“Right now, if you have an emergency and you need to get an ambulance to take you to the hospital, you can get some of that cost paid through insurances,” Cree notes. “We want to get similar insurance coverage of medical delivery with drones.” Recently, the airport hosted high-level Pennsylvania transportation officials alongside representatives from the University of Pittsburgh, St. Francis University, St. Vincent, and Mount Aloysius, along with multiple industry leaders. The collaboration seeks to establish advanced air mobility infrastructure and protocols that ensure safe integration with conventional aircraft operations. “We’re working with other entities and collaborating,” says Cree. “We brought together a lot of the people that we’re working with, coordinating with universities, working with multiple industry leaders within the space, and we’re doing so to grow advanced air mobility and to establish it here at Johnstown.” The airport envisions itself as a potential training and certification hub for the emerging drone industry. Companies could send employees to Johnstown for credentialing, then deploy them with drones back at their home operations. This model recognizes two 198 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 11
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