Results for: embraer

Embraer Unveils New All-Electric Fixed-Wing Demonstrator

24 August 2019 || 3 min read

Embraer has revealed their first all-electric demonstrator, a fixed-wing aircraft that is currently under development as the Ipanema project. The prototype is based off of the EMB-203 Ipanema agricultural aircraft, a small single-engine aircraft, in order to test and evaluate the electric engine prototypes. “We chose Ipanema because it is our platform that requires the least modifications to receive electric...

Embraer Unveils New All-Electric Fixed-Wing Demonstrator

24 August 2019 || 3 min read

Embraer has revealed their first all-electric demonstrator, a fixed-wing aircraft that is currently under development as the Ipanema project.

The prototype is based off of the EMB-203 Ipanema agricultural aircraft, a small single-engine aircraft, in order to test and evaluate the electric engine prototypes. “We chose Ipanema because it is our platform that requires the least modifications to receive electric propulsion systems,” said Daniel Moczydlowe, Embraer’s Vice President of Engineering and Technology, “It will be a prototype system designed to test technology on short, 30-minute flights”.

The demonstrator is based off of the Embraer EMB 202/203 Ipanema, an agricultural aircraft. Photo courtesy of Evandro Fiho.

The demonstrator’s electric motor and controller are being designed and manufactured by Brazilian electric engineering company WEG SA, at the company’s HQ at Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil, as part of their agreement in May. The cooler is being provided by Parker Aerospace. Especially in the next few months, Embraer and these companies will be heavily involved in testing the various systems involved in the all-electric aircraft design in lab conditions, and the first flight for the demonstrator is scheduled for 2020.

Why it’s important: The Ipanema project has large implications for the development process for EmbraerX, Embraer’s urban air tax division. As the new eVTOL will most likely have to feature high efficiency and reliability paired with low operating costs and environmental and noise footprints, a fully-finished all-electric engine would be a perfect fit for the new air taxi by EmbraerX. “As a market accelerator committed to developing solutions to transform life’s experiences, we have been combining human-centered design thinking with our 50-year history of building and engineering expertise in a unique manner,” said Antonio Campello, President & CEO, EmbraerX, “These are the factors behind the technical progress and leading-edge innovations we are bringing to this new eVTOL concept.”

Sources // The Driven

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EmbraerX and Pipistrel Release New VTOL Designs

16 June 2019 || 5 min read

EmbraerX and Pipistrel have both released images and specifications of their new eVTOL designs, both of which have competitive performance standards preparing to meet the needs for urban aviation. Embraer has over 50 years of experience in making private jets, and is now turning to eVTOLs as the fulfillment of its dream of regional flight. Its newly unveiled eVTOL is...

EmbraerX and Pipistrel Release New VTOL Designs

16 June 2019 || 5 min read

EmbraerX and Pipistrel have both released images and specifications of their new eVTOL designs, both of which have competitive performance standards preparing to meet the needs for urban aviation.

Embraer has over 50 years of experience in making private jets, and is now turning to eVTOLs as the fulfillment of its dream of regional flight. Its newly unveiled eVTOL is its second iteration. The first version (pictured on the bottom left) was smaller than the new one, which an additional wing as well as an additional rotor.

Orginal EmbraerX design (left) VS. new EmbraerX design (right)

EmbraerX:
The new EmbraerX eVTOL will be ‘autonomous-ready’, and according to Antonio Campello (CEO of EmbraerX) will reach full autonomy once community acceptance and regulation are at necessary levels. EmbraerX prides its new eVTOL on being made to use by anyone, no matter their age or ability. So far, it is the only eVTOL on the market advertising easy access to people using wheel chairs:

Importantly, EmbraerX notes that the most important and difficult part of developing eVTOL operations will be the integration of aircraft design, airspace management, and maintenance. Said Campello: “Now it’s not just about the aircraft, it’s about the entire ecosystem.” To this end, Embraer already rolled out last week a new maintenance platform.

EmbraerX also released last week its ‘flight plan 2030’, which outlines the path to autonomy. Read more about the Flight Plan 2030 here.

EmbraerX eVTOL Design Overview:

Pipistrel

The Pipistrel 801 eVTOL was designed with three goals in mind: acoustics, safety and speed. “801” stands for 8 lift rotors, 0 titling parts, and 1 thrust rotor. Notably, both the EmbraerX eVTOL and the Pipistrel 801 were designed without tilt-rotors (unlike Karem Aircraft or Bell).

The Pipistrel 801 offers seating for 5 (including the pilot), with a range of 60 nautical miles and a top speed of 175mph. It’s capable of transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight in under 1 minute, and (according to Pipistrel president Dr Tine Tomažič) is “more powerful than a jetliner take-off.”

Design overview of the Pipistrel 801

Notably, the pilot’s seat of the aircraft can eventually be converted to a first class passenger seat once full flight autonomy is realized. Pipistrel is currently working with Honeywell for its avionics, navigation, and fly-by-wire technology, as is Volocopter, Vertical Aerospace, and others.

The 801 achieves safety standards by using redundant battery packs and redundant propellors. For example, although the 801 has four battery packs, it’s capable of flying on only two. Acoustics goals are achieved by having each of the rotors turn at different frequency, which diminishes noise output.

Pipistrel was one of the first companies to make electric recreational aircraft available in the U.S and parts of Europe, and has been developing electric aircraft for over 12 years. Learn more about Pipistrel.

The Pipistrel 801 model on display at Uber Elevate 2019

Why it’s important: With Pipistrel and EmbraerX’s latest announcements, other UAM companies may soon begin to release new aspects of their designs as well. eVTOLs are the first new type of commercial aircraft since the helicopter, and many developers are racing to be first in the skies. Companies like Pipistrel and EmbraerX encourage innovation, pushing the industry even further forward.

EmbraerX’s Flight Plan 2030: Meeting the Infrastructural Needs of UAM

04 June 2019 || 4 min read

EmbraerX, Embraer’s own innovation division, recently publicly released Flight Plan 2030, a 48-page document calling for the creation and implementation of an “urban air traffic management” (UATM) system. The report presents a preliminary concept of the “design and management of low-altitude urban airspace that will allow UAM to evolve over the next decade.” Flight Plan 2030 envisions a single urban...

EmbraerX’s Flight Plan 2030: Meeting the Infrastructural Needs of UAM

04 June 2019 || 4 min read

EmbraerX, Embraer’s own innovation division, recently publicly released Flight Plan 2030, a 48-page document calling for the creation and implementation of an “urban air traffic management” (UATM) system. The report presents a preliminary concept of the “design and management of low-altitude urban airspace that will allow UAM to evolve over the next decade.”

Embraer’s own eVTOL concept, the DreamMaker.

Flight Plan 2030 envisions a single urban air traffic control that would manage urban airspace for not just eVTOLs, but any aircraft, manned or unmanned, in urban airspace. Drawing upon existing air traffic control technology, provided by Atech and Harris Corporation, Flight Plan 2030 ideally would create a unified urban air traffic control system that can meet the demands of next generation air transportation.

These UATM systems would span across each city, and rely on advanced information networks and possibly even artificial intelligence, all in order to define safe air routes and corridors for air taxis to take. The air taxis would run between Skyports, or landing zones, and would run similarly to how airplanes work with airports today. During cruise flight, all flights would be managed by a single “urban airspace service provider” (UASP), that would have the authority to adjust flight plans and track each individual flight to prevent collisions.

The UATM systems would function similarly to existing conventional air traffic control systems, directing eVTOL aircraft through flight routes in between “Skyports”, or landing zones.

Flight Plan 2030 also provides some insight as to how the urban air mobility industry would interact and collaborate with pre-existing dedicated air traffic control systems, such as conventional Air Traffic Control (ATC) agencies and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems for drones. Predicting an increased volume of air traffic in the next few decades, Flight Plan 2030 indicates that Embraer, among other aerospace companies, have already begun preparing to find solutions on how to develop a safe and efficient air traffic control system.

“Urban air mobility will evolve to become a significant mode of transportation in the next decade and will require a truly collaborative ecosystem,” said Antonio Campello, President & CEO of EmbraerX. “Our Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) concept ensures equitable and safe access to urban airspace for a broad spectrum of aircraft, including conventional helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and eVTOLs. FlightPlan 2030 presents what we believe are the necessary first steps towards autonomous capabilities.”

Why it’s important: While many aircraft makers are in the various stages of eVTOL aircraft development, EmbraerX has begun addressing a key issue in the infrastructural and technological challenges that the UAM industry faces. For air taxi services to become widespread, there must first be a reliable and efficient urban air traffic control system ready to integrate those services. Flight Plan 2030 represents a strong first step into taking a serious look at how the UAM industry would fit and interact with pre-existing air traffic, and what kind of requirements a new system would need to function properly.

Read the full Flight Plan 2030 White Paper here.

Sources // EmbraerX White Paper: Flight Plan 2030

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Embraer’s Designs For the UAM Market

24 April 2019 || 4 min read

Embraer, Brazilian aerospace conglomerate and third largest civil aircraft manufacturer in the world, has numerous plans for entering the urban air mobility market. Their disruptive market subsidiary EmbraerX officially announced intentions to enter the UAM market two years ago, and launched their first eVTOL in mid-2018, not to mention partnering with Uber to manufacture urban aircraft for Uber Air by 2023. ...

Embraer’s Designs For the UAM Market

24 April 2019 || 4 min read

Embraer’s first eVTOL concept, the DreamMaker.

According to Antonio Campello, chief executive at Embraer X, aside from their development processes in vehicles, Embraer has also devoted resources in developing infrastructure for UAM, such as air traffic control and a business network for aerospace offerings.

Embraer partnered with Uber in early 2018 to work on Uber Air, Uber’s urban air ride-share taxi service. Uber Air is planned to launch by 2023.

With numerous companies entering the UAM market in the past five years, Campello believes that Embraer X’s experience with key innovation ecosystems, and possessing substantial amounts of wealth and resources, are the key competitive advantages that Embraer will be able to use to gain control over this newly developing market.

“The next wave of evolution in transport will transform society as we know it. Our role is to develop disruptive businesses in aerospace before other companies disrupt the sector where we operate,” says Campello

Another issue will be dealing with public sentiment regarding UAM. While Campello is confident that commercial urban air travel will occur within five years, the timeframe for Uber Air, the far bigger issue will be to bring about customer acceptance and successful integration in UAM infrastructure and socioeconomics. “Relieving bottlenecks in large urban centers may require a ‘3D solution’ alongside a lot of other changes, but [eVTOLs] will enable many people to fly for an attractive price, so [air travel] will become a lot more pervasive,” says Campello.

“Obviously [urban air travel] is not something that will develop overnight. Our vehicle will operate with a pilot at first but after a lot of testing and use, it will evolve to become autonomous – that’s when the revolution will truly begin,” says Campello

Why it’s important: According to Campello, eVTOL vehicles will become a reality “way sooner than most people think.” The top three producers of civil aircraft have all entered the UAM industry in some format. With Embraer already supporting the manufacturing process behind Uber Air, and several directions within the UAM industry, such as infrastructure and socioeconomic factors, the suggested time frame of five years until commercial UAM becomes a reality doesn’t seem so far-fetched. UAM has not only interested many innovative startups, but has also successfully grabbed the attention some of the biggest companies in aviation, a strong win for the industry.

Sources // Embraer, Forbes

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EmbraerX eVTOL

23 June 2018 || < 1 min read

EmbraerX eVTOL

23 June 2018 || < 1 min read

Quick Summary

The EmbraerX eVTOL is the innovation group's newest concept from the Brazilian manufacturer, and also a project that may in the future become more linked to Boeing as Embraer and Boeing continue talks about partnerships. The EmbraerX was announced at the 2nd Annual Uber Elevate Summit in Los Angeles, CA on May 8th, 2018.

Embraer SA, a Sao Paulo, Brazil company.

Stage of Development

Preliminary Design

Prototype Build

Flight Testing

Certification

Commercially Operating

Technical Details

Few technical details have been released on the EmbraerX at this time. The proposed launch is most likely around 2023 or 2024, according to Embraer CEO Souza.

Our Take on Embraer's eVTOL

Embraer's eVTOL concept is quite new, but definitely supported with a massive pool of resources that Embraer carries throughout all of its R&D, commercial, and military aircraft production processes. If Embraer can pivot the application of these technologies to the eVTOL field, they stand in a great place to successfully certify their aircraft. however, they are slightly behind pace of some other manufacturers in the flight testing process. Other interesting relations are developing as well, since Embraer and Boeing have been in talks for over 6 months about a partnership. During this period, Boeing also acquired Aurora Flight Sciences, which is developing their own eVTOL - an interesting move, seeing as a partnership between Embraer and Boeing would then directly compete with this initiative. Regardless of the business dynamics of the situation, Embraer is most likely making steady progress with their design and prototyping phase of the eVTOL, so stay tuned for updates to follow.

References

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Uber and Embraer Partner to Bring Flying Taxis to Market by 2023

16 March 2018 || 2 min read

Uber and Embraer announced a partnership in May to bring flying taxis to market by 2024, and recently at South by Southwest in Austin, TX they jointly issued a statement that their estimate has been advanced to 2023. Uber confirmed that the planned autonomous flying taxi would travel at 150 miles per hour, six times faster than the 25 mph...

Volocopter Launches First Urban Flight in Stuttgart, Germany

15 September 2019 || 4 min read

Volocopter’s flight was the highlight of Vision Smart City Mercedes-Benz hosted the event at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Vision Smart City was hosted in order to feature technical innovations and sustainable transport concepts for future mobility, including concepts of carsharing and electric vehicles, according to the official Volocopter press release. The event is also part of an initiative...

Volocopter Launches First Urban Flight in Stuttgart, Germany

15 September 2019 || 4 min read

Volocopter’s flight was the highlight of Vision Smart City

Mercedes-Benz hosted the event at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Vision Smart City was hosted in order to feature technical innovations and sustainable transport concepts for future mobility, including concepts of carsharing and electric vehicles, according to the official Volocopter press release. The event is also part of an initiative of a research project by the Technical University of Stuttgart to examine the social acceptance of air taxis. Headlining the event was Volocopter’s first urban flight of their dynamic eVTOL, which can be seen here.

Exclusive in front of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart: first successful urban flight of the Volocopter in Europe.
© Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz, a partner of Volocopter, was also impressed by the showcase. According to Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, “Our partner Volocopter shows how an air taxi is turning the dream of driving into the dream of flying. At Daimler we work on the mobility of the future too. By 2022 we will have electrified the entire Mercedes-Benz portfolio. Our goal is that electrically powered cars will account for more than half of our sales by 2030. The road to climate-neutral mobility is a joint effort of companies and politics. We at Daimler a willing and ready to make our contribution.”

Thomas Strobl, Minister of the Interior, Digitization and Migration of the State of Baden-Württemberg, Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Winfried Kretschmann, Prime Minister of the State of Baden-Württemberg, and Florian Reuter, Managing Director of Volocopter GmbH at the Event “Vision Smart City – Experiencing the mobility of the future today” in front of a model of the air taxi. (Left)
© Daimler AG

Volocopter has consistently been one of the companies furthest along in the urban air mobility industry, now working on efforts to introduce eVTOL-specific infrastructure to several key urban cities, and have also previously finished a EUR 50 million funding round this month. Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter GmbH, has been excited at the strides that Volocopter has been making recently. “Our Volocopter air taxis open up a completely new dimension in urban mobility,” said Reuter, “As Stuttgart has seen today, they fly safely, quietly and are fast approching the implementation stage. Volocopter air taxis are able to ease traffic congestion in major cities around the world, also here in Germany.”

Learn more about Vision Smart City here

To learn more about Volocopter, read our aircraft page here

Why it’s important: Volocopter has demonstrated not only a successful flight, but a strong relationship with Mercedes-Benz, as the automotive company has gotten increasingly involved with the former. This flight at Stuttgart was the headliner for Mercedes-Benz’s own event, with several key figures in both Mercedes-Benz and local government expressing strong confidence and interest in the future of the commercial urban air mobility market, indicating a promising place in the industry for Volocopter in the future.

Source // Volocopter Press Release

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Lift Aircraft to Launch Trial Flights in Austin

13 September 2019 || 3 min read

Lift Aircraft has announced plans to begin trial flights at it headquarters in Austin, TX. Matt Chasen, a veteran of the startup world and a former Boeing engineer, says his company is planning to offer the first round of trial flights at its headquarters soon, reported GeekWire. Later, Lift Aircraft will complete a 25-city tour showcasing its ultralight aircraft, Hexa....

Lift Aircraft to Launch Trial Flights in Austin

13 September 2019 || 3 min read

Lift Aircraft has announced plans to begin trial flights at it headquarters in Austin, TX.

Matt Chasen, a veteran of the startup world and a former Boeing engineer, says his company is planning to offer the first round of trial flights at its headquarters soon, reported GeekWire. Later, Lift Aircraft will complete a 25-city tour showcasing its ultralight aircraft, Hexa. The company gained public visibility with a visit from Jeff Bezos at Amazon’s MARS conference earlier this year.

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos sitting onboard Lift’s Hexa prototype. (Source: Lift Aircraft)

“Securing great places to fly in each city is not super easy but we’re planning to go to Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego in the first few months of next year, and will likely time our tour through Seattle for summer,” Chasen said in an email. “There are still a lot of uncertainties as we’re getting into our first, low-rate production soon, and flight testing is always unpredictable — but we are on track to start our first customer trial flights late this year in Austin.”

The company says Hexa will be a 18-rotor, electric powered helicopter for “fun flights”. Unlike other eVTOL manufacturers which pitch a multi-passenger air taxi, Hexa will be a one-passenger vehicle for short flights over urban areas and tourist destinations. Lift says the FAA will classify Hexa as a powered ultralight aircraft.

Why its matters: Lift is showing the variety of possible business opportunities presented in the aerial mobility industry. While most conversations are centered on air taxi services and the like, Lift plans to offer a different kind of service and tap into the tourism and entertainment industries. While it remains to be seen the size or profitability of this business model, Lift has a strong brand presence with its recent appearances with Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and various industry trade shows/conferences.

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GUAS 2019 Recap: Formula One Batteries, 150 UAM Prototypes, and More

13 September 2019 || 4 min read

The Global Urban Air Summit hosted aerial mobility technologies, partnerships, and debates. Farnborough International hosted the inaugural Global Urban Air Summit in the UK from September 4th to 5th this year. The conference brought together key players and regulators in the aerial mobility industry with the goal of stimulating productive conversations between key stakeholders. “The event [included] two days of...

GUAS 2019 Recap: Formula One Batteries, 150 UAM Prototypes, and More

13 September 2019 || 4 min read

The Global Urban Air Summit hosted aerial mobility technologies, partnerships, and debates.

Farnborough International hosted the inaugural Global Urban Air Summit in the UK from September 4th to 5th this year. The conference brought together key players and regulators in the aerial mobility industry with the goal of stimulating productive conversations between key stakeholders. “The event [included] two days of conference sessions, networking, knowledge sharing and demonstrations, with the international community brought together by GUAS set to play a key strategic role in driving the industry forward,” according to the host.

Image Source // FINN

“Already today, the race is on – 150 prototypes have already been announced to the market.” Guillaume Thibault, a partner at Oliver Wyman, took the stage at the event to highlight the rapidly expanding industry and the technologies developed by companies hoping to reach the market soon. However, it’s evident that the the technology is far ahead of the necessary regulation and infrastructure for standing up commercial operations. Therefore, a main focus of the conference was pointed discussions surrounding aerial mobility operations and quantifying the market size to properly capture what is required from the regulatory perspective.

Operators such as Uber Air are eager to enter the market with nearly developed eVTOLs, but depend on collaboration and feedback from agencies such as the FAA and the UK’s CAA. The conference was an opportunity for innovators to demonstrate advances in electrification, autonomy and connectivity – all technologies that will be advantageous to the safe, reliable, and predictable operation of urban aircraft.

The company has already selected six partners, but at this week’s Global Urban Air Summit (GUAS) at Farnborough International, Uber said more could be added. // Uber

In addition, there are many ways the aerial mobility industry can adopt strategies already implemented in more mature industries. These were shared throughout the two days, and included an exciting presentation from Stu Olden, Senior Commercial Manager of Williams Advanced Engineering, who said learning from parallel industries was the high point of the summit. He likened the challenges to those of the Formula One industry – reliable battery management systems, environmental pressures, and rapid technology development were all touched upon.

Why it’s important: GUAS is the first event of its kind in the sector, and concentrated more on practical engagement between the communities of interest. Gatherings of this sort are a step in the right direction for coordinating how urban air mobility will navigate a complex regulatory environment and integrate with other transportation methods.

Source // Farnborough International

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Jetcopter Seeks Funding For VTOL Design

13 September 2019 || 4 min read

Jetcopter is awaiting investment funds to begin production of their new VTOL The Lithuanian startup is looking for an initial investment of about $6 million and a total investment of $60 million to produce their six-seat VTOL aircraft, which is described as their version of a low cost alternative to medium-class rotary and fixed-wing type aircraft. Founder and CEO Dontatas...

Jetcopter Seeks Funding For VTOL Design

13 September 2019 || 4 min read

Jetcopter is awaiting investment funds to begin production of their new VTOL

The Lithuanian startup is looking for an initial investment of about $6 million and a total investment of $60 million to produce their six-seat VTOL aircraft, which is described as their version of a low cost alternative to medium-class rotary and fixed-wing type aircraft.

A conceptual rendering of the Jetcopter. Photo credits: Jetcopter

Founder and CEO Dontatas Skulskis said that the company is currently in talks with potential investors. “We are in talks with potential investors,” says Skulskis. “Once we have the money, we can build the aircraft quickly and start flying. The rest of the funding should follow once the programme has reached significant development milestones.”

Named after its developer, the Jetcopter VTOL will be powered by two 665shp (495kW) all-aluminium, twin-turbocharged automotive engines. These will drive a tail-mounted fan and two centrifugal counter-rotating fans; the tailed mounted fan will be used for forward flight while the pair of centrifugal fans located above the fuselage will be used to draw air into the system before blowing it out of swiveling wing-tip ducts for vertical lift. The Jetcopter also has an emergency parachute integrated in the body for “an extra layer of safety.”

The Jetcopter has a projected effective range of around 1000 km, at a top speed of 300 km/hr. There is also a hybrid-electric version in the works, with four 335shp (250kW) electric motors, powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, replacing the automotive engines during the VTOL phases of flight, according to Jetcopter.

The carbon fiber aircraft will start at prices around $600,000. It is “significantly cheaper than similar-size helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and other in-development VTOL [designs]”, according to Skulskis.

Why it’s important: The Jetcopter presents another exciting opportunity within the urban air mobility (UAM) industry. The Jetcopter’s flight range and speed will be attractive features for many investors, as the company announced their intentions to push their aircraft into several markets, Including air ambulance, cargo and passenger transport, as well as the UAM sector.

Sources // Flight Global

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Revolution.Aero 2019 Event Preview

13 September 2019 || 3 min read

The conference will be held Sep 23-24 in San Francisco. Since its first conference in San Francisco last year, Revolution Aero has become known as an established conference focusing on innovation and technology in new forms of personal and business aviation. The conference brings together a number of startups currently seeking to disrupt the aviation industry, ranging from eVTOL developers to...

Revolution.Aero 2019 Event Preview

13 September 2019 || 3 min read

The conference will be held Sep 23-24 in San Francisco.

Since its first conference in San Francisco last year, Revolution Aero has become known as an established conference focusing on innovation and technology in new forms of personal and business aviation. The conference brings together a number of startups currently seeking to disrupt the aviation industry, ranging from eVTOL developers to business accelerator programs.

Notable confirmed speakers include Joby Aviation Founder & CEO Joeben Bevirt, Andrew Collins, President at Sentient Jet, Nikhil Goel, Head of Product at Uber Elevate, Star Ginn of the NASA UAM Grand Challenge, and many more, including representatives from directors of innovation at Airbus and Boeing. See the full list of confirmed speakers at Revolution.Aero’s homepage.

Ultimately, the goal of the conference is to promote and encourage new types of aviation in collaboration with engineers, designers, investors, government, and more. As part of the conference, Revolution Aero also holds new venture pitch competitions at each of its events to help new companies find financiers, mentors, and contacts. The conference also focuses heavily on how to guide and work with regulators of the newly growing personal aviation industry, hosting representatives from the FAA and NASA, as well as accounting for financial feasibility of new ventures.

“This is without doubt the start of a new aviation revolution. New -often interconnected -technologies like additive manufacturing, nanotechnology/advanced materials, artificial intelligence, electrification, the internet of aircraft, robotics, biotechnology, energy storage and others, will reshape aerospace and aviation.” -Revolution.Aero.

Revolution Aero will also hold its second European conference in London in March 2020, following the success of its conference there last year. Partnered with Revolution.Aero is the well known publication Helicopter/VTOL Investor, which has been focused on personal flight for almost a decade.

Why it’s important: Revolution.Aero is another conference bringing together all the key stakeholders in the growing personal flight industry. Unlike many industries before it, personal flight requires intense collaboration from almost every stakeholder ranging from government regulators to financial institutions and OEMs.

Farnborough’s Global Urban Air Summit Discusses Aerial Mobility Operations

10 September 2019 || 4 min read

Global regulators and industry professionals discuss UAM industry operations at GUAS 2019. According to Farnborough International, the Global Urban Air Summit (GUAS) of 2019 “marks the first time global regulators have come together with industry to determine how urban air mobility will operate.” Discussions encompassed a variety of themes, such as the safety of urban aircraft, both from a perspective...

Farnborough’s Global Urban Air Summit Discusses Aerial Mobility Operations

10 September 2019 || 4 min read

Global regulators and industry professionals discuss UAM industry operations at GUAS 2019.

According to Farnborough International, the Global Urban Air Summit (GUAS) of 2019 “marks the first time global regulators have come together with industry to determine how urban air mobility will operate.” Discussions encompassed a variety of themes, such as the safety of urban aircraft, both from a perspective of regulating repeatable manufacturing processes and one of gaining public acceptance. Of course, autonomy also made its way into the conversation, as it pertains to flight path planning and accountability.

Headlining the opening day of the conference was an insightful discussion with Tim Johnson, Policy Director for the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, and Jay Merkle, Executive Director of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for the US Federal Aviation Administration. The two were also joined by Mildred Troegeler, Director of Global Aerospace Integration for Boeing NeXt, and François Sillion, Uber’s Director of Advanced Technologies Research. This collaboration of regulators and future operators facilitated a productive session that must become a recurring theme if the industry is to progress toward a commercially viable and mature state.

Uber’s Sillion says that he has gleaned substantial insight on how the UAM industry will operate since the launch of Uber Copter in NYC in July of 2019. The program transports passengers to and from popular destinations around the Manhattan area, such as JFK, for a price comparable to an Uber car during rush hour, and at a fraction of the time. Uber Copter rivals BLADE, who launched a service that includes flights to and from all NYC airports starting in May of 2019. Sillion also appeared at the two-day conference to discuss the company’s search for additional airframer partners as it continues to prepare for commercialization via the Uber Air platform (read more here).

The major takeaways from the discussion married concerns from the perspectives of the regulators and operators, as well as of the general public. It is integral to the success of the aerial mobility industry that all societal impacts are mitigated, of which noise was the most emphasized. CAA’s Head of Aerospace Jon Round explained that it is only once vehicles are in operation that the technology will be accepted, and not before. However, a prerequisite to commercial operation is sufficient design and testing iterations in order to minimize noise and hone air traffic management technologies.

Why it’s important: The progress of the aerial mobility industry hinges on continuous meetings of this nature, where productive conversation can be had regarding the largest obstacles ahead. Farnborough International was pleased to see the impact of the inaugural Global Urban Air Summit, and plans to continue with the event going forward.

Source // Farnborough International

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Uber Provides Details on its Air Pilot Program in Melbourne

10 September 2019 || 4 min read

Uber has provided details on bringing air taxi services to Melbourne. Announced earlier this year, Melbourne will be the third official city in the company’s pilot program and the first of its kind outside of the United States. Uber has begun to collect data on how people move about the city and which routes they would most likely take. This information...

Uber Provides Details on its Air Pilot Program in Melbourne

10 September 2019 || 4 min read

Uber has provided details on bringing air taxi services to Melbourne.

Announced earlier this year, Melbourne will be the third official city in the company’s pilot program and the first of its kind outside of the United States. Uber has begun to collect data on how people move about the city and which routes they would most likely take. This information will help gauge demand and initial route offerings for their pilot program.

Melbourne will be Uber’s first international host city of the company’s air pilot program. Source: Uber

Although the ultimate vision for urban mobility in the city is to have autonomous vehicles, Uber will operate piloted 4-passenger aircraft. The company is currently working with vehicle manufacturers including: Aurora Flight Sciences, Pipistrel, Embraer, Bell, Karem and Jaunt.

Under the direction of Natalie Malligan, head of cities for Australia and New Zealand at Uber, her team has partnered with Scentre Group and Melbourne Airport to flesh out the operation and impact of urban air mobility in the city. They envision being able to take air taxis from the city center to the airport in as little as 10 minutes for the cost of a comparable Uber Black fare (~$73 USD).

Aurora Flight Science’s PAV prototype undergoing flight tests. Source: Aurora Flight Sciences

“You won’t have to think so much about modes, but when you want to go from A to B you put it into the app and it will tell you there is a car three minutes away or a bike 50 meters from you, then you can get an Uber Air to a skyport at a train station and you can book and pay for everything through the app,” she said.

Additionally, Uber has received overwhelming support from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) which vows to offer the company a federal regulatory license to operate in the country, opening the potential for inter-city travel on air taxi services.

“We are supportive of emerging aviation technology, with Australia having been a world leader in the safety regulation of drones,” A CASA spokesperson said.

Why it matters: Uber is beginning to plant itself in cities outside of the United States, signaling a global demand for urban air mobility. The service will ultimately offer a new mode of transportation for quick trips between the city center and other nearby destinations. Further, CASA’s strong relationship with Uber will help lead the way to quicker public acceptance and recognition from other international aviation regulatory agencies.

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Volocopter Raises EUR 50 Million in Series C Funding Round

09 September 2019 || 5 min read

German Urban Air Mobility Company Volocopter raises new capital Volocopter announced Sunday that they’ve completed a EUR 50 Million first closing of their Series C finding round. Series C was led by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd, followed by new and existing investors from Europe, America, and Asia. Geely Holding and Volocopter also announced that they’ll enter a joint...

Volocopter Raises EUR 50 Million in Series C Funding Round

09 September 2019 || 5 min read

German Urban Air Mobility Company Volocopter raises new capital

Volocopter announced Sunday that they’ve completed a EUR 50 Million first closing of their Series C finding round. Series C was led by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd, followed by new and existing investors from Europe, America, and Asia. Geely Holding and Volocopter also announced that they’ll enter a joint venture to bring Urban Air Mobility to China. Geely holdings is no stranger to backing UAM initiatives – they acquired a large portion of Mass. based flying car manufacturer Terrafugia in November of 2017.

Founders jointly remain largest shareholder

Funds acquired in this round of funding will be used towards bringing the VoloCity aircraft to commercial launch within the next three years, an air taxi concept that was unveiled just weeks ago. Volocopter stated that they will remain in discussions with additional investors for a second closing around year-end. The first closing has increased Volocopter’s total fundraising to EUR 85 million.

Volocopter’s newest VoloCity Air Taxi Concept. Source // Volocopter

Since its foundation in 2011, Volocopter has built three generations of Volocopter aircraft, two of which received licenses for manned and unmanned flight with a total funding of EUR 35 million. The company has performed numerous public demonstrations of the viability of electrically powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), most recently it successfully completed a flight at Helsinki International Airport. This flight featured the company’s current demonstrator, the Volocopter V200X, and helped to support the compatibility of air taxis with existing air traffic management solutions while paving the way for airspace integrated flights of aircraft like VoloCity in the future.

“Urban mobility needs to evolve in the next few years to meet rising demand. With our Volocopter air taxis, we are adding a whole new level of mobility in the skies” says Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter.

Geely Holding becomes a minority investor in Volocopter, next to existing strategic investors like Daimler. The founders, Stephan Wolf and Alexander Zosel both individual shareholders, jointly remain the company’s largest shareholder.

Geely Holding highlights the strategic cooperation potential with Volocopter. The companies have agreed to enter into a joint venture to bring Urban Air Mobility to the significant Chinese market. Li Shufu, Geely Holding Chairman, said:

“Geely is transitioning from being an automotive manufacturer to a mobility technology group, investing in and developing a wide range of next-generation technologies. Our latest cooperation with Daimler, building on our partnership in smart and premium ride-hailing services, as well as our joint venture with Volocopter underlines our confidence in Volocopter air taxis as the next ambitious step in our wider expansion in both electrification and new mobility services.”

Volocopter stated that they anticipate another funding round to close by end of 2019, and plans on earmarking those funds toward European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) commercial certification of the VoloCity air taxi. Volocopter is opening this fundraising round to both existing and new investors and equity groups.

Concept Volocopter Vertiport from, in partnership with Skyports.

A concept of Volocopter’s VoloPort, designed in partnership with Skyports. Source // Volocopter

Volocopter also announced that later this year they’ll present the VoloPort air taxi landing infrastructure at the 26th Annual Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Singapore, held 22 – 25 October 2019.

Why it’s important: This additional capital injection for Volocopter will support further certification efforts for the company later this year and continuing into 2020, and reaffirms Geely Holding’s involvement in the UAM industry, as well as supports Geely’s transition from an automotive holdings group to a mobility enabler. The trend of automotive groups becoming increasingly involved in the UAM industry is not unique – although a number of these companies are deliberately keeping quiet. Volocopter’s 2023 entry into service (EIS) timeline for certification and initial commercial implementation of the VoloCity Air Taxi concept aligns with Uber Elevate’s initiatives and schedule for air taxi commercialization.

Source // Volocopter

EHang Completes First Passenger-Carrying Autonomous Flight Demo

09 September 2019 || 4 min read

The EHang 216 has completed its first autonomous flight demonstration with passengers. While EHang has completed numerous flight demonstrations with the 216 before, such as in Guangzhou, Austria, Qatar, and the Netherlands, this will be the first demonstration while carrying passengers. According to the Guangzhou-based company, the eVTOL carried passengers in autonomous flight in a controlled flight demonstration at the...

EHang Completes First Passenger-Carrying Autonomous Flight Demo

09 September 2019 || 4 min read

The EHang 216 has completed its first autonomous flight demonstration with passengers.

The EHang 216 makes its first successful flight with passengers in Jilin, China.

While EHang has completed numerous flight demonstrations with the 216 before, such as in Guangzhou, Austria, Qatar, and the Netherlands, this will be the first demonstration while carrying passengers. According to the Guangzhou-based company, the eVTOL carried passengers in autonomous flight in a controlled flight demonstration at the 2019 Northeast Asia Expo in Changchun in China’s Jilin province from August 23rd to 27th.

“We are very excited that our AAVs are visiting more cities and being accepted and celebrated by local communities,” said Hu Huazhi, EHang’s founder, chairman, and CEO. “This is a critical step towards making our dream reality and to make urban air mobility broadly available and affordable as a safe, fast, and eco-friendly transportation alternative.”

The EHang 216 can carry a load of up to 485 lb. on flights with a range of 22 miles at 81 mph. Fully electric, the 216 is equipped with It is battery powered and equipped with 16 rotors. Earlier this year, the 216 received an unmanned aircraft system safety certificate from the China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology, establishing that the 216 AAV can be safely operated within an predefined border that the company developed to prevent autonomous aircraft from operating in restricted areas. This certification is also part of the process to allow EHang to operate commercially within Guangzhou in the future.

Earlier in the year, EHang completed a successful test flight with the 216 in Vienna, Austria.

EHang and its partners have also been working with the International Civil Aviation Organization at the United Nations, the European Aviation Safety Agency, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and other aviation regulatory organizations in North America and Europe, to help determine the logistics and regulations for the urban air mobility market.

Why it’s important: Safety is a huge factor in the potential success of the urban air mobility market, and EHang’s flight demonstration with the 216 is important to reassure potential passengers that little if any dangers exist in riding the 216. While EHang has done several successful flight demonstrations with the 216 before, in EHang’s headquarters in Guangzhou, as well as in Lianyungang, Luzhi, Taizhou, Yantai, and Shenyang, this will be the first flight where EHang allowed passengers onboard, marking a huge milestone and success for the Chinese company going into the future of urban air mobility.

Sources // Yahoo Finance

Embraer has revealed their first all-electric demonstrator, a fixed-wing aircraft that is currently under development as the Ipanema project.

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EmbraerX and Pipistrel have both released images and specifications of their new eVTOL designs, both of which have competitive performance standards preparing to meet the needs for urban aviation.

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