Month: April 2022

Having recently dialed up work on its Airbus CityAirbus eVTOL aircraft, Airbus has now announced a partnership with ITA Airways, a premier airline in Italy, to begin exploring the creation of urban aerial mobility services in the country.

Above: The Airbus CityAirbus NextGen, featured with potential ITA Airways branding

The new partnership between ITA and Airbus will ‘identify strategic use cases for emission-free mobility solutions’ in Italy, foreseeing a joint approach of the two companies in onboarding additional Italian mobility stakeholders for the launch of Airbus’ CityAirbus eVTOL operations. Together, the two companies will also identify pilot use cases in Italy, with the aim of bolstering public acceptance of UAM via demonstrations of the value these services could add to communities.

It is possible that Airbus and ITA will consider options such as implementing Airbus eVTOL aircraft for ITA airliner passengers to travel directly to and from large airports to vertiports in the centers of metropolitan areas.

Said Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, “This agreement is testimony to the strong relationship between Airbus and ITA Airways. It is an opportunity to leverage our shared ambition – pioneering sustainable aerospace – and advance new air mobility solutions for zero-emission vertical flight in support of our cities and communities later this decade.”

Alfredo Altavilla, Chairman of ITA Airways, commented: “The partnership between ITA Airways and Airbus started with the evolution toward more modern, more comfortable and environmentally-friendly commercial aircraft, equipped with cutting-edge technologies. With this agreement, our partnership expands to the segment of urban air mobility for a wider, customer-centric, innovative and sustainable offer for our customers.”

Why it’s Important: The establishment of this partnership signals Airbus’ readiness to begin creating the organizational infrastructure that will be required to support upcoming UAM services. Most recently, Airbus has been collecting manufacturing and development partners for its aircraft (such as Thales, Dhiehl, and Spirit Aerosystems), but this partnership with ITA is Airbus’ first in the world of air passenger transport companies. Overall, this partnership likely means that Airbus is getting closer than ever to a commercially ready eVTOL aircraft, to the point where it is ready to begin setting up commercial operator partnerships.

Source // Airbus

Related:

• Airbus partners with Spirit AeroSystems to develop the wings of CityAirbus NextGen (March 2022)
• Thales and Diehl Aerospace to Develop Flight Computers for CityAirbus NextGen (November 2021)
• Airbus Unveils Latest eVTOL Prototype (September 2021)

LCI, a large and highly established aircraft leasing company, has placed an order for 50 of Beta Technologies’ all-electric ‘Alia’ eVTOL aircraft, with options to purchase up to 125 aircraft in total.

LCI is a major aircraft leasing company that offers helicopters and airliners to commercial aircraft operators. As a subsidiary of Libra Group, clients of LCI include British Airways, Air France, Singapore Airlines, and leading helicopter operators such as Babcock. The company was founded in 2004, initially only working with fixed wing aircraft, but made its first helicopter purchase in 2012 with a $400 million order from Leonardo. While the company has already taken over US$8 billion in transactions of fixed-wing and helicopter markets, the order of Beta Technologies Alia aircraft will be LCI’s first electric aircraft purchase.

Unlike traditional helicopters, Beta’s ‘Alia’ aircraft features a fixed wing and pusher propellor for forward flight, giving it the efficiency of an airplane combined with the vertical take-off and landing abilities of a helicopter. This efficient design allows the aircraft to travel up to 250 miles on a single all-electric charge, while having room for up to four passengers or 1400 lbs of cargo.

Other air transport stakeholders have also shown interest in the Alia, with Blade Urban Air Mobility placing an order for 20 aircraft, UPS placing an order for up to 150 aircraft, and United Therapeutics partnering with Beta for transplant organ transportation.

Said Jaspal Jandu, CEO of LCI: “We are embracing this new era of sustainable flight and BETA Technologies’ innovative approach makes them a natural and credible partner for LCI. We believe that the aircraft’s blend of rechargeable battery power, significant internal capacity, and plentiful range is an optimal one. We are confident it will be a popular choice for operators and end-users seeking to develop and augment their fleets with this truly sustainable technology.”

Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta Technologies, commented: “As a leading aircraft lessor with an established global track record, LCI has a strong pulse on what operators are looking for. We are gratified by their confidence that the solutions we’re building will answer the need for next generation, zero-emission electric aircraft. We are excited to partner with LCI and push adoption of this solution forward within the industry.”

Why it’s important: As one of the largest aircraft leasing companies in the world, LCI has signaled its belief that the eVTOL could soon augment or even replace segments of traditional helicopter business. This purchase from such a large financial stakeholder in helicopter aviation indicates that LCI believes that there are very real and lucrative use cases for eVTOL, and that companies who invest early in eVTOL will be much better positioned for the future of aviation services.

Source // LCI, Helicopter Investor, Aero Mag

Urban-Air Port has just opened a transport hub for air taxis, eVTOLs, and drones at the Westminister Car Park in Coventry. The “Air-One” hub will allow manned and unmanned vehicles to take off and land at the world’s first vertiport, but only through the summer, after which it will be redeployed in a new location.

Above: Urban-Air Port’s vertiports are pop-ups, which can change locations depending on demand.

Urban-Air Port, the UK-based developer behind the project, says that this first vertiport will act as a blueprint for more than 200 vertiports planned worldwide in the next five years. Future vertiports have already been earmarked for other sites around the world, including in the West Midlands and London, as well as in Los Angeles, Australia, South Korea, France, Germany, Scandinavia and South East Asia. All the future vertiport locations are set to serve four key markets: flying taxis, autonomous delivery drones, disaster emergency management, and defense operations and logistics.

According to recent publications, Urban-Air Port took 11 weeks to erect the 17,000 square feet site in Coventry, which includes a passenger lounge, a café, a cargo logistics hub, an electric and hydrogen air vehicle hangar, a security screening area, and a command centre. The site features a 56ft circular platform that raises and lowers 19ft to enable future electric air vehicle takeoffs and landings.

The Air-One project has financial backing from the UK government as well as from Supernal, the aerial mobility arm of Hyundai Motor group. On the subject, Mike Whitaker, chief commercial officer at Supernal, said: “The Air-One activation is an important step for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry and demonstrates how eVTOLs can easily integrate with existing transportation networks to address local needs.”

Why it’s important: As highlighted by Ricky Sandhu, founder and executive chairman of Urban-Air Port: “The opening of Air-One is a momentous occasion – the starting gun for a new age of transport, an age of zero-emission, low-congestion travel between and within cities that will make people healthier, happier and more connected than ever before.” He then went on to state that “the Coventry demonstration will showcase the future of how people will travel, seamlessly integrating with other modes of transport to create a greener, more connected future.”

Watch the full video tour of the Air One vertiport below:

Source // Yahoo News, Design Boom

VoltAero’s Cassio 1 testbed, a heavily modified Cessna 337 Skymaster, with the company’s proprietary electric-parallel hybrid propulsion unit will exceed the total distance flown of 10,000 kilometers with this aircraft’s upcoming flights to and participaint in Germany’s AERO Friedrichshafen general aviation show.

Cassio 1 – which is equipped with the 600-kilowatt full-power version of VoltAero’s electric-parallel hybrid propulsion unit for the company’s in-development family of Cassio sustainable airplanes – departed the company’s Royan-Médis headquarters on France’s Atlantic Coast today for the 1,650-kilometer cross-European roundtrip to Friedrichshafen, where the demonstrator is to be exhibited during the four-day AERO Friedrichshafen event that begins on April 27 (exhibit stand: A7-101).

Since VoltAero initiated flights with the propulsion unit in 2020, Cassio 1 has flown more than 8,500 kilometers on routes within Europe and to the UK, de-risking it for airworthiness certification on production Cassio aircraft.

During these extensive validations, Cassio 1 performed typical regional short- and medium-haul flights that are to be served by VoltAero’s product line of four-to-12-seat Cassio airplanes. Operating in a full range of weather conditions, Cassio 1 visited both local and regional airports that will benefit from highly sustainable air mobility.

With VoltAero’s proprietary electric-hybrid powertrain installed in the aft pusher position, Cassio aircraft will utilize the propulsion system’s electric motors for all-electric power during taxi, takeoff, primary flight, and landing. The hybrid feature (with an internal combustion engine) comes into play as a range extender, recharging the batteries while in flight. Additionally, this hybrid element serves as a backup in the event of a problem with the electric propulsion, ensuring true fail-safe functionality.

The Cassio family will provide a highly capable, reliable and sustainable product line for commercial flights, air taxi/charter companies, private owners, as well as in utility-category service for cargo, postal delivery and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) applications.

Production Cassio airplanes will be built in three versions, each sharing a high degree of modularity and commonality. First to be certified is the Cassio 330, with four/five seats and powered by a 330-kilowatt electric-hybrid power module. The follow-on six-seat Cassio 480 will have an electric-hybrid propulsion power of 480 kilowatts, while the Cassio 600 is sized at a 10/12-seat capacity with electric-hybrid propulsion power of 600 kilowatts.

VoltAero will be assembling the prototype Cassio 330 before year-end, with the production aircraft to be produced in a purpose-built final assembly facility at Rochefort Airport in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Groundbreaking at the industrial site is scheduled in the summer of 2022.

Why it’s important: A growing amount of test flights and data accumulation for the Cassio 1 testbed is providing much needed validation for the future of propulsion systems, specifically hybrid electric propulsion systems that will ultimately yield to the fully electric alternatives that are currently longer lead. VoltAero’s focus on propulsion system maturity has worked well thus far for the company to expand their focus to now manufacturing a series of aircraft products that will help operators realize the benefits of electric propulsion.

Jaunt Air mobility, which a few years ago was one of Uber Elevate’s network partners, has since been growing its own urban air mobility business, and is working to develop its aircraft and aerial ridesharing service.

Jaunt has selected L&T technology services, a manufacturing, engineering, and product development and operations firm, to manufacture Jaunt’s ‘Journey’ eVTOL aircraft. L&T is already a massive and highly established firm, whose customer base includes 69 Fortune 500 companies and 57 of the world’s top ER&D companies, across industrial products, medical devices, transportation, telecom & hi-tech, and other industries.

While being directed by Jaunt Air Mobility’s leadership, L&T will create manufacturing-ready systems for the Jaunt Journey such as its power distribution system, air data management, cockpit display system, flight control system, battery management, electrification, power electronics, structural design, and stress analysis systems. It will also conduct aircraft testing, provide certification assistance, and direct overall manufacturing engineering.

The Jaunt Journey aircraft is especially unique in its design, as it only features a single lift rotor. With its single lift rotor, which features signature slowed-rotation technology, Jaunt asserts that its aircraft will be more stable, more efficient, and safer than other designs, given the rotor’s ability to auto-rotate in case of a motor failure, and the rotor’s ability to provide high amounts of lift in forward flight. The aircraft concept has actually been in development for over 20 years, having once been called the Carter Copter.

As part of the contract with L&T, L&T will open an Engineering and R&D Centre in Québec Province for the electric aircraft manufacturer to provide engineering services for the Jaunt Journey eVTOL.

Said Amit Chadha, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services: “This deal is a milestone for team LTTS in view of the tremendous opportunities opening up in UAM and drone services which are emerging as alternatives to the increasingly congested on-ground mobility in cities. LTTS has a track record of developing high-performance engineering solutions for global Aerospace and Defense for over a decade and has supported critical defense programs in the past. We believe this program will set the benchmark for future UAM projects and our team is excited to build on this important engagement with Jaunt, with the eventual aim to make urban commuting safer, greener, efficient and reliable”.

Martin Peryea, CEO & CTO of Jaunt, commented: “At Jaunt, our vision is to usher in a range of new-age aircraft-driven urban commuting that is fast, safe, and convenient. This new clean, sustainable aircraft will reduce carbon emissions worldwide. Strategically, we are continuing to grow our Tier 1 partnerships and recognize LTTS as a best-fit engineering partner, and together we are confident of pushing the mass-scale commercialization”.

Why it’s important: As Jaunt begins to make movement into developing its own air mobility business, it is gaining traction with investors. This latest partnership with L&T is a sign that Jaunt is now beginning to deploy its capital into establishing its business, making a key choice with L&T in order to ensure manufacturing expertise in the creation its new vehicle. With this partnership, given L&T’s wealth of experience in engineering development, we can expect to see Jaunt begin to move even more consistently toward a manufacture and commercially ready aircraft to fulfill its vision.

Jaunt has also made a significant number of other partnerships with high-visibility eVTOL components developers. See below for more.

Sources // L&T Technology Services, Jaunt Air Mobility

Related:

• Jaunt Air Mobility to join AIRO Group prior to IPO in 2022 (October 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility Awarded Air Force Contract for eVTOL Noise Reduction Research (February 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility and Varon Vehicles Partner for Aerial Mobility in Latin America (January 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility Announces Partnership with Walle (January 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility and VerdeGo Aero Collaborate on Hybrid Electric Aircraft (December 2021)
• Jaunt Air Mobility Appoints Martin Peryea as CEO (October 2020)
• BAE Systems and Jaunt Air Mobility Sign MoU on Electric Energy Management Systems for UAM (December 2019)
• Jaunt and Triumph to Partner on Design and Development of Demonstrator Aircraft (November 2019)
• Jaunt Air Mobility Named as New Uber Elevate Partner (June 2019)
• Carter Copter Acquired by Jaunt Mobility (February 2019)

Wisk, the Bay Area air taxi company backed by Boeing and Kitty Hawk, recently had the opportunity to share its vision with Anderson Cooper on an episode of 60 Minutes. The nationwide televised episode also revealed that the newest iteration of Wisk’s eVTOL aircraft – the vehicle for which Wisk plans to obtain type certification from the FAA – will have four seats. 

Watch the episode here.

Wisk’s mission is to “deliver safe, all-electric, autonomous, everyday flight for everyone.” Since 2010, the air taxi company has been working toward that mission by designing, developing, and testing five generations of aircraft, and now they are developing their 6th and possibly final iteration, which will have four seats. Much of the company’s work so far has been performed in “stealth mode,” staying out of the public eye, but on April 17th, the 6th generation aircraft made a public debut on the show 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper.

The TV debut demonstrated many of the key features and changes expected to be made in the latest vehicle iteration. These include a larger seat configuration that provides more space for passengers and baggage, while ensuring that the aircraft is accessible for those with disabilities. In addition to these benefits, the 6th iteration aircraft’s larger capacity opens the door to future use cases, such as cargo transportation or emergency rescue. According to Wisk, higher payloads and cabin volume will better support other applications and use cases long term.

Also featured in the 60 Minutes episode were California-based Joby Aviation and Texas-based LIFT Aircraft, as well as cameos from Beta Technologies, Archer Aviation, EHang, and Lilium, among others.

Related: Wisk and Skyports Partner to Define Autonomous AAM Infrastructure Operations

Why it’s important: As phrased in Wisk’s latest blog post, “the day in which you’ll be able to skip traffic by flying over it in an air taxi is approaching and we want the world to be ready.” Wisk has notoriously deflected questions about its newest eVTOL design up to this point, but this nationwide televised reveal of its aircraft marks the start of the company revealing further details of its 6th generation aircraft later this year. Moreover, this appearance on a mainstream media source will excite viewers about what the near future holds for the advancement of regional transportation and aerial mobility, increasing the likelihood of public acceptance and buy-in.

EHang announced on April 11 that it has secured the largest pre-order to date for passenger grade AAV’s in Asia. This new strategic partnership between EHang and Prestige Aviation will greatly advance the rollout of aerial mobility services in Indonesia, and EHang’s UAM technology would be able to contribute to the Indonesian new capital Nusantara’s Smart City initiative.

The pre-order from Prestige Aviation, a subsidiary of Prestige Corp, was for 100 units of EH216 AAVs. Previously, Prestige Aviation purchased one unit of EH216 from EHang, and the two parties jointly conducted a debut flight demonstration for aerial sightseeing in Bali, Indonesia in 2021.

Rudy Salim, Executive Chairman of Prestige Aviation, said, “EHang has long been a crucial partner to Prestige Aviation. As a forerunner of Indonesia’s sustainable transportation, we hope that we can address the Indonesian public’s need for aerial transportation and therefore, we are ready to support the Indonesian new capital Nusantara’s Smart City initiative with EH216 AAVs. Indonesia is an archipelagic country with more than 17,000 islands within its borders. Therefore, a new transportation mode that can facilitate inter-island mobility will undoubtedly help regional economies to grow exponentially, assisted by its low cost when compared to other conventional land routes. We will join hands with EHang to bring safe, efficient, economical and eco-friendly transport solutions to facilitate inter-island mobility and many other scenarios in Indonesia.”

Hu Huazhi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang, attended the online ceremony and commented, “We sincerely appreciate all the support and recognition of Prestige Aviation and our expanding network of partners, which inspire EHang to further expand our global market. We will continue our in-depth collaboration with Prestige Aviation on UAM in Indonesia. We believe that, as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (“RCEP”) brings favorable policies to international cooperation, we will further accelerate the development of UAM in Asia Pacific region with the aim to benefit the people with cutting-edge AAV technologies.”

Why it’s important: This pre-order for EHang 216 AAV’s allows Indonesia to be well poised for future progress in the aerial mobility space and also emphasizes the importance of many global regions’ progress and preparation for a future with democratized aviation as a cornerstone of transportation infrastructure.

Volcopter, the German-based eVTOL manufacturer, has completed its first flight of Volocity. The VoloCity will be the fourth-generation electrical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) by the company since its founding.

Volocity is propelled by 18 rotors, with redundancy in all critical systems, a low noise signature and a rigid commitment to the inner-city mission. According to Volocopter, “the VoloCity will become the first commercially licensed Volocopter, developed according to the high standards and requirements of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Our intensive testing programme has informed the innovative design and the outstanding overall performance of the VoloCity. Quiet, safe, and comfortable, the Volocity engenders Urban Air Mobility.”

VoloCity was announced in 2019 and released a re-design in 2020 and intends to be fully certified and ready for commercial entry to service in conjunction with the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Volocopter commented on a blog post of the first flight, “Today, we celebrate a remarkable achievement: the culmination of our aspiration to create a better future in which electric aircraft and emission-free flights are the new dimension of global mobility. As Volocopter taxis toward this new frontier, it will make urban flights just a few smartphone clicks away. These moments demonstrate how our pioneering spirit will bring our vision to life before our very eyes. And it’s just the push we need as we enter the final leg of the race to commercial launch.”

Why it matters: While not the most exciting of flights, the short hover test marks a significant milestone for Volocopter’s VoloCity program as it transitions from a concept to a real aircraft. As testing progresses, expect to see VoloCity’s flight envelope expand to meet the desired operating characteristics and work begin towards EASA certification in 2024.

Adding another organizational layer to its aerial mobility efforts, CAAM, the Canadian Air Mobility Consortium, has now added the Canadian Centre for Advanced Research and Training in Aviation (CARTAMS) to its partner list.

CAAM was first launched in October of 2020, in order to bring together stakeholders in the future of aerial mobility in Canada including eVTOL developers, infrastructure developers, governmental organizations, and more. In all, the organization has brought in over 70 partners, all with the aim of creating collaborations that will help launch the future of aerial mobility in Canadian cities. According to its mission statement, CAAM’s goal is to ‘create a national AAM (Advanced Aerial Mobility) strategy for Canada while implementing regional revenue generating use cases.”

The Canadian Centre for Advanced Research and Training in Aviation (CARTAMS), meanwhile, focuses on fostering the digital side of aviation advances in Canada, providing vast resources and organizational structures for promoting the use of super computing and machine learning in aviation and new kinds of aerial mobility. CARTAMS seeks to ‘drive innovation, education, and training across the country through data creation, visualization, application, and knowledge translation.’ CARTAMS also seeks to raise awareness on the potential impact of these new technologies in conjunction with aerial mobility across industries. Its partners already include Air Canada, Solway, and more.

Now, the two organizations will partner to create an even more powerful hub for aerial mobility innovation and development in Canada. Together, they intend to ‘build an evolutionary, made-in-Canada aviation, mobility and space (AMS) ecosystem to ensure future growth and address the needs of Canadians for decades to come’, in order to maintain Canada’s top 7 global ranking in aviation and aerospace design and production.

“CAAM has been working hard to organize dozens of groups from industry, academia, and government
around regional revenue generating use cases which are supported by a national strategy to rapidly unlock
the safe development of this industry.” said JR Hammond, Executive Director of CAAM. “We’ve always known
that our structure and goals would make it difficult to play a large role in coordinating the research and
talent development needed for the industry to grow safely alongside other global leaders. Our partnership
with CARTAMS allows us to focus even more on helping industry and government chart a course towards
safe operations while supporting CARTAMS in the other pieces we aren’t currently set up for.”

Why it’s important: Canada is currently one of the top 7 countries in the world for aviation and aerospace design and production, which brings in over 25 billion CAD to the country’s GDP and supports over 200,000 jobs. In order to stay on top of trends in the industry, Canada has launched organizations like CAAM and CARTAAMS in order to drive innovation and development in new aerial mobility with technologies like eVTOL, drones, and distributed electric propulsion aircraft. With this partnership announcement, Canada shows that it is continuing to stay focused on the future of aerial mobility, ensuring that it has the organizational resources to match and encourage the growth of these new industries.

Source // CAAM – CARTAMS Press Release

Related:

• Canada Launches CAAM to Accelerate Aerial Mobility Development and Implementation

LIFT Aircraft Co. announced on April 7th that it was recently awarded a Phase 3 contract through the United States Air Force’s Agility Prime Program to continue experimentation and flight test efforts around HEXA, LIFT’s all-electric, single-seat eVTOL aircraft.

Since 2020, LIFT Aircraft has conducted flight testing with the support of the US Air Force under a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. Additionally, the HEXA single seat eVTOL has been transported inside of the C-130 Hercules cargo transport aircraft to prove out additional use cases and ability to deploy the eVTOL in a variety of environments.

The newly awarded Phase 3 contract will continue experimentation and use case development through a fast paced, rigorous flight testing program. The program, which will begin at Eglin AFB per previous announcements from LIFT, may expand to other locations, and will include efforts such as flight envelope expansion, acoustics testing, developmental testing of a modular cargo adaptation for the airframe alongside continuous operational testing with stakeholders. This effort aims to accelerate and further develop HEXA for future public and military applications like emergency first response, personnel transport, base logistics, and search and rescue missions. The development effort will also help accelerate the testing required for LIFT’s planned rollout of commercial flight locations.

Agility Prime has taken a unique flexible approach to contracting with the newly awarded phase 3 SBIR for LIFT. The contract is designed to be as agile as possible – it allows not only the Air Force, but any governmental entity to contract for flight test activities with LIFT’s HEXA aircraft on an as-needed basis.

“This contract was designed to enable flexible flight test as a service (Company Owned-Company Operated) of multiple HEXA aircraft for any government stakeholder, location and desired experiment. We want it to be able to serve as a contract vehicle that accelerates HEXA towards fielding not just for the USAF, but the DOD and USG in general. We have a large number of interested stakeholders that are looking at use-cases for the aircraft and welcome growing the community even further in the future.” said the Technology Transition Lead and LIFT Program Manager at Agility Prime, Sterling Alley.

“​LIFT’s Phase III SBIR contract award is a meaningful vote of confidence from the US Air Force. It means the Air Force has determined LIFT’s previous development and testing contracts were successful. This is an important step towards scaling access to LIFT’s HEXA eVTOL aircraft throughout the DoD and Federal Government at large,” noted Eric Horan, former US Navy government contracting officer and founding partner of Decisive Point, a venture capital firm that invests in dual-use technology startups and has invested in LIFT.

Why it’s important: The recent extension and progression of LIFT’s work with the USAF will enable for future flight test progress and design of their eVTOL aircraft and will leverage the USAF’s experience in flight testing along with the resources of expertise in unique operational scenarios that can help to further develop and expand the envelope of the HEXA aircraft.

HyPoint, a growing expert in providing hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion solutions to all kinds of upcoming aircraft including long-range eVTOLs, has recently announced a partnership with Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories to greatly increase hydrogen fuel storage capacity on its partnered aircraft.

Image: HyPoint’s website highlights the types of aircraft that could use its hydrogen fuel-cell solutions

HyPoint has been working for several years to develop more advanced hydrogen fuel cells that focus on maintaining the weight and energy efficiency requirements for many upcoming aircraft, rangining from infracity aerial mobility aircraft to longer range eVTOLs and more.

Now, HyPoint has found a new partner in Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories, which specializes in making carbon fiber hydrogen fuel tanks that can store up to 10 times the amount of liquid hydrogen fuel as compared to existing tanks of the same mass. In particular, HyPoint envisions using GTL’s new advanced carbon composite BHL Cryotank, which have demonstrated a 75% mass reduction as compared to existing tanks. The new BHL tanks will be integrated seamlessly with HyPoint’s air-cooled aviation fuel cell systems.

Image: Zachary Taylor, vice president of engineering at Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories, poses with one of GTL’s larger BHL tanks, which only weighs 148lbs.

HyPoint has already established several partnerships with eVTOL aircraft makers and advanced aerial mobility developers, including XTI Aircraft, Bartini, McFly.aero, AMSL Aero, and Piasecki Aircraft, and Urban Aeronautics.

Said Dr. Alex Ivanenko, founder and CEO of HyPoint: “Reducing weight is the most important factor for enabling longer-distance air travel with fewer stops to refuel. Our hydrogen fuel cell system offers better specific power performance compared with any alternative available today, opening the door to short-haul zero-emission hydrogen flight and urban air mobility. This partnership with GTL goes even further by offering aircraft and eVTOL makers a liquid hydrogen tank that is stronger and lighter than anything else on the market, thereby significantly increasing fuel capacity. By utilizing this new fuel tank technology, longer-haul aircraft may be able to utilize hydrogen for the first time while eVTOL makers can effectively multiply their flight range and operational time.”

Why it’s important: With its significant achievement of decreasing fuel tank mass by factors of around 75% percent, Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories has made itself a highly appealing partner for any company aiming to create hydrogen propulsion solutions for aviation and new aerial mobility aircraft. By partnering with GTL, HyPoint, which is seeking to become an industry expert in hydrogen fuel-cell solutions for eVTOL, may be able to offer eVTOL makers greatly increased range and performance for their aircraft.

Related:

• HyPoint and Piasecki Aircraft Announce Partnership for Development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell System
• Urban Aeronautics Partners with HyPoint to Design Hydrogen-Powered CityHawk

Lilium has grown from Germany to Spain ahead of the next phase of flight testing of its Phoenix 2 technology demonstrator in the country. The testing will be based out of Spain’s ATLAS Flight Test Center. According to a company press release, Lilium plans to expand the flight envelope of the aircraft through full transition and high-speed flight. These developments come after successful flight testing with the same aircraft in southern Germany last year.

Daniel Wiegand, Co-Founder and CEO of Lilium said: “We are excited to have kicked off our next phase of flight testing in Spain. This step takes us even closer to reaching our goal of creating a sustainable and accessible mode of high-speed, low noise regional air mobility.”

Together with excellent weather conditions, the ATLAS Flight Test Center provides optimal infrastructure and enables aircraft to fly over a large, unpopulated area while transitioning fully to high-speed wing-borne flight. The modern facilities and support from the Andalusian Foundation for Aerospace Development (“FADA”) and Center for Advanced Aerospace Technologies (“CATEC”) have been instrumental in setting Lilium up for a successful flight test campaign.

Lilium also plans to introduce an additional demonstrator aircraft, Phoenix 3, which is scheduled to arrive in Spain for a first flight this summer. This aircraft is expected to significantly accelerate the flight test campaign, allowing Lilium to increase learnings and reduce program risks.

In other news, Lilium recently announced it has delayed its expected entry to commercial service by 12 months to 2025 in a communication to investors. Lilium expects to begin construction of its first certifiable prototype in 2023.

Why it matters: The move to Spain offers excellent year round weather for Lilium to conduct testing of its flight test prototypes. This will allow more regular testing throughout the winters, which are normally cold and rainy in southern Germany. What remains to be seen is if the move will help Lilium ensure its new expected delivery dates.

Blueberry Aviation, a global commercial aircraft and helicopter specialist, and Dufour Aerospace, a Swiss eVTOL company, announced on April 4th that they’ve signed a global partnership agreement. Under this agreement Blueberry Aviation will provide marketing advisory and placement support to Dufour Aerospace. Blueberry Aviation will be Dufour’s privileged partner for helicopter trade-in and will set up financial tools to fund or lease Dufour products. Also of substantial note and included in Dufour’s press release was acquisition plans from Blueberry Aviation to purchase 100 Aero2 and 100 Aero3 products from Dufour.

Blueberry Aviation has 20 years of experience in the commercial aircraft and helicopter markets and resultantly is well posied to support Dufour Aerospace in launching its aircraft and achieving its commercial goals. 

The tilt-wing design of Dufour Aerospace’s aircraft family combines the ability to take off and land vertically like a helicopter with the efficiency and speed of a conventional aircraft, without the constraints and limitations of other eVTOL designs. With unparalleled range and speed, high payload and large access doors, Dufour’s Aero2 and Aero3 offer many assets for operators and end users seeking efficient and cost-effective sustainable technology.

The Aero2 is an electric-hybrid, remotely piloted aircraft which has applications in surveillance and mapping activities, critical cargo delivery (high value goods or medical supplies such as blood, vaccines or organs), or public security applications like search and rescue and firefighting.       

The Aero3 is a larger, pilot operated aircraft with a has a maximum take-off weight of 2800kg (6173 lbs), a useable weight of 750kg (1653 lbs) with a cabin for up to 8 passengers, a cruise speed of 350 km/h (189 knots), and a range of 1020 km (551 nm). Dufour is marketing the Aero3 as a replacement for many helicopter operations, particularly EMS transport, SAR operations and surveillance, and also asserts that the Aero3 will “create tremendous opportunities for airlines to attract new customers by feeding their current routes with legs from previously untapped areas with limited air services.”

The aircraft is being designed to meet EASA’s SC-VTOL (Special Condition for VTOL) standards, making use of a hybrid-electric propulsion system to meet the requirements of operators in multi platforms. Aero3 is due to be certification ready in 2025 with an entry into service in 2026.

Why it’s important: The partnership between Dufour and Blueberry will aid both firms’ progress in the emerging aerial mobility space by leveraging one another’s strengths as an OEM and marketing/operating specialist, respectively. Blueberry’s helicopter background will supplant the future transition toward mixed aircraft medium operations, including that of eventual eVTOL aircraft introduction to the current fleet of traditional helicopters. Further, laying the frameworks for these types of operations today will better prepare global aviation operations for an equipment swap once the time is right and the technical maturity of AAV systems is adequate to begin passenger carrying operations.