Embraer has concluded a series of experimental flights in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil per a company news release, focused on evaluating new autonomous system technologies in real flight conditions. The goal is to enable safe autonomous operation in complex urban environments.

The aerial data collection and real-time evaluation of autonomous flight technologies in urban scenarios used traditional piloted helicopters as part of the Embraer Autonomous Systems project (“Project EASy”), which uses agile testing processes for the development of solutions that will enable autonomous aviation in the near future.

Embraer worked with Eve, an Embraer company dedicated to accelerating the Urban Air Mobility ecosystem, and in direct collaboration with partners Daedalean, Iris Automation and Near Earth Autonomy for seven full days. During this time, the companies explored nominal and edge-case scenarios for take-off, climb, cruise, approach and landing flight phases. The helicopters from Helisul Aviação, an Eve partner for UAM development in Brazil, were controlled by professional pilots at all times while systems captured data and performed real-time calculations.

“This project allowed us to evaluate technologies in real-time and also collect lots of data that will later be used in simulations,” said Julio Bolzani, Head of Autonomous Systems at Embraer. “It is important to note that we are not going straight to fully autonomous operations. As Eve begins operations, pilots will be on board and will also benefit from the application of these technologies through a safer and simplified vehicle operation until we reach a fully certified autonomous flight system for Urban Air Mobility.”

This experimental process is also connected to the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) coordinated by Eve since 2021, in cooperation with strategic partners and government entities to convert this acquired knowledge into working data and analysis framework to guide all operational aspects of the future of urban aerial mobility.

See Embraer’s full vision for urban aerial mobility below:

“All information and data raised in this project, as well as the technical solutions under development, will set the path for fully autonomous flight of eVTOLs in the future,” said Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve. “We are thrilled with all operational aspects exercised and data acquired in this project and its direct connection to our CONOPS. These are solid steps for safely introducing future autonomous operations and accelerating the affordability and growth of the UAM market.”

Why it matters: Embraer’s Eve eVTOL has already amassed impressive orders from BLADE and other eVTOL operators. Given recent partnerships, Eve is poised to be the leading eVTOL manufacturer in Central and South America, with the potential to compete against American and European counterparts. Eve has yet to build and fly its prototype, but this series of demonstrations of their autonomous technologies should bring them one major step closer.

With this latest agreement, Sydney Seaplanes has ordered 50 Eve aircraft from Embraer, and has furthered Sydney’s progress towards 100% electric flight in tourism and commuter flights.

EmbraerX’s ‘Eve’ eVTOL rendered flying over Sydney’s main harbor

Sydney Seaplanes, the largest seaplane operator in Australia, has made a massive commitment to the future of Sydney’s aviation by placing a pre-order for 50 of EmbraerX’s ‘Eve’ eVTOLs, and by partnering with Embraer to begin integrating air taxi operations into Greater Sydney.

The combination tourism and commuter airline has been offering flights out of Sydney Harbor since 2005, starting with a single de Haviland Beaver, and has worked its way up to serving over 27,000 passengers per year.

Said Aaron Shaw, CEO of Sydney Seaplanes, “Eve’s eVTOL technology will integrate seamlessly with our electric amphibious fleet to deliver a range of tourism and commuter journeys. Subject to community consultation, we expect some flights will operate from our iconic Rose Bay aviation terminal in Sydney Harbour. This service will have a widespread appeal which will allow us to open new routes beyond the Harbour and throughout the greater Sydney region”.

A Sydney Seaplanes aircraft flies over Sydney’s main harbor, offering both schenic and commuter flights.

Andre Stein, President & CEO of Eve Urban Air Mobility stated, “We are pleased to support Sydney Seaplanes as they seek to bring new mobility solutions to Sydney. The Greater Sydney market offers significant potential for scaled Urban Air Mobility operations, to make the most of the iconic beauty of Sydney Harbour and to improve the efficiency of movement to complement existing transport modes. Eve will support this new partnership with comprehensive solutions for aircraft operations including air traffic management solutions, maintenance, training, and other services.”

Notably, this is not the first partnership Eve has made with an Australian company. Just this month, eve also partnered with Northern Australia’s largest helicopter operator, Nautilus Aviation, also to begin integrating Eve aircraft into its fleet. In addition, Skyportz and Australian helicopter operator Microflite have also established a partnership to begin building advanced air mobility solutions for Australia, which will likely support eVTOL and electric aircraft efforts.

Initial develiveries of Eve eVTOL aircraft to Sydney Seaplanes are expected to begin by 2026.

Why it’s important: In creating a significant partnership with Sydney Seaplanes, EmbraerX’s Eve has further established roots in Australia to build its vision for aerial mobility in the country. With Australia giving such a positive reception and even governmental efforts toward all-electric flight solutions, Eve can optimistically hope to begin its first air taxi offerings in Greater Sydney.

Source // Sydney Seaplanes, Eve Air Mobility

Related:

• Nautilus and Embraer’s UAM subsidiary Eve partner to develop eVTOL ecosystem in Australia
• Skyportz and Microflite to Collaborate on Establishing Australian Vertiport Network
• Skyportz Partners with Parking Australia for Flying Taxi Infrastructure
• Avantto orders 100 eVTOL aircraft from Embraer subsidiary Eve

Eve Urban Air Mobility, a subsidiary of Embraer, and Aviation Management Services – Serviços Aeronáuticos Ltda (“Avantto”) have signed a Letter of Intention and announced a partnership aimed at developing the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem in Latin America. This partnership includes an order for 100 of Eve’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, as well as a collaboration to develop a new eVTOL operation in Brazil and across Latin America. Deliveries are expected to start in 2026.

Avantto and Eve will collaborate to develop new services and procedures that, together with communities and other industry stakeholders, can create a safe and scalable environment for eVTOL operations to expand. These efforts will focus on critical aspects of the passenger experience in order to design for all users, including how to maximize accessibility and inclusiveness in vertiports and eVTOL boarding operations.

Related: Ascent Partners with Embraer for 100 Eve eVTOLs

“Avantto has been a great partner for Embraer Executive Jets, and we are reinforcing this bond with a shared focus on sustainability in this next generation of transportation. The strength of Avantto’s experience in operations, coupled with their growth strategy, make an ideal partner for the future expansion of Eve’s eVTOL deployment in Brazil and across Latin America. We will work together to make sure we continue our mission to democratize aviation through increasing accessibility and affordability,” said Andre Stein, President & CEO of Eve.

Eve’s zero-emission and low noise eVTOL represents a simple and intuitive design that continues to reach development milestones, including the first flight of the engineering simulator in July 2020, and a proof of concept in October 2020. Additionally, Eve’s Urban Air Traffic Management project reached a new milestone in its collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to develop a scalable environment needed to host UAM flights.

Why it’s important: Avantto has over a decade of experience developing unique software, systems, and procedures enabling the company to offer 24/7 on-call flight services for short-haul intra-city helicopter transportation to its hundreds of active members. In parallel with Embraer’s more than 50-year history of aircraft manufacturing and certification expertise, this exclusive know-how will be pivotal in the success of the EVE/Avantto partnership.

Source // Eve press release

Bristow Group is one of the world’s leading operators of helicopters provided for government and civil organizations worldwide, oil and gas customers needing offshore transportation, and search and rescue aircraft support. Its current fleet includes approximately 240 of the helicopter industry’s most modern aircraft, providing services in areas like Africa, the Americas, Australia, and several countries in Europe.

The Vertical Aerospace VA-X4 (Left) and EmbraerX’s Eve eVTOL (right) featured with Bristow’s signature branding.

Both Vertical Aerospace and EmbraerX have started to see more and more traction within the last year. After unveiling the VA-X4, Vertical Aerospace went public with a $2.2bn merger and formed partnerships with American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Avalan. Meanwhile, EmbraerX’s Eve division with Ascent Air Mobility for operations in the Asia-Pacific Region, and with popular urban air mobility provider BLADE Urban Air Mobility in the U.S, which currently provides urban transportation using helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

Now, both companies have added yet another massive pre-order set and key partner to their growing lists. Bristow Group represents a major segment of vertical air transportation the world over. Bristow has signed an MoU with Vertical Aerospace for up to 50 eVTOL aircraft, and will not only purchase these aircraft from Vertical once available, but also will also aid Vertical with regulatory certification, infrastructure, and environmental requirements for the VA-X4. With EmbraerX, Bristow placed an order for up to 100 eVTOL aircraft, and will assist Embraer with operations development, vertiport design, regulatory development, and even autonomous operations development. According to Bristol, it will use both Vertical and EmbraerX’s new aircraft to expand into new markets for the company, including a focus on commercial air taxi flight operations.

Example of Bristow’s current large helicopter fleet

Said Bristow President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Bradshaw, “Our MOU with Vertical allows us to build upon our leadership position in the vertical transportation market for the past 70+ years and now sets the stage for the disruptive advantages of the VA-X4 with its zero carbon emissions and low operating costs for passenger transport. Our expansion into these new and existing geographic markets with sustainable, innovative and efficient vertical lift and aerial transport services will offer passengers superior regional air mobility solutions” (September 21st, 2021).

He added, “The strategic MOU (with Eve) outlines the continued development of a comprehensive UAM model between Bristow and Eve for an eVTOL that could potentially reshape the market for all electric vertical lift with zero-emissions and lower operating costs. This allows us to expand our expertise to provide sustainable, innovative and efficient vertical lift into new potential end markets” (September 23rd, 2021)

Why it’s important: With this move, Bristow is signaling its intention to transition from traditional helicopters to all-electric eVTOLs. It has demonstrated this commitment by not only placing orders, but also by partnering with Vertical and Embraer for infrastructure and regulatory development. In addition, with this move, the company is announcing its plans to expand from its current operations into the commercial eVTOL air taxi market, thus marking itself as another key company in the playing field of eVTOL air taxi operators.

Source // Bristow Group

Related:

• Vertical Aerospace to go Public with a $2.2b Merger
• Ascent Partners with Embraer for 100 Eve eVTOLs
• EmbraerX’s Eve to Provide BLADE with up to 60 eVTOL Aircraft

Blade Air Mobility, Inc. (“Blade”, NASDAQ: BLDE) and Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Inc. (“Eve”), a subsidiary of Embraer S.A. (“Embraer,” NYSE: ERJ), have announced an arrangement for Eve to provide Blade up to 60,000 hours of flight time per year on its EVA (electric vertical aircraft) beginning in 2026 for use in Southern Florida and West Coast markets.

Eve’s concept aircraft. Proof of concept prototype took flight in October 2020.

This marks Eve’s second partnership with an aerial mobility operator, having recently partnered with Ascent Urban Air Mobility for markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The aircraft’s design is impressive, with 8 vertical lift propellers, 2 pusher propellers, and room for 4 passengers plus a pilot. Dedicated thought was given to the aircraft’s aerodynamic design and cabin, giving it a fixed wing to increase range in forward flight, and an accessible and spacious cabin for passengers.

As an organization, Eve offers both its aircraft,and its Urban Air Traffic Management system, which recently reached a new milestone in its collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority to develop a scalable environment needed to host UAM flights.

Eve plans to deploy, together with local partners, up to 60 aircraft for Blade’s use throughout the United States beginning in 2026. Blade will pay for flight time utilized on Eve’s aircraft, which will be made available by Eve and other third-parties. The deployment of Eve aircraft across the Blade network is subject to the parties entering into definitive final agreements.

Said Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade: “Blade is pleased to partner with Eve, leveraging Embraer’s deep aerospace expertise to provide Blade with quiet, zero-carbon, electric aircraft. Eve’s aircraft provides ideal operating economics for Blade’s shorter distance routes, adding to our three other recently announced EVA partnerships which, together, can optimize service for Blade’s wide variety of mission profiles and regional hubs.”

Said  Andre Stein, President & CEO of Eve: “Blade is aligned with our mission as they have created a platform that provides the user seamless access to Urban Air Mobility, and now with Eve to provide an experience that is quiet and without emissions. The company’s platform will be instrumental in deploying our aircraft in key markets in South Florida and the West Coast of the United States. This partnership with Blade is the next step in unlocking the future of mobility in these key areas and marks an exciting time for both companies.”

Why it’s important: The partnership with Eve represents BLADE’s third agreement with an eVTOL development and manufacturing partner, and its fourth with electric aircraft developers overall. Other notable partners for aircraft include Beta Technologies, MagniX, and Wisk. With this announcement, BLADE adds Embraer, an aircraft developer with over 50 years of experience, to its upcoming repertoire of aircraft providers. Through these partnerships, BLADE positions itself as a foremost service provider for the rapidly approaching electric aerial mobility market.

Source // BLADE Air Mobility

Related:

• Blade Partners with magniX for Electrification of Lima Cessnas
• Wisk and BLADE Partner for Key UAM Routes
• BLADE Announces Deal for Operator’s Order of up to 20 BETA EVA’s
• EmbraerX’s Eve Urban Air Mobility Partners with Ascent for Asia-Pacific Market Entry

Eve, the eVTOL project of the EmbraerX urban air mobility initiative, has officially announced a partnership with Ascent, an urban air mobility ecosystem developer, to grow aerial mobility networks in the Asia-Pacific markets.

The EmbraerX ‘Eve’ eVTOL aircraft, which is already being prototyped.

EmbraerX initially announced its unnamed eVTOL project at Uber Elevate 2018, and has since dubbed the aircraft and the program, ‘Eve’. The aircraft’s design is impressive and professional, with 8 vertical lift propellers, 2 pusher propellers, and room for 4 passengers plus a pilot. Dedicated thought was given to the aircraft’s aerodynamic design and cabin, giving it a fixed wing to increase range in forward flight, and an accessible and spacious cabin for passengers.

Ascent meanwhile is a dedicated developer of of aerial mobility technology on the infrastructure and customer side, already offering affordable by-the-seat bookings and operations management for traditional helicopter air taxis. Ascent’s goal is to use new technologies to make cities more connected by moving people seamlessly by air, using ‘helicopters today and eVTOLs in the future’. With a similar business model to BLADE Urban Air Mobility, Ascent recently launched helicopter air taxi services both in Thailand and in the Philippines.

Ascent Founders Darren Tng and Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff pose with one of the helicopters in their fleet.

According to a recent press release, the partnership between Ascent and Eve aims the progressive integration of Eve eVTOLs into Ascent’s growing technology platform, which offers air taxi, cargo and air medical services in the Asia-Pacific region. Ascent currently maintains a database of air operator partners that are dedicated to UAM operations throughout Thailand and the Philippines, and is set to expand its presence in the region. Additionally, both EmbraerX and Ascent expect that Eve´s Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) services will be fully integrated into Ascent technology to ensure secure and scalable operations.

Said Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, Founder & CEO of Ascent, “This partnership with Eve is a leap forward for Ascent toward achieving our ambition to democratize sustainable urban air mobility. Joining forces with Eve, and by extension counting with the active support from the Embraer Group, will enable us to accelerate our development for a larger impact, secure the entry of market-fit all-electric aircraft, and  provide safe and secure operations at scale thanks to urban air traffic management integration”

Said Andre Stein, President & CEO of Eve Urban Air Mobility, “We are pleased to announce this partnership with Ascent as it aligns with our strategy to develop the urban air mobility ecosystem through collaborative efforts and to be a truly global player. Armed with Ascent’s data and platform, we will be well positioned to enter into the Asia Pacific market. On our end, we are committed to supporting Ascent’s growth and its ambition to democratize air mobility.”

Why it’s important: This announcement is yet another representation of the industry’s speedy shift of focus from vehicle creation to commercial operations development. As eVTOL developers the world over are moving closer to certifying their aircraft for commercial flight, some of these companies, such as EmbraerX, are turning to local operators and brokers like BLADE and Ascent to assist in market entry. As the world approaches a full launch of aerial mobility services, keep an eye on these evolving companies as they continue to develop business structures and partnerships that will enable success.

Source // EmbraerX, Ascent

Related: 

• Ascent Urban Air Mobility Announces Launch in Thailand
• Joby Aviation Announces Infrastructure Partnership With Largest Mobility Hub Operator in North America
• BLADE Announces Deal for Operator’s Order of up to 20 BETA EVA’s

Embraer announced the formation of Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Inc. (Eve) on October 15th. Eve is an independent company dedicated to accelerating the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem, according to Embraer’s press release.

The announcement characterizes Eve as more than just a eVTOL manufacturer – the company is developing a full portfolio of solutions to enable the UAM market. One component of that development is the progression and certification of the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL), in addition to the associated services/support network, and the creation of urban air traffic management solutions.

André Stein, former head of strategy for EmbraerX, has been appointed CEO of Eve. The company was incubated for four years within EmbraerX. “We value the vast potential of the UAM market, as it represents a new business segment in which we foresee significant opportunities for Embraer. Innovation and diversification are key pillars of Embraer’s new strategic plan, which will increase revenue and improve profitability over the next few years,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer. “That is why I am eager to announce Eve, the first company to graduate from EmbraerX.

EmbraerX has been part of the Uber Elevate Network since its inception in 2017, as part of the company’s initiative to accelerate the UAM revolution, “Eve’s launch is an important next step in commercializing Embraer’s eVTOL designs while building on Embraer’s ability to design, certify, and deliver safe, globally-accepted aircraft. We look forward to our continued partnership to make aerial ridesharing a reality,” said Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate.

Eve’s eVTOL design is “human-centered” and represents an actual, certifiable product development – the first flight of the engineering simulator occurred in June of 2020. and the company is harnessing the expertise of both Embraer and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group, in providing globally-recognized air traffic management software to create the solutions that will help safely scale the UAM industry going forward.

More information on the company may be found at www.eveairmobility.com.

Why it’s important: Embraer’s formal spinoff of Eve creates a deliberate segmentation of the larger commercial aircraft manufacturer from the aerial mobility offerings of the future. The full stack approach to mobility infrastructure development is a unique approach toward bringing an eVTOL to market, one that requires a greater resource pool and technical, business, and infrastructure know-how. Fortunately, Embraer’s vast experience will aid in deploying this longer term goal of an aerial mobility ecosystem, but partnerships between Eve and companies such as Atech and the Uber Elevate Network will further aid the progression toward initial certification and on-demand commercial deployment of aerial mobility services.

Read the full press release here.

EmbraerX, the advanced technologies division of the Brazilian aerospace company, has recently conducted the first flight of its new eVTOL aircraft design in a simulator. The eVTOL has also undergone wind tunnel testing and flights of a downscaled model, but a release date for the design has not been announced yet.

According to Andre Stein, EmbraerX head of strategy and urban air mobility, the simulators recreated accurate flight control parameters and control laws based off of real world conditions in order to prepare for eventual type certification flight testing. EmbraerX engineers have also already been testing the design’s fifth generation fly-by-wire controls, and the aircraft will initially support piloted operations but will be able to later upgrade to autonomous flight. Stein is confident that with Embraer’s vast experience in the aerospace industry, they will quickly be able to certify a reliable and efficient aircraft design.

“One of the things we have talked about is how to leverage our know-how to develop new aircraft, and [we saw this] when we did the first flight in the E2 because we broke records in expanding the flight envelope,” he said. “A lot of [eVTOL] startups rush to fly something just to have something to show investors.”

Concept model of the EmbraerX eVTOL. Photograph: Embraer

The simulator, located at the company’s headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos, will be qualified to test the man-machine interfaces of the eVTOL design, using both experienced and inexperienced pilots. Luiz Valentini, engineering manager, said that EmbraerX works on the assumption that the aerial mobility industry will need to rely on pilots with a large variety in background and experience, meaning that the design of a very user-friendly control interface will be crucial for the new aircraft. The simulator will also allow for the preparation for an eventual shift to fully autonomous operations, giving information on detect and avoid systems, and other capabilities necessary for autonomous flight. “We are trying to create a vehicle that we can show will have the flexibility to operate in different airspaces around the world and it gives us the confidence to be able to facilitate autonomous flight capabilities before we fly the aircraft,” says Valentini.

Details on the new aircraft are limited. EmbraerX’s eVTOL will be a four-person all electric aircraft, with eight, fixed propellers attached to two parallel wings for vertical lift, while a pair of ducted fans are attached to the rear of the aircraft for cruise flight.

While a date for the aircraft has not been released yet, EmbraerX has also begun work on the required infrastructure for the design, intending to incorporate studies dedicated to the development of urban air traffic management into a consultation document by the first quarter of 2021, and begin implementation of a fully functional urban air traffic infrastructure system. Stein stresses that Embraer remains focused on supporting the wider “eco-system” for urban air mobility (UAM), including air traffic management and ground infrastructure. “Our goal is to make it [UAM] more accessible and scalable, taking account of both hybrid-electric and electric aircraft,” said David Rottblatt, leader of EmbraerX’s urban air traffic management project.

Photograph: Embraer

Why it’s important: With the right infrastructure in place, EmbraerX sees potential for an aerial mobility market, especially as eVTOL aircraft change the scope of air transportation in and around cities. With extensive experience spanning decades in designing and certifying aircraft, EmbraerX possesses the ability to create a working, reliable eVTOL design, and create the necessary ecosystem for such a design to fly in.
Source // AIN Online