An Analytical Investigation on the Use of Passenger Drones in the Rendezvouz-System of Emergency Medical Services for Landing Site Identification*

This study investigates the advantages of utilizing electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft to transport medical staff to emergency sites while identifying appropriate landing locations. The methodology is divided into two topics: the determination of suitable landing sites and the further use for the analytical investigation of time savings compared to ground-based emergency medical services. Drawing upon the Prototype Technical Specifications for Vertiports published by the European Aviation Safety Agency, our methodology is compared with relevant regulations to ensure compliance. Utilizing LIDAR data, potential landing sites are identified and evaluated for suitability. Walkway routing is employed to connect destinations with landing sites and linear flight phases are assumed. Results are presented using parameters from a representative drone and the municipal region of Stavanger in Norway as area of investigation, demonstrating a reduction in time savings ranging from 95 % to 20 %. The analysis also reveals a narrowing of the max. potential time savings from 16 min to 10 min. Results do indicate room for optimization for well planned placement of landing infrastructure. The consideration of landing possibilities should be considered on the basis of this work in order to be able to determine realistic time forecasts when using eVTOLs in EMS.