Flying doctors - 7th October 2020

This person is flying with a jet suit. It could help doctors in the UK. It means they can get to difficult locations faster.

The jet suit is made by Gravity Industries. The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) has helped Gravity Industries test the suit. The test was done in the Lake District in northern England, where there are a lot of hills. Without a helicopter, it can take doctors an hour to reach someone who is hurt.

Andy Mawson is the director of the GNAAS.

Mawson: "You know, for our paramedics to get on the scene within a matter of minutes, and recognise that can mean the difference between life and death."

The test was done by Richard Browning from Gravity Industries. He flew from the bottom of a hill to the top in 90 seconds. It would normally take 25 minutes to walk there.

Andy Mawson hopes doctors will use the suit in the future.

Mawson: "So, there is, you know, there's no real reason why in the fullness of time, that we won't see GNAAS paramedics using that technology, saving lives and easing suffering."