Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

German start-up ERC-System this week unveiled plans to develop an eVTOL aircraft specifically designed for emergency medical flights. The company launched its Charlie aircraft during an event in Munich on July 3 attended by Bavaria’s health minister, Judith Gerlach.
The Charlie model will have a payload of 450 kilograms (990 pounds), which ERC said will be sufficient to carry a pilot, a doctor, and a patient, as well as with medical equipment. The aircraft, featuring a fixed wing and a boom tail, is expected to have a range of 190 kilometers (103 nm) and fly at up to 180 kilometers per hour.
Six rotors for vertical lift are to be installed on a beam connecting the wing and tail. A pair of forward-facing propellers for cruise flight are located on the wing, 2.3 meters (7 feet 6 inches) above the ground.
The program is being supported by DRF Luftrettung, which is one of the largest air rescue services in Europe, through its eResCopter project. The Unterallgäu-Memmingen regional health service in Bavaria is also cooperating with ERC to evaluate operational plans, as well as the University Hospital Rechts der Iser.
ERC, which was founded in 2019, is aiming to have the Charlie aircraft certified and ready to enter service in 2029. It is plans to start hover test flights with a technology demonstrator called Romeo by the end of 2024, and showed this version during the event in Munich. The company has already made over 100 test flights with a full-scale demonstrator called Echo.
Charlie will offer a cabin volume of 5.2 cubic meters (184 cubic feet), which ERC said will give plenty of space for doctors to treat patients during flights. The rear door will have dimensions of 1.4 meters by 1.4 meters (4 feet 7 inches) to give convenient access for support staff.
According to ERC, Charlie will provide a cost-effective alternative to ground-based ambulances and more expensive helicopters. It predicted the eVTOL vehicle will have operating costs of €8 ($8.60) per minute of flight, which it said compares with €23 per minute for a helicopter. These cost estimates do not include personnel, maintenance, and indirect operating expenses.
ERC said it has conducted market studies suggesting a need for over 3,000 medical eVTOL aircraft in Europe by 2035 for flights between hospitals. Factoring in rescue flights as well, it estimated that global demand could reach 45,000 vehicles by that point.
The company aims to produce 250 of the new eVTOL design in Germany each year by 2032. It is based at Ottobrunn, near Munich, and has secured seed funding from automotive and aerospace consulting group IABG. The company currently employs 80 people and was co-founder by David Löbl, the former chief technology officer of eVTOL developer AutoFlight, and Rudolf Schwarz, IABG’s chairman.
"As hospital density decreases and distances between medical facilities grow, emergency medical services face increasing challenges," said Löbl. "Traditional ambulances often fall short in speed, whereas helicopter flights incur high costs and significant noise. The eVTOLs developed by ERC offer an efficient resolution of these issues, serving as an ideal enhancement to existing helicopter transport capacities [as] eVTOLs are three times faster than ambulances and three times more cost-effective than helicopters."
In the U.S. Jaunt Air Mobility and Jump Aero are both working on eVTOL aircraft aimed at the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2021-07-30/beyond-air-taxi-how-evtols-could-be-lifesaver-well-moneymaker">emergency medical sector.</a>&nbsp;Airbus also sees this application as an early use case for its <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2024-02-15/first-cityairbus-nextgen-evtol-prototype-approaches-roll-out-ahead-flight">CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL</a>, which is being developed at its Donauwörth site near Munich.

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German Start-up ERC Unveils Emergency Medical eVTOL Aircraft

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ERC-System plans to bring an eVTOL called Charlie into service with emergency medical flight providers in 2029 as an alternative to helicopters and ambulances.

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