Results for: cora

After recently announcing plans to conduct flight trials in New Zealand, the aspiring air taxi company Wisk has released details regarding the Cora, its autonomous electric air taxi vehicle.

The Cora is a two-seat autonomous aircraft powered by twelve boom-mounted independent lifting propellers enabling vertical flight. Designed to be autonomous from the start, Wisk CEO Gary Gysin emphasized the focus on safety for the development of the pilotless vehicle. “It also has a parachute recovery system,” said Gysin, “It is one of several safety aspects of the design. Whenever we fly along a route we always have multiple emergency landing spots and, being able to land anywhere, you have space everywhere in an emergency. And as a last resort we also have the emergency parachute—there is no single design point of failure.”

The Cora air taxi

Gysin and Wisk are aiming for a market niche centered around the two-seater design. “We are going straight to self-flying with two seats, so it is not optionally piloted”, said Gysin, “The sweet spot is anywhere from 30-to-60 mile range with reserves and 100 kt.-plus in speed. But based on the analysis we’ve done from a commuter perspective, when we are attacking that kind of market most of it says you are looking at 1.6 to 1.7 riders per vehicle. Clearly that data comes from the auto market, but we think that extrapolates into this market.” 

Wisk is a partner in the New Zealand government’s Airspace Integration Trials program, and the Cora will be certified by the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority, which has been working with Wisk and its predecessor companies for several years. “We have a certification basis to fly already and we are finishing that up and hope to get that soon,” Gysin said. “We have made a conscious decision not to give certain dates. We will fly when it’s safe and we are certified.” 

Why it’s important: Backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, Wisk and the Cora are in the running for one of the most anticipated air taxi rideshare services in the coming decade. With several conscious decisions made about how design of the Cora differs from other eVTOLs, the success of Wisk could help define how aerial mobility fills a market niche for transportation.

Source // Aviation Week

Related:

Wisk and New Zealand Government Partner for Autonomous Air Taxi Trials

Earlier this year, CityAirbus eVTOL demonstrated its first untethered flight. Only weeks later, the company has announced it successfully completed its first autonomous flight. This is an extraordinary accomplishment for Airbus as it seeks to bring its aerial mobility prototype to market and demonstrates the ability to fly without an operator on-board. Nonetheless, the company states it plans to initially operate the vehicle with a pilot on-board for “mainly for psychological reasons,” an Airbus spokesperson said.

A recently published YouTube video, shown below, demonstrates the vehicles is able to takeoff, hover, and land all with the push of a single button. While Airbus has only demonstrated these simple maneuvers, the company intends to conduct more extensive flight testing at its Airbus Helicopters facility in Manching, Germany.

“We will extend the flight envelope of the aircraft, so we will fly forward and we will fly at medium and higher speeds than we did here in Donauwörth. There we have a secured area to do this kind of flight envelope expansion we need to do,” Bebesel says.

CityAirbus marks the second full-scale eVTOL prototype revealed by the company following its successful completion of a 138-flight test program with its Vahana eVTOL vehicle.

Why it matters: CityAirbus marks the second full-scale eVTOL prototype from the company, after Airbus Vahana. With demonstrated flight tests in both piloted and autonomous regimes, Airbus promises to be adaptable to current and future market demands in aerial mobility. If all goes well, the current prototype will continue flight testing for the remainder of the year in order to demonstrate the ability to perform safe operations without the need for an operator.

The state of New Hampshire will become the first in the United States to pass legislation that officially regulates and authorizes the use of flying cars on public roads. However, the bill specifically targets “flying cars”, meaning that many of the vehicles in development in the aerial mobility industry may not apply to this definition. New Hampshire’s landmark bill refers to what it calls “roadable aircraft”, or “Any aircraft capable of taking off and landing from a suitable airfield which is also designed to be driven on public roadways as a conveyance.” Owners will also be required to have a valid aircraft registration, conduct personal inspections, and pay a $2000 USD municipal registration permit fee. The legislation also establishes a commission to further “study the on road usage of non-traditional motor vehicles, such as all terrain vehicles and golf carts.”

PAL-V’s Liberty, an example of the “roadable aircraft” as defined by New Hampshire’s bill.

New Hampshire’s bill will most likely refer to vehicles such as PAL-V’s Liberty or Terrafugia’s Transition, where the key distinction from eVTOLs will be the ability to drive on public roads. Most eVTOLs are more similar to helicopters rather than cars, and while both eVTOLs and “roadable aircraft” will be able to offer taxi services, eVTOLs will not use public roads or require runways to take off. As such, New Hampshire’s bill may have little to no impact on the vast majority of the aerial mobility industry. 

Terrafugia’s Transition

Why it’s important: Even if New Hampshire’s landmark bill results in little to no effect on the eVTOL industry, the fact remains that the state becomes the first to officially address and legislate the existence of “non-traditional motor vehicles”, or flying cars. Considering that vehicles such as PAL-V’s Liberty is due to reach FAA certification by next year, the first real world method of traffic decongestion may come from “roadable aircraft”, which at worst could be a stepping stone to more futuristic mobility solutions, and at best could be a very real competitor and relative to the eVTOL industry. 

Source // Aviation Today

WISK, the company behind the WISK Cora autonomous electric air taxi, has announced that Eric Johnson has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Engineering and will serve on the company’s Executive Leadership Team.

The WISK CORA autonomous electric air taxi in flight

WISK, a project resulting from collaboration between air taxi developer KittyHawk, aviation giant Boeing, and the New Zealand government, is now one of the world’s most advanced air taxi companies. Automated airspace integration testing has already begun in New Zealand, and commercial operations in the country are planned to begin within five years, putting WISK in an excellent position to be one of the first air taxi companies in full operation.

Prior to joining WISK, Eric Johnson was a Chief Engineer supporting Boeing NeXt, where he directed the engineering development and product safety for a joint team. Eric also served as Product Development Chief Engineer for the Boeing 777X program and Chief Engineer and Airplane Level Integration Team Leader for the 777-8 program, and has held multiple management and engineering positions in Airplane Safety, Electromagnetic Effects, Flight Sciences, Flight Test, Certification and Sales.

At WISK, Johnson will be responsible for executing the company’s technical vision and roadmap, overseeing the development of current and future aircraft, and directing Wisk’s software, hardware, systems engineering, flight test, certification and product management teams.

Said Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk: ““We are thrilled to have Eric join us. (He) brings strong technical and problem-solving skills with a long history in delivering certified platforms to the commercial marketplace. His demonstrated leadership in innovative aircraft development, integration, certification, testing, and customer engagement is a great benefit to us as we move forward.”

New WISK Senior Vice President of Engineering Eric Johnson

“I’m thrilled to be joining a company that’s shaping the future of the UAM   space,” said Johnson. “Wisk’s greatest strengths are its people, it’s safety-   first culture and its commitment to innovation. I’m proud to now be part of the team that will make safe, everyday flight a reality.” –Eric Johnson

Why it’s important: With this latest hire, WISK adds to its growing team of aviation industry experts that are ready to make autonomous, electric, everyday flight in New Zealand and elsewhere a reality. Combined with the other recent add of Pete Kunz (Chief Technologist for Boeing NeXt) to its board, WISK indicates its intent to grow as well as Boeing’s strong direction of resources towards the WISK project.

Related:

• Wisk Adds Dr. Pete Kunz to its Board
• Wisk Resumes Flight Tests
• Wisk’s Newest Details on the Cora Air Taxi

Source // WISK

EHang announced on July 31st the launch of the world’s first large-payload aerial firefighting system.  EHang converted its popular 216 model autonomous air vehicle (AAV) to a firefighting version, named the EHang 216F, which is specially designed for high-rise firefighting.  The decision to tailor the design to high-rise firefighting applications is indicative of the common use cases within China, a country with tens of thousands of high rise buildings.

EHang revealed the 216F at a launch in Yunfu, China, and demonstrated its capability to extinguish a high-rise fire.  Since the EHang 216F has a maximum flight altitude of 600 meters, and can carry up to 150 liters of firefighting foams and 6 fire extinguisher bombs in a single trip, the 216F is a viable urban firefighting vehicle that is ready for application today.  Visible light zoom cameras provide fire location functionality, after which the aircraft hovers in position and uses a laser aiming device to fire (in succession) a window breaker, the fire extinguishing “bombs” and then a full-range spray of firefighting foam.  Ehang also noted that multiple 216F’s could be deployed simultaneously for a more comprehensive response.

A fire station with traditional ground based firefighting systems and EHang 216F’s. Image // EHang

EHang’s Founder, Chairman and CEO, Huazhi Hu said, “We are pleased to introduce the EHang 216F AAV aerial firefighting solution, which solves difficult challenges in high-rise firefighting.  The high-rise fire use case highlights the practical application of our passenger-grade AAV platform to different smart city management needs.  The potential of our intelligent AAV technology platform is boundless.  We will explore and develop more aerial solutions and use cases to empower smart cities.”

Accelerating urbanization and building density are increasing fire hazards and creating more difficulties in firefighting.  According to a survey by China Fire Magazine, 233,000 fires were reported nationwide in 2019, among which 6,974 cases happened in high-rise buildings with a year-on-year growth of 10.6%.

EHang intends for 216F’s to be deployed in urban fire stations to assist in firefighting within a 5km radius of those stations.  Due to the autonomous nature of the 216F, a fleet of EHang 216Fs will be able to dispatch remotely for first response, in many cases prior to the arrival of firefighters. This reduction in response time is crucial to saving lives.

While not commonly broadcast, high-rise fires represent a growing problem with acceleration of urbanization, and the current existing firefighting technologies are not readily tuned for application in fires above 50m – the height of fire rescue ladders and the reach of fire nozzles are 50 meters at maximum, and ladders are not easily moved from one face of the building to another.  Traffic also adds to the response time of ground-based firefighting services.

Why it’s important: EHang is the first company within the aerial mobility industry to devote significant resources to creating a firefighting solution based off of their existing eVTOL technology, a novel use case that emphasizes the benefits of a rapidly deployed, autonomous, and reconfigurable platform. Especially in urban areas, the response time of the 216F would likely surpass that of any fire department for a high-rise fire, and multiple 216F’s deployed concurrently would enable effective firefighting. While the classic use case of on-demand transportation is most commonly imagined within the aerial mobility realm, anterior use cases such as firefighting may grow to consume more of the lions’ share of investment within the industry, at least early on, due to the immediate benefit and value proposition of such solutions.

Source // EHang Press Release

According to local news sources, board members of Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority met virtually last week to discuss the future of transportation for the area, after being pitched by German air taxi developer Lilium. According to Lilium, flights could carry passengers from Tampa to St. Petersberg in 8 minutes. This journey that could help ease traffic over the two bridges over Old Tampa Bay that currently connect the two cities. The distance of the flight would be about 25 miles, and would cost passengers $90 per seat (significantly cheaper than existing helicopter options).

The potential Lilium route in the Tampa Bay Area

Said Chris Jadick, Director of Communications for the Tampa Transit Authority:
“We have real transit needs now…TBARTA is looking toward future transit innovation technology such as air taxis that are really going to define how we travel in the decades to come. One of the things they say is, look, if we can make that flight at eight minutes and it takes a taxi 35 to 45 minutes to do the same thing, we’re going to be more efficient because we can do more flights in less time.”

Jadick also mentioned the potential for autonomous operations in the area saying, “…as technology develops, if we get to autonomous vehicles that do not require a pilot, that too is going to bring the cost down.”

Ultimately, The TBARTA board made a motion to move forward in learning more from Lilium. A representative said: “We’d like to get more information. We’d like to report at our next board meeting on what it would take to do a pilot study”. According to the TBARTA, Lililum was asked when it might be able to launch initial operations, and the company responded with an estimate of 2025.

Notably, Lilium is not the first aerial mobility company to get involved in Florida. Prior to COVID-19, BLADE Air Mobility (which already provides by-the-seat helicopter charters throughout the U.S) had planned an entire sea-to-shore transport route to support tourists visiting Miami for events like the Super Bowl, Art Basel, and the Miami Open. In addition, real estate companies like Royal Palms have begun including rooftop vertiorts in the designs for their upcoming buildings, such as the Paramount Miami Worldcenter.

The concept for a vertiport on the rooftop of the Paramount Miami Worldcenter

Why it’s important: This pitch in Tampa by Lilium represents the company’s first reported effort into developing air taxis in an area other than Europe. Although Lilium has yet to report how many U.S cities it has approached, this development from Tampa is a strong indicator of its intention to enter the aerial mobility market in the U.S.

EHang has announced its EHang 216 prototype has obtained a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) issued by the Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), the civil aviation authority in Canada. This is another milestone in regulatory breakthroughs for EHang 216 and the first of this kind permit for periodic operations of passenger-grade AAVs in North America.

EHang was invited to showcase its EHang 216 at International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s 75th Anniversary ceremony in Québec, Canada.

With the certificate, trial flights of EHang 216 AAVs can be routinely conducted in Québec province. Last September, EHang was invited to showcase its EHang 216 at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s 75^th Anniversary ceremony in Québec, Canada. The EHang 216 AAV was highly appraised by ICAO and many aviation authorities from different countries. This achievement is an important foundation for future urban air mobility (UAM) operations in Canada.

Huazhi Hu, CEO of EHang

EHang Founder, Chairman and CEO, Huazhi Hu said, “We are pleased to see the EHang 216 receiving such an important certificate from the TCCA, following consecutive flight approvals received from aviation authorities in different countries, including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. It conveys a positive signal from global regulators to establish a supportive and sustainable regulatory environment for the UAM industry. As a leader in the industry, EHang will continue to work with our customers and partners to provide safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility solutions to the world.”

Why it matters: EHang’s approval to operate in Canada marks its breakthrough into the Western aerial mobility space and makes it a serious competitor against many common names in the industry. Throughout the past year, EHang has demonstrated an ability to partner with regulatory agencies within China and across the globe to deliver its products to customers everywhere. Expect to see more from the company as they conduct more test flights and seek certification and entry into service.

BAE Systems, an industry leader in electronic aircraft controls, has set its sights on the future by beginning to develop lighter and smarter than ever fly-by-wire systems for hybrid and all-electric aircraft. Partnerships have already been made between BAE Systems and multiple electric aviation and eVTOL air taxi companies such as Uber Elevate partner Jaunt Air Mobility and electric jet startup Wright Electric. Today, BAE claims that it has been able to make fly-by-wire systems that are 40% lighter than those of just five years ago.

An electric commercial jet concept by Wright Aviation, which may feature flight control electronics developed by BAE Systems.

Fly-by-wire controls use sensors and computers to translate pilot inputs into commands.

BAE Systems first introduced fly-by-wire technology to military aircraft nearly five decades ago with both the F-16 and F-18, which flew in the mid-1970s. It later introduced the technology on commercial aircraft, designing the first complete commercial fly-by-wire system for the Boeing 777 in 1994. Most recently, BAE’s flight controls have enabled the first flights of the AW-609 (a privatized version of the military VTOL V-22 Osprey), as well as aircraft like the B525 Relentless helicopter and the Boeing 777X long-range commercial jet.

The Jaunt Air Mobility eVTOL, which may feature electronic flight control systems by BAE Systems.

Why it’s important: Flight controls represent an integral part of VTOL systems, especially as higher levels of autonomy are coming into aircraft design. Fly-by-wire systems are suddenly becoming a more competitive space for new aircraft, as signaled by competing aerospace company Honeywell also beginning to develop fly-by-wire systems specifically for eVTOL air taxis. BAE has already begun working with multiple electric aircraft companies to develop flight controls that are light and compact enough to be effective in all types of new aircraft ranging from hybrid electric to eVTOL to electric commercial aircraft. As the world of aerial mobility grows, BAE is already working to make an important corner for itself within it.