involved that jet suit technology will be a game changer for paramedics. “We could see the need,” Mawson says. “What we didn’t know for sure is how this would work in practice. Well, we’ve seen it now, and it is, quite honestly, awesome.”