Vinata Aeromobility announced yesterday that their Hybrid Powered Flying car and Air Cargo aircrafts are both set for concept reveal/launch on October 5^th in Excel London, at the world’s largest Helitech Exhibition.The company also released this teaser video of their concept: celebrating their 75th independence day:

Vinata has garnered seed stage funding with angel investor Mr. Mohan Paroha, the founder of Paroha Developers, Paroha Technologies, Paroha Reality. He has 27 years of versatile experience in Management, IT, Real estate and other business in India and Europe. He is currently working on to develop a fintech company, AR-based tryon app and to provide support to many startups along with urban Air Mobility Infrastructure Developments. Mr. Mohan Paroha shares his dream of flying cars and has therefore joined as Cofounder to support the project by Vinata Aeromobility.

With this project, Vinata Aeromobility intends on deploying their concept as early as 2023. The main focus is to harness user excitement with the intention of bringing the future closer to everyone and promoting sustainable development in the Air transport sector.

Yohg CAS  Iyer, founder & CEO, Vinata Aeromobility says, “Urban Air Mobility has been categorized into two, that is, flying passenger cars and cargo. Our passenger car is a 2 Seater Flying car Prototype and this makes it to join the largest Helitech Expo in the world. Vinata Aeromobility is also unveiling and developing a full autonomous 200Kg Payload Capacity Hybrid Air Cargo UAM which will greatly boost revenue earnings in the cargo industry.”

The Hybrid Powered car from Vinata Aeromobility weighs 1100kg and can handle a maximum takeoff weight of 1300kg. Since it has an electric battery, this aircraft type of the Hybrid Flying car is a Made in India Hybrid Electric VTOL. The Rotor Configuration of the flying car is the Co-axial quad-rotor.

Vinata Aeromobility has stated that the Hybrid Powered flying car is more sustainable and it uses Bio Fuel, and it appears that Vinata Aeromobility was very cognizant of the safety of its latest design as well. The Hybrid Powered Flying car has a Distributed Electric Propulsion which provides safety for the passengers through redundancy. The Distributed Electric Propulsion means that the flying car has multiple motors and propellers. Therefore, if one or more propellers or motors fail, the remaining propellers and motors that are still in good condition can land the flying car safely. In case there is a power interruption on the generator, the backup power will provide electricity to the motor.

The Hybrid Powered Flying car will also feature an ejection parachute, along with airbags for those in the flight deck.

Why it’s important: Vinata’s design claims follow the most popular trends in the aerial mobility industry for design at present, however they are still a concept stage company that has not completed flight tests of their aircraft. Continue to monitor Vinata’s progress as October draws nearer and their design is unveiled at Helitech in London.

Electro.Aero, a company that develops high-voltage electric aircraft chargers, recently announced the arrival of their brand new charging station, the RAP!D Aircraft Charger 200. The new charger aims to set the stage for the aerial mobility charging industry. This new product is expected to be available for 2023 delivery. 

The mission of Electra.aero is to help in reducing the environmental impact of air transportation by providing high-end chargers exclusively designed for electric aircraft, including both fixed wing and eVTOL. Their newest product, the RAP!D Aircraft Charger 200 will provide 200kW per unit of AC electric charging. The new charger can convert between AS6968, CCS2 and NACS charging standards, and features a cable spool design that will allow it to be easily moved by single person to any point on the runway.

Additionally, Electro.aero also announced that it’s making a shipping container-sized battery system, called the AEROCHARGE. This system will allow even grids without high-voltage outputs to charge electric aircraft at rates up to 400kwH, using two RAP!D Aircraft Charger 200 combined. This means, for example, that even areas with only solar or low-voltage grids will still be able to fast-charge electric aircraft at vertiports. 

Already, Electro.aero is offering delivery deals on these charging systems. The company envisions many of its initial customers to be eVTOL protypers, and light fixed-wing aircraft users like Ampaire, Pipistrel, or Electra.aero eSTOLs.

Why It’s Important: Electro.aero is one of the only companies in the world specifically dedicated to providing electric aircraft charging products. By being first to market, Electro hopes to establish itself as a global leader in this industry. The new RAP!D Aircraft Charger 200 will allow for quick recharging, and can be installed almost anywhere, giving it the potential to significantly increase access to charging stations as eVTOL and electric fixed-wing aircraft become more prevalent across the world. By being first to market, Electro.aero can lay the groundwork and create a model for more electric charging station developers in the future.

Source // Electro.aero Press Release

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Skyports Drone Services and electric autonomous aircraft manufacturer Pyka have agreed on a partnership for heavy payload drone logistics. The collaboration plans to leverage Skyports Drone Services’ extensive operational experience as well as Pyka’s heavy payload aircraft to provide heavy drone delivery services.

The partnership specifically involves Skyports Drone Services and the recently unveiled Pyka Pelican Cargo uncrewed aerial system (UAS). The large autonomous electric aircraft’s 175+ kg payload capacity and 1.85 cubic meters cargo volume significantly increases Skyports Drone Services’ payload capabilities and complements the existing lineup of UAS solutions currently utilized by the UK drone operator. Pyka’s Pelican Cargo will be deployed for a range of use cases and operations, including services for humanitarian aid, logistics and delivery companies, as well as healthcare and medical organizations.

A full flight program with Pelican Cargo will begin in early Q2 in Cornwall, UK, and will include flights for the Future Flight Challenge phase three Open Skies Cornwall project, one of four UK Research & Innovation funded projects won by Skyports Drone Services in July 2022.

The introduction of Pyka’s Pelican Cargo aircraft into the Skyports Drone Services fleet supports the company’s ambitions of implementing drone operations at scale. The substantial uplift in capacity strengthens the UK drone operator’s proposition and market position.

Alex Brown, Director, Skyports Drone Services, said: “Having a fully electric, autonomous, heavy lift cargo drone in our fleet is a real gamechanger. To date, we’ve been focused on operations with smaller, high value payloads; the introduction of the Pelican Cargo brings new capabilities and means we can now fly significant volumes of cargo long distances, connecting communities in remote areas and providing a regular, robust form of transport in and out of hard-to-reach areas. Importantly, we’re doing this now – this isn’t future gazing, it’s a ready-to-go service.”

Why it’s important: Skyports’ partnership with Pyka will facilitate additional operational experience of heavy lift drones, which will carry payloads similar to that of smaller eVTOL aircraft. Additionally, since Pyka’s heavy lift drone technology is ready for usage, Skyports and Pyka will gain valuable insights into fine tuning their operation and future scaling efforts to make a more compelling business case for this type of service to be rolled out in other areas across the globe.

Bay-area startup, MightyFly, has announced a next generation of its eVTOL prototype. The prototype dubbed, Cento, builds upon the firms previous model and is capable of carrying a 100 pound payload up to a range of 600 miles at speeds of 150 mph. Cento uses a hybrid powertrain and is able to achieve its 600-mile range without any charging.

This announcement comes less than two years after receiving $5.1M USD in seed funding and 9 months after first flight of its original eVTOL prototype. Cento features eight electrical vertical lift fans and one forward propulsion propeller. The cargo bay is 6 feet long and can carry 96 small USPS packages.

MightyFly intends to operate and maintain a fleet of Cento eVTOL cargo drones and will manage the end-to-end process of express shipping services.

“The traditional hub-and-spoke distribution model can still serve businesses that have centralized warehousing and shipping systems in place and that have experienced few logistics issues,” said Manal Habib, MightyFly CEO and co-founder. “But if there is one lesson we’ve learned from supply chain bottlenecks and logistics over the past few years, it’s that we need flexibility – to be able to adapt to various cargo volumes and expedited timing or urgencies. Medical companies, just-in-time manufacturing, and the 51% of all retailers that now provide same-day delivery need a faster and more affordable way to get their goods and perishables to the final destination.”

MightlyFly has also secured a Special Airworthiness Certificate for Cento in order to conduct long-range test flights. This will enable the company to continue development and testing of Cento ahead of certification and commercialization.

While Cento was just announced and the team began flight testing of the prototype last month, MightyFly states they are already working on a larger variant capable of carrying a 500 pound payload.

Why it matters: MightyFly has only been in the eVTOL space since 2019 but has made significant progress in its short history with relatively little funding. The development of the Cento prototype and potentially larger variants could make the company one of the first commercialized drone delivery providers if they can complete their flight test campaign and certification.

Electra.aero, a company developing an ultra short takeoff and landing aircraft, has been selected by the U.S Air Force for a Strategic Fund Increase program. This program will allow Electra.aero to partner with the U.S Air Force to raise up to $85 million through private investments, government funding, and matching Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding.

Electra.aero’s all-electric aircraft design will be able to take-off and land in ‘soccer-field’ sized spaces. According to the company, this will give the aircraft helicopter-like versatility, allowing runways to be used in far more locations.

The funding raised by the new program will go towards developing a full-scale pre-production prototype of Electra’s eSTOL aircraft. Through the program, the Air Force will both help Electra connect with additional funding, and will provide testing, evaluation, and preliminary certification of prototypes. Ultimately, the goal of the program will to utilize the Air Force’s resources to bring this aircraft to commercialization.

Electra.aero envisions the aircraft being utilized in regional air mobility, cargo logistics, executive transport, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and more. Already, Electra has received over 1,000 eSTOL aircraft orders from commercial customers around the globe.

 John S. Langford, Founder and CEO of Electra, “This STRATFI award reinforces the Air Force’s commitment to dual-use eSTOL technology as a solution for national security and other government missions, and validates Electra’s aircraft design and engineering work to date. The cost and risk advantages of eSTOL technology also make it a smart investment. We are honored to be chosen for this significant award and look forward to continuing our close collaboration with the Agility Prime team.”

Said Lieutenant Colonel John, leader of the Agility Prime Initiative at the Air Force, “It’s vital that we ensure new advanced air mobility technologies with dual-use applications are developed and manufactured here at home in the U.S. Electra’s eSTOL technology has the potential to deliver valuable logistics and mobility capabilities to the Air Force. We value our partnership with Electra and look forward to supporting their continued development and future transition.”

Why it’s Important: eSTOL (short take-off and landing aircraft) has the potential to revolutionize regional transportation. These aircraft can make air travel far more accessible for many communities by using runways at locations that were previously impossible. Additionally, by being electric, these aircraft can provide regional air transport for far less operational cost than existing airplanes. These factors combined create enormous potential for logistics businesses and travelers to use these aircraft for medium-distance transportation.

Blade Air Mobility and RedBird Capital Partners announced last week that RedBird has increased its ownership in Blade to more than 5%. Further, the announcement comes as RedBird also announces that partner Andrew Lauck will become a board observer.

RedBird’s has been invested in Blade since 2016, and collectively the RedBird and Blade teams have closely collaborated during the development and growth process of each firm.

Blade’s core operations – last mile air mobility, jet charter, and organ transplant flights – overlap with RedBird’s existing aviation portfolio, and both companies expect to be leading supporters of aviation’s eventual transition towards Electric Vertical Aircraft technology.

RedBird and Blade also plan to work together across RedBird’s portfolio to accelerate Blade’s growth objectives. RedBird’s global sports and media properties provide a natural complement to Blade’s urban air mobility solutions; the partnership could lead to establishment of an organized transportation network similar to Qatar Airway’s increased schedule frequency during the World Cup transporting fans to sporting venues en masse.

“Gerry has developed some of the most exciting platforms in aviation, sports and entertainment and the strengthening of our partnership with RedBird will allow us to supercharge our offerings to Blade fliers in the U.S and Europe,” said Rob Wiesenthal, Blade’s CEO. “The partnership will also allow us to build our fast-growing organ transplant flight business and source acquisitions that can benefit from our global brand, infrastructure and tech platform – ultimately accelerating our timeline to achieving profitability while enhancing our growth trajectory.”

“Blade is an integral part of our broader aviation investment strategy which looks to benefit from current aviation market growth as well as future disruption from the transition of helicopters to Electric Vertical Aircraft,” said Gerry Cardinale, RedBird Founder and Managing Partner.

Why it’s important: The increased investment in BLADE Aerial Mobility by Redbird allows the companies to collaborate and leverage one another’s expertise, while setting the stage for future use cases for aerial mobility aircraft and further strengthening BLADE’s balance sheet. The long time collaboration by CEOs of each company should also help the integration period as Lauck observes Board proceedings and likely holds discussions on preference for future company plans.

Marubeni, a Japanese industrial development company, has signed a deal to purchase 25 eVTOL aircraft from Vertical Aerospace, with options to purchase 200 in total.

Marubeni has ambitious plans to develop Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) networks throughout Japan, and other areas in Asia. Already, the company has conducted a proof-of-conceptions operation in Osaka, Japan, using traditional helicopters. It also has begun making pre-delivery payments on eVTOL aircraft from Vertical.

The two companies have formed a joint working group to plan how eVTOL aircraft and infrastructure can best be integrated into Japan’s existing transportation network.

In particular, Marubeni hopes to launch Aerial Mobility services using Vertical’s eVTOL at the Osaka World Expo 2025. To prepare for the event, the company conducted trials of flights from Osaka heliport to Wakayama using existing helicopters at future expected AAM service prices, to prove the concept for these future services.

Throughout the demonstration trials in Osaka, Marubeni began addressing public awareness, acceptance, and requirements for future eVTOL services in the prefecture.

Satoshi Takechi, general manager, Aviation, Space & Defense Department at Marubeni, said: “I am confident that our continued joint efforts with Vertical Aerospace, such as evaluating the requirements for eVTOL operations and engaging the potential partners under the Joint Working Group, together with this new agreement, will accelerate the development of the AAM market in Japan. Marubeni will further enhance activities to materialise our business, which aims to make air travel more accessible and convenient, while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation measures, including low-carbon and decarbonisation initiatives.”

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical founder and CEO, said: “We are delighted to have reached the next milestone in our partnership with Marubeni. Japan is a wonderful country which is embracing the promise of eVTOL, as it will connect cities and regions like never before. We look forward to our joint efforts to build the ecosystem for zero-emissions travel in Japan.”

Why it’s important: The interest and collaboration of Marubeni with Vertical Aerospace further confirms Japan as high-potential launch market for eVTOL operations and overall aerial mobility. Notably, this agreement has made Marubeni the first Japanese company to make a major pre-purchase for eVTOL aircraft from Vertical Aerospace, joining American companies like American Airlines.

Source // Vertical Aerospace

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