Month: June 2022

Iris Automation shared late last week that the company will be hosting a BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) sUAS demonstration in conjunction with the University of Nevada Reno / Nevada Autonomous program, and UAV pioneers Censys Technologies that will outline the technological progress occurring that’s enabling this type of operation. Autonomous AAM aircraft will require effective BVLOS technology in the future to operate without pilots, and a natural throughput from drone to eVTOL applications of this tech will likely occur over the next decade.

The event highlights Censys Technologies’ Sentaero BVLOS, Sentourion Mobile Command Center, CensWise Vegetation Management Software, and Iris Automation Casia I (Onboard Detect and Avoid) and Casia G (Ground-based) Aircraft Detection Technology to show the different applications and ways the platforms can be used for a multitude of business and public-oriented situations.

The event will occur at the Reno-Stead Airport, 4895 Texas Avenue, Reno, Nevada 89506, Second Floor Conference Room, and run from 8AM to 1230PM on Friday, July 1st.

The event is open to all commercial drone users, companies and public safety agencies. Key highlights include:

• Demonstration Review – Censys Product Overview Briefing/Trailer

• Casia G ground-based detect and avoid solution demonstration – Iris Automation (Flying – Demonstration)

• Brandon Karr – Pearland, Texas Police Department – Responsible for sUAS and US Leader in DPS (recently returned from Interpol Leadership Discussions)

The event will also include discussions with Trevor Parrott, Censys Technologies CEO, and Jon Damush, Iris Automation CEO (Remote).

Nevada is designated by the Federal Aviation Administration as one of seven states to serve as a center for the development and testing of unmanned autonomous vehicles and systems. Nevada Autonomous manages Nevada’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site activities statewide, bringing leadership, know-how and a focus on safety to each opportunity and test.

Why it’s important: This event will showcase some of the emerging technology that will eventually be used in aerial mobility applications for autonomous flights beyond visual line of sight, and also help to pre-empt conversations on future integration and regulatory considerations for successful, safe implementation.

More event information: https://www.unr.edu/ncar/programs/nevada-autonomous

In the latest announcement of airline eVTOL orders, Kenya Airways subsidiary, Fahari Aviation, has signed a letter of intent for 40 Embraer EVE eVTOL aircraft. It is expected orders will begin in 2026. The two companies will also partner on the market development of aerial mobility in Kenya and conduct studies on the use of cargo drones.

Allan Kilavuka, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Airways, commented on the joint project between the two companies,

“Urban air mobility is the future of transport and we are honoured to be the champions of this in the region. The journey to realise the dream of eVTOL vehicles in Kenya is on course, and the partnership with Eve is a key achievement for us as part of the strategy to adopt new technologies as a growth strategy for the sustainable development of Africa.”

Over the past months, Eve has conducted similar studies in Scandinavia with Widerøe Zero. Embraer’s Eve has also secured major orders with BLADE for up to 60 aircraft.

Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve, commented on the latest agreement with Fahari Aviation,

“This is a new chapter of the Eve and Fahari Aviation partnership to strengthen both companies’ commitment to establishing the foundations that will sustainably support the ecosystem for urban air mobility in Kenya. Last year, we announced a collaboration to develop operational models for Fahari Aviation’s key markets, and today’s announcement confirms that it is evolving successfully.”

Why it matters: Not many developments for the eVTOL space have been yet made public in Africa. Kenya Airway’s order is a significant step and offers an opportunity to expand urban mobility to the continent. While Eve has yet to fly its prototype, the orders show confidence in the aerospace giant, Embraer, and their potential to deliver a safe, secure, and reliable product to its customers.

JetBlue has formed a partnership with Blade Urban Air Mobility to begin offering helicopter transfers between major airports and final destinations. At some point in the future, these routes will likely be served by eVTOL aircraft.

A Beta Technologies eVTOL with BLADE branding flying above New York City
BLADE has placed an order for 20 of Beta’s ‘Alia’ eVTOL aircraft.

In cities like New York, BLADE’s current helicopter airport transfer offerings mean replacing up to two hours of ground transportation with just a five-minute helicopter flight. In particular, Blade emphasizes airport transfers between JFK Airport and its upscale lounges in East and West Manhattan.

Members of JetBlue’s Mosaic+ program will now have access to (limited) complimentary seats on Blade Airport helicopter transfers when connecting to or from JetBlue flights. In addition, JetBlue flights will now be better synced with BLADE’s helicopter transfer schedules, meaning seamless air mobility travel for customers. BLADE will now also offer daily service between the BLADE Lounge in East Manhattan and JFK.

A BLADE helicopter landing at an NYC lounge after an airport transfer from John F. Kennedy International Airport

“Given its New York City roots JetBlue is an ideal partner as we have ramped up our Blade Airport service to six days a week and up to thirteen hours per day in New York City,” said Melissa Tomkiel, Blade’s President.

Chris Buckner, vice president of loyalty & partnerships, JetBlue, Commented: “We know the JetBlue journey starts long before our customers step aboard one of our flights, which is why we are making more of the entire travel experience even easier and even more rewarding. This partnership with Blade will help us further evolve and enhance our TrueBlue program so our most loyal customers can enjoy more perks more often.”

In recent years, BLADE has made clear intentions to eventually transition from traditional helicopters to eVTOL aircraft for its services. It currently offers both urban air mobility travel and regional mobility travel through helicopters and private fixed-wing aircraft, making eVTOL an excellent and economically better option for the company. Already, BLADE has announced partnerships with eVTOL manufacturers Beta Technologies and Embraer’s Eve for orders of up to 80 total aircraft.

An ‘Eve’ eVTOL from EmbraerX featuring BLADE branding.
BLADE has placed an order for 60 of Beta’s ‘Alia’ eVTOL aircraft.

Why it’s important: This partnership between BLADE and JetBlue represents the beginning of seamless air travel from airports to final destinations within large cities. As eVTOL companies begin to reach the market, expect to see more major airlines looking to create partnerships with aspiring eVTOL operators for better travel experiences that greatly reduce overall travel times. While the current partnership targets Mosaic+ Elite frequent travelers with JetBlue airlines, it’s likely the first in a series of future partnerships between other airlines and last mile mobility companies as the complete travel experience (door to door transport) is capitalized upon.

Source // BLADE Urban Air Mobility

Related:

• EmbraerX’s Eve to Provide BLADE with up to 60 eVTOL Aircraft (June 2021)
• BLADE Urban Air Mobility Achieves 208% Revenue Jump (February 2022)
• BLADE Announces Deal for Operator’s Order of up to 20 BETA EVA’s (April 2021)

Kaman Corporation, a company that makes aerospace components and helicopters, has announced a $10 million USD investment in Near Earth Autonomy, which creates autonomous flight systems for drones and full-sized helicopters.

Above: Near Earth Autonomy’s automation hardware integrated with a Kaman K-Max helicopter

In exchange for the $10 million investment, Kaman Corporation will receive minority interest in the outstanding equity of Near Earth and one seat on its board of directors. According to a recent press release from Nearth Earth Autonomy, the funds will be used to accelerate its technology to establish an ‘industry standard’ in autonomous
solutions for aircraft.

Kaman will also become Nearth Earth Autonomy’s preferred parts manufacturer, leveraging Kaman’s decades of experience in aerospace components manufacturing.

The announcement of this investment follows an initial partnership agreement between Kaman and Near Earth Autonomy in August of 2020, in which Near Earth signed on to develop autonomous systems for Kaman’s K-Max TITAN helicopter. The K-Max TITAN, an impressive helicopter capable of carrying over 6,000 lbs of cargo, will be one of Near Earth’s largest autonomy-enabled aircraft, with uses in aerial mobility, military, delivery, and medical relief. In addition, Kaman also made an announcement in 2021 of its intentions to build autonomous eVTOL aircraft for military applications.

Going forward, Near Earth will provide safe landing, obstacle avoidance, and other autonomous flight technologies such as sense and avoid, navigation in a GPS-denied environment, and precision landing for Kaman’s helicopters, some of which are built to serve the United States Marine Corps.

Kaman has been making aerospace components and aircraft since as early as 1945. Said Ian Walsh, Chairman, President and CEO of Kaman, “We are excited about this opportunity to accelerate the technology development of
autonomous systems. After several years of working together on our K-MAX TITAN and most recently on KARGO UAV, taking our relationship with Near Earth to the next level will help us accelerate this important technology even faster. In an ever-changing and growing autonomy market, we are confident that our joint expertise will result in highly capable, reliable, affordable and maintainable solutions for both military and commercial
applications.”

Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth Autonomy commented, “This investment represents a major leap forward for both Kaman and Near Earth to enable the next generation of autonomous aerial logistics. Kaman has a well-deserved reputation for its robust aircraft specializing in logistics and is a fantastic partner for the development of autonomous cargo transport. We are excited at the opportunity to mature the technology for the commonplace use of autonomous aircraft for logistics across the industry.”

Why it’s important: Kaman and Near Earth Autonomy are making massive steps in laying the foundation for autonomous aircraft in the U.S and abroad. By creating autonomous and optionally piloted helicopters that are set to enter service into the military in the very near future, these companies are creating need for the software, hardware, regulations, and airspace management systems that will be required for large-scale autonomous operations including aircraft like eVTOL air taxis.

On May 21, after months of rigorous testing, the Jetson team has completed its “first-ever eVTOL commute” with its single-seater eVTOL aircraft. Jetson co-founder Tomasz Patan piloted the Jetson ONE eVTOL as the Jetson team waited for the aircraft’s arrival at the Santa Maria a Monte facility in Tuscany. The eVTOL commute reduced trip time as compared to a car by an impressive 88%.

Jetson described the flight as a breakthrough for the emerging eVTOL sector and for its own rapidly growing company.

The latest Jetson ONE version was unveiled by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco on Thursday June 9, 2022. The ceremony marked the first time Jetson ONE was seen in public since it entered the market in late October 2021.

“Our long-term goal is to democratize flight. We firmly believe the ‘eVTOL’ is the future for mass transportation. We are committed to making this a reality,” said Tomasz Patan, co-founder and CTO of Jetson.

The Jetson ONE is constructed of a race-car inspired lightweight aluminum space frame and a carbon-Kevlar composite body. It is powered by eight electric motors, has a flight time of 20 minutes, and reaches a top speed of 63 miles per hour (102 kilometers per hour). The aircraft is powered by a high discharge lithium-ion battery and can carry a pilot’s weight of 210 pounds (100kg).

“The Jetson ONE is incredibly fun to fly. Most importantly, the flight stabilization system we developed makes flight super easy. We can make anyone a pilot in less than five minutes,” said Peter Ternstrom, co-founder and president.

Why it’s important: This demonstration flight is a significant milestone for the urban air mobility industry as it proves the feasibility of near term eVTOL air taxis. While the Jetson ONE is a personal air vehicle as opposed to commercially operated, it signals to consumers and operators that the technology is ready for implementation as soon as regulations and infrastructure are established, and that eVTOL transportation has immense benefits while remaining operationally affordable.

Source // Jetson press release

Related: Jetson ONE eVTOL sold out for 2022 deliveries (March 2022)

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the company behind a new airship powered by a combination of helium and electric propulsion, has announced that Iberian Airline Air Nostrum has placed a pre-order for ten of its ‘Airlander 10’ airships. Delivery of aircraft and subsequent operations launch is expected to begin in 2026.

Hybrid Air Vehicles has been developing its airships since 2007, with this purchase from Air Nostrum as its first major order deal. Air Nostrum is one of the largest regional airlines in Europe, with initial operations for the Airlander 10 set to take place across Spain.

Above: Airlander 10’s first test flight from Cardington airfield, just outside Bedford, on 17 August 2016

Although the Airlander 10 only has a top speed of about 80mph, it would cut emissions by about 90% as compared to traditional aircraft, while simultaneously offering much more scenic views than airplanes. According to a recent press release, HAV and Nostrum airlines have conducted rigorous studies and modeling of domestic Spanish routes, as well as their associated economics.

The Airlander 10 can also stay in the air for a maximum of 5 days, giving it even greater potential for air tourism. In addition, the Airlander 10 offers a massive amount of cargo space while requiring no runway at all, which could mean a very wide range of logistics applications.

Said Carlos Bertomeu, President of Air Nostrum, “We are exploring each and every possible way to reduce our carbon footprint. This is something that we have been doing for many years. The Airlander 10 will drastically reduce emissions and for that reason we have made this agreement with HAV. Sustainability, which is good news for everyone, is already a non-negotiable fact in the daily operations of commercial aviation. Agreements such as these are a very effective way to reach the de-carbonization targets contemplated in the Fit for 55 legislative initiative.”

Tom Grundy, CEO of Hybrid Air Vehicles, commented, “Airlander is designed to deliver a better future for sustainable aviation services, enable new transport networks and provide rapid growth options for our customers. Our partnership with Air Nostrum Group, as the launch airline for Airlander 10, leads the way towards that future. As countries like France, Denmark, Norway, Spain and the UK begin to put in place ambitious mandates for the decarbonisation of domestic and short haul flight, Hybrid Air Vehicles and Air Nostrum Group are demonstrating how we can get there – and get there soon.”

Production of the Airlander 10 will begin this year in South Yorkshire UK.

Why it’s important: While the Airlander 10 cannot travel at the speeds of smaller, 4-passenger eVTOLs and has a much larger size footprint, it has a massive 100-passenger capacity while still offering ultra-low emissions and minimal infrastructure requirements. For missions like air tourism, regional transportation, or transportation of a large amount of goods to regions with fragile or limited infrastructure, the Air Lander 10 could be an excellent option. In addition, with modifications for cargo-carrying, the Airlander would be the only hybrid-electric aircraft capable of carrying payloads up to 45 tons.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) company, Overair, just announced its most recent funding of $145 million from Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Aerospace, global leaders in ultra-precision communications and aircraft technologies. With this new investment, Overair claims that it remains on track to fly its all-electric experimental prototype in the second half of 2023.

“This is a tremendous milestone for our growing team, and we’re extremely well positioned to deliver sustainable aerial ridesharing to the world through the development of Butterfly,” said Ben Tigner, Co-Founder and CEO of Overair. “We’re exactly where we want to be, building a superior aircraft company with class leading mobility technology around an unrivaled aircraft while rapidly approaching the first flight of a purpose-built prototype next year. We’ve proven Butterfly’s propulsion system, so we’ll now begin validating Butterfly’s ability to operate safely in real-world weather conditions, carry significant payloads, and fly incredibly quietly.”

Butterfly is an all-electric aircraft with six seats designed to take off and land vertically. The aircraft’s advanced propulsion system is derived from decades of military VTOL programs led by Abe Karem. Thanks to this legacy of proprietary engineering, Butterfly’s propulsion is extremely efficient and is claimed to give Butterfly the broadest flight envelope and smallest sound footprint of any aircraft in the burgeoning industry. Specifically, Butterfly’s unique Optimum Speed Propulsion (OSP) uses four large propellers, which spin slowly when hovering and even slower when cruising, and draw only a fraction of the available motor power, giving Butterfly extra payload capacity and power margins to operate safely in challenging environmental conditions. Additionally, the slow-turning props produce extraordinarily little sound, which will allow Butterfly to operate in high-density areas with noise sensitive communities.

“Hanwha’s basic principles for new business development is to focus on ‘Disruptive Innovation’ that can uproot and shift the market and technology trends based on its core capabilities. In alignment with its core capabilities as well as its main businesses, Hanwha is selecting ‘Game Changer’ businesses that it can really excel in the future, and eVTOL vehicle is one of the ‘Game changer,'” said Mr. Sungchul Eoh, CEO of Hanwha Systems. “With regard to our investment decision in Overair, we assessed that the company had the numerous patients and core technologies required to develop highly efficient, low noise vehicle. Therefore, we expected that Overair would be capable of developing superb vehicle that can satisfy the requirements for safety, efficiency, speed, low noise, and environment-friendly feature. We see the potential of Overair’s Optimum Speed Propulsion system and we will continue to work together to find synergies and bring this breakthrough technology to the world.”

As the company continues to work toward FAA certification, Overair is also working with NASA and Urban Movement Labs in Los Angeles to develop urban air mobility (UAM) routing and infrastructure. 

Why it’s important: Hanwha’s continued investment in Overair not only fuels the ongoing development of Butterfly but will also allow Overair to lay the groundwork for commercializing their mobility technology. In addition to their investment, Hanwha will also provide electric motors and battery packs for Overair’s prototypes, as the two companies expand their R&D co-operation.

Black & Veatch – a leader in sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy and transportation electrification – and Ampaire announced on Monday that they’ll collaborate on developing airport electrification that supports the electric aircraft requirements of the future.

The partnership between Black & Veatch and Ampaire was disclosed via press release Monday, and is quoted to “work to identify and evaluate opportunities to plan, engineer and construct infrastructure for electric air mobility at airports, working with early adopters in the Americas, Europe and Asia”.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding that will focus globally on creating reliable, clean-energy-powered charging and sustainable aviation fueling supply at a growing number of airports. The MoU also includes provisions for leveraging solar, energy storage and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply chain development. The initiative seeks to include a broad range of air and ground side stakeholders who will benefit from shared infrastructure and Black & Veatch’s deep knowledge of power and communications infrastructure applied to this innovative industry sector. 

“Governments, companies and communities around the world are making lowering their carbon footprints a priority, and the transportation sector is helping accelerate positive change,” added Paul Stith, Black & Veatch’s associate vice president of global transportation initiatives. “Decarbonization of aviation is challenging and requires technology and collaboration. Tackling emissions with concurrent SAF and electrification strategies offers a shining example of what’s possible in doing things cleaner and greener, and we’re excited about working with Ampaire to reshape tomorrow’s air mobility through infrastructure and innovation.” 

Ampaire has helped to lead the charge of electrified regional aircraft, among other companies such as Eviation and VoltAero. Ampaire’s modified Cessna 337 Skymaster completed a 481 miles nonstop flight from Perth, Scotland, to Exeter in southwest England in August 2021 with its “Electric EEL” aircraft. The aircraft was modified with hybrid-electric propulsion, and is cited by Ampaire as longest flight by a commercial-sized, hybrid-electric aircraft to date.

The promise of electrified air mobility continues to grow, given the environmental benefits, their reduced fuel requirements and maintenance costs, and the sector’s lesser reliance on traditional fuels prone to price and supply fluctuations. While electrification carries vast potential in unleashing a new mobility market, expanding the industry rests significantly on deploying more charging and servicing infrastructure.

Why it’s important: The partnership between Ampaire and Black & Veatch will allow for quicker progress toward a network of charging and charging support installations that give operators of electric regional and short haul aircraft the access required to efficiently turn airplanes to support multiple flights per day. These sorts of infrastructure projects would then be able to support longer journeys as well, such as BETA Technology’s recent flight of their ALIA aircraft that spanned over 1,400 miles in 7 days. With more advanced charging infrastructure, or modular, replaceable batteries, these types of journeys could be significantly shortened in duration as down time on the ground is significantly reduced.

Eve, the eVTOL development subsidiary of Embraer, has announced partnerships with Corporacíon America Airports and with Falcon Aviation Services to bring tourist and transportation flights to Dubai and cities in Latin America and Europe.

This announcement comes one month after Eve went public on the NYSE, raising an additional $377 million towards creation of this aircraft. 

Above: Rendering of the Eve eVTOL aircraft in flight over Dubai

Eve’s eVTOL aircraft will be fully electric, and able to carry four passengers plus a pilot. In the past two years, Eve has made significant progress by forming partnerships with aircraft operators all over the world, seeking to augment or even replace helicopter services at many of these companies.

On June 9th, Eve announced a partnership with Corporación América Airports, the largest private-sector airport concession operator in the world by number of airports, to ‘design and integrate a service and support ecosystem for Urban Air Mobility’ in Europe and Latin America. Together, Eve and Corporación América Airports will begin assessing the readiness of ground infrastructure for the integration of eVTOL connection services. The eventual goal of this project will be to create eVTOL infrastructure at airports that will allow for direct eVTOL transfers from commercial jet flights, so that passengers can travel directly from airports to their final destinations within major cities. Initial work will be conducted as research of the regulatory requirements and infrastructure needs at airports.

Said Martin Eurnekian, CEO of Corporación América Airports, “The next five years will probably be decisive in how we move from and through cities, and aviation will play a leading role again. Corporación América Airports has always been at the forefront of air transport services and now wants to be a key player in the UAM segment, identifying the challenges and opportunities for better operational, infrastructural and secure contexts. We want to lead the development of the UAM ecosystem, allowing mobility in the third dimension accessible to all, in a more sustainable transportation mode.”

Above: Close-up rendering of the Eve eVTOL aircraft

On June 7th, Eve also announced a partnership with Falcon Aviation Services, a leading private jet and helicopter operator in the Middle East and Africa region, for a pre-order of up to 35 of Eve’s eVTOL aircraft. With deliveries expected to start in 2026, Falcon may become one of the world’s first operators of the Eve aircraft, planning to introduce the first eVTOL services as tourism flights from Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. According to a recent press release, Eve and Falcon will work together with local stakeholders and authorities to eventually transition from tourist flight services to developing an Urban Air Mobility ecosystem for all of the United Arab Emirates.

Captain Ramandeep Oberoi, Chief Operating Officer of Falcon, said: “We are ecstatic to partner with Eve and be the first operator of eVTOL in Dubai & the MENA region. Falcon is actively engaged in Urban Air Mobility emergence and committed to delivering an effective and sustainable new urban transportation mode and providing the community with better and faster solutions. We are particularly proud to take a new step in the UAE, in a project that will be revolutionary for sustainable urban mobility.”

Why it’s important: Together, these two new partnerships will do much to drive forward Eve’s efforts to lay the groundwork for its all-electric aircraft. While other eVTOL developers have a challenge establishing their reputation as new companies, Embraer has a key advantage via its long-time expertise in aircraft development. In the last few years, Eve has been using Embraer’s excellent reputation to steadily add to its growing infrastructure partner list, strengthening the environment for the launch of its aircraft once it is certified.

Source // Eve

Related:

• Embraer’s Eve partners with Porsche Consulting to define eVTOL global strategy
• Eve Lands Order for up to 50 eVTOLs from Aviair and Helispirit
• Eve and Falko to develop Global Operator Network with a potential order for 200 eVTOLs
• Airline Sydney Seaplanes teams up with EmbraerX’s Eve to transition to eVTOLs
• Nautilus and Embraer’s UAM subsidiary Eve partner to develop eVTOL ecosystem in Australia

eSTOL (electric short take-off and landing aircraft) developer Electra.aero announced on June 8th that it has acquired Airflow, another budding eSTOL developer founded by members the Airbus Vahana project.

Both Electra.aero and Airflow in their own rights have excellent teams which were well set up for success. These two companies are top of the market for eSTOL development, and with their combined efforts, now have an even greater chance at reaching commercial readiness in the near future.

The announcement of the acquisition of Airflow by Electra came at the UP Summit, an annual gathering of leaders in transportation innovation hosted by UP.Partners.

With this acquisition, Electra is consolidating Airflow’s eSTOL business under the Electra brand. Electra will integrate Airflow’s highly experienced team, backlog of letters of intent and strategic partnerships into its own activities, which complement and strengthen Electra’s portfolio and offer future customers more expansive and competitive options to meet future needs. 

Aircraft in development by both of these companies, which will now likely be a single aircraft, utilize distributed electric propulsion in order to take off and land in distances as short as two vehicle-lengths. These all-electric aircraft, which are capable of carrying up to 9 passengers or 1800 pounds of cargo up to 500 miles per flight, seek to offer ultra infrastructure-light solutions to regional transportation.

Effectively, the take-off and landing distances of these aircraft are so short that their infrastructure requirements and flexibility can be compared to those of a traditional helicopter, while still being able to travel with the range, speed, and economics of an airplane.

Above: Rendering of the infrastructure potential of the upcoming Electra.aero eSTOL

Said Marc Ausman, co-founder and CEO of Airflow, “The Airflow team and the Electra team both have deep experience in the development and testing of battery-powered aircraft. This experience convinced us that physics and the economics both strongly favor a solution that uses a wing throughout the full flight versus a rotor-borne vertical takeoff and transition.”

When comparing his aircraft to eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft), Ausman added, “This solution offers not only lower costs but a much more straightforward path to certification than vertical lift variants.” A press release from Electra added that for applicable missions, Electra’s technology could deliver 2.5x the payload and 10x longer range at 70% lower operating costs than vertical takeoff alternatives.  

John Langford, founder and CEO of Electra stated, ““There are dozens of aspiring entrants in the AAM market. The acquisition of Airflow complements Electra’s team, our sales pipeline, and technology portfolio which will allow customers to select the best solution to their needs in a rapidly expanding market.”

Why it’s important: Although eSTOLs cannot take-off and land entirely vertically, many regional transportation missions could easily be accomplished by these electric aircraft that can take-off and land within only feet. By combining the immense expertise of these two market forerunners in eSTOL development, Electra.aero and Airflow’s technology has an even more greatly accelerated path to market. Notably, this acquisition brings Electra’s order book up to almost 800 units.

Source // Electra.aero

Related:

• Airflow Exceeds $600M in Orders for eSTOL Aircraft (August 2021)
• Airflow Selects Pipistrel for Electric Propulsion Components (November 2021)
• Electra Unveils First Product Configuration (June 2021)
• Electra Signs Contract with USAF, Joins Agility Prime Initiative (June 2021)

AutoFlight, the German/Chinese eVTOL maker, has released the second, and latest, proof-of-concept (POC) video for its air taxi Prosperity I. The new video debuts less than four months after the original POC video and includes a modified, more efficient design of Prosperity I.

In the latest design, new optimized lifting propellers allow for a higher hover efficiency, while the two pushing propellers that were previously on either side of the air taxi have been replaced with one center propeller with twin motors to enhance cruising abilities. This most recent design of Prosperity I is very close to the final design which will be released later this year.

Prosperity I was designed for transfers between parts of a city, airport commutes, connecting nearby cities, or enabling trips to the countryside while avoiding traffic on the ground. When ready for commercial flight in 2026, Autoflight expects that hour-long trips by car will be reduced to about 10 minutes with Prosperity I, without compromising safety or costing any more expensive than a car taxi ride.

AutoFlight started building POC#2 from January 2022. The production took around 3 months, with the maiden flight in April, before achieving 30+ additional transition flights in the last few weeks.

“POC#2 is a new milestone for us, and we are pleased to have achieved over 30 successful transitions in the last few weeks with a full-size aircraft. This further demonstrates the great potential of our lift & cruise configuration which combines simplicity and safety. We will encompass all these key experiences and learnings into the final, full scale design of Prosperity I which we will be revealing later this year.”, said Mark Henning, Managing Director of AutoFlight Europe.

AutoFlight CEO Tian Yu, who has over two decades of experience designing and building electric aircraft, and 300 electric aviation-related patents, said:

“We’re delighted to announce POC#2 for Prosperity I. This takes us another step towards our vision of unlocking the skies for mass individual transport in the air by creating safe, efficient eVTOL aircrafts.”

Why it matters: This milestone is the latest of a series of significant developments for AutoFlight including the establishment of a European base in Augsburg, the appointment of Mark Henning (formerly of Airbus) as its European Managing Director, and a $100 million investment from next-generation mobility investor Team Global.

Source // AutoFlight

Related:

• AutoFlight Selects its First Location in Europe (January 2022)
• AutoFlight eVTOL Startup Secures $100M Investment in Series A Funding (November 2021)
• Shanghai-based Autoflight Completes First Flight of its V1500M eVTOL Model (November 2021)

On Tuesday, June 7th at the UP.Summit, an annual gathering of leaders in future mobility hosted by investment firm UP.Partners, urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer Volocopter announced that it has achieved another important aerial mobility milestone: its fixed-winged passenger aircraft, the VoloConnect, completed its first flight in May 2022. This accomplishment makes Volocopter the only eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) developer worldwide to have an entire fleet of distinct aircraft configurations undergoing flight tests, and features entry to the regional electric aviation market of another serious contender, alongside the upcoming first flight of Eviation’s Alice and recently acquired by SurfAir’s Ampaire aircraft, along with VoltAero’s Cassio aircraft.

The VoloConnect offers further and faster journeys than any other Volocopter aircraft, with a range of over 60 mi and flight speeds above 155 mph. The passenger plane’s extended range and higher payload will bring business travelers and commuters beyond the city center on routes like Burbank to Huntington Beach in Los Angeles, CA. With the VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxi designs fulfilling demands for metropolitan flights and suburban connections in densely populated regions respectively, Volocopter is ready to serve a broader range of passengers’ flight needs. Moreover, the VoloConnect is targeting a 2026 entry into service, while the VoloCity is targeting commercial launch in 2024. 

Volocopter designed the VoloConnect and its other eVTOL aircraft to meet the highest aviation safety standards according to EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The prototype completed its first flight in May 2022 after just 17 months in the making and performed a few maneuvers for 2 minutes and 14 seconds during its first flight. The prototype has all the planned aerodynamics and performance features of the future commercial product.

The VoloConnect is a lift-and-cruise aircraft optimized for missions beyond the urban and suburban space. Keeping moving parts to a minimum, its six rotors facilitate vertical takeoff, while two electric fans in combination with uplift-creating wings ensure high forward speeds. The VoloConnect prototype is currently being put through a demanding series of flight tests to verify that the aircraft and its systems are in line with the performance limits and prepared for the subsequent development steps. This phase encompasses a raft of different tests, including standardized low-speed, transition, high-speed, and engine failure testing for automated and later autonomous flights – all standard-issue tests for an eVTOL passenger aircraft manufacturer. Within the first three test flights of this campaign, the team was able to verify a significant portion of the eVTOL’s envelope with forward speeds up to 40 mph and 28 mph sideward flight speeds during tests. The test flight envelope will be gradually opened as part of the test flight campaign over the coming weeks.

VoloConnect is poised to boost Volocopter’s total addressable UAM market, alongside its existing aircraft family members, the VoloDrone and VoloCity. When combined, these three prototypes address each portion of the aerial mobility market in short, regional/medium, and heavy haul/logistical applications.

For future services, Volocopter intends to fully integrate all three aircraft into individualized UAM ecosystems for cities and use its VoloIQ digital platform to unite all of the company’s flight operations, passenger services, maintenance, and more for a seamless mobility experience. 

Why it’s important: Volocopter’s approach to the aerial mobility market isn’t hedged on a single, one-sized fits all solution because the current technological readiness levels of various components of the aircraft make it impractical for an optimized design for all three cases. Accordingly, Volcopter’s progress on this segment of their aircraft fleet offering is an important milestone for the company, and the aerial mobility industry as whole on the road toward next generation transportation solutions.

Eve Holding, Inc., a carve-out from Embraer focused on the development of next-generation Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) solutions, announced that it has chosen Porsche Consulting, Inc. to help define the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) supply chain, global manufacturing and logistics macro strategy.

Considering advanced manufacturing research and innovation, the companies will combine their aeronautic and automotive expertise to support Eve’s implementation plan. The master services agreement that has been entered into by and between the companies includes studies on industrial operation, logistics, supply chain and parts distribution in an unprecedented approach optimized for efficiency, productivity and safety. 

The study will address scalability and distributed production as the UAM market evolves to meet projected demand. While digital transformation generates new possibilities for the industry’s use of more agile technologies focusing on business and sustainability goals, comprehensive network solutions are under consideration to meet unique industry needs. 

“We are pleased to work with a leader in the industry that can support us with strategic decision making. The UAM ecosystem is quickly evolving, and we can only achieve our goal if we spark enthusiasm for new ideas in manufacturing and supply chain areas,” said Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve. “I’m looking forward to seeing all of the new opportunities ahead, as technologies are profoundly changing industrial production.” 

“We are very proud of our new partnership with Eve, because we have the opportunity to shape the future of mobility together”, said Rudy Leutz, CEO of Porsche Consulting Ltda. “We share the same values, and with industry-leading know-how, we will be able to question and challenge all existing concepts for logistics and manufacturing. We will redesign the industrialization concept for that new aircraft based on the highest levels of efficiency, quality, safety and customer centricity!”

Why it’s important: Demand for future UAM commercial services is highly contingent on a robust and streamlined infrastructure foundation. Without a large enough threshold of available routes, and ability to efficiently transport passengers to and from their destination, aerial mobility will not be able to match revenue to meet expectations and cover operating costs. This partnership is another step in the UAM industry development that will ensure Eve’s ability to create and match consumer demand.

Source // Eve press release