Chinese aerial mobility developer EHang has signed an agreement with the government of Seville, Spain, to initiate an Urban Air Mobility program that will build systems for passenger transport and autonomous airspace management in the city. This marks one of Europe’s first cities to begin planning for an aerial mobility future.

EHang has built itself into one of the world’s top AAV (Autonomous Aerial Vehicle) platform developers in the world. Along with the creation of an eVTOL aircraft resembling a large drone, EHang also has been developing intelligent systems for airspace management of its vehicles and smaller UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The mission of the company is to create a completely autonomous aerial network. EHang opened on the U.S Nasdaq early this year at a $662 million valuation.

The EHang 216 in flight.

The agreement with the city of Seville specifies that EHang will work with the Seville government to develop aerial passenger transportation and command and control platforms within the city. The government will also collaborate with EHang on applications for permission to conduct test flights, in accordance with Spanish and European legislation, and will coordinate with EHang in the planning of flight routes.

In addition, EHang will perform an aerial light show in Seville on September 20th to celebrate the 500^th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage around the world, which began in Seville.

Ehang 216s flying autonomously during a demo flight in Guangzhou, China.

Seville Mayor Juan Espadas Cejas commented, “Establishing the partnership with EHang, one of the world’s leading UAM enterprises, is a great opportunity for Seville. Our city has a rich legacy in European aviation, which we believe can promote EHang’s AAV tests, operations, and permitting applications both in Spain and Europe. We look forward to EHang’s first flight in Seville and hope our cooperation will facilitate the commercialization of its UAM ecosystem in Europe.”

Why it’s important: As mentioned by EHang CEO Mr. Hu Huazhi, AAVs have excellent potential in older cities like Seville that have many small, narrow streets that are inaccessible by automobile. Wider streets are often very congested, and historic areas are often damaged by pollution from carbon emissions. According to the European Commission’s urban mobility report, congestion in the EU costs nearly EUR 100 billion every year, accounting for 1% of the EU’s annual GDP. If cities like Seville successfully adopt electric aerial mobility, the positive impact on Europe as a whole could be massive.

Related:

• EHang Obtains Operational Permit from Civil Aviation Authority of Norway
• EHang Successfully Completes First US Trial Flight
• EHang’s IPO Results in $662 Million Valuation

With the newest smart electric motors from Safran, the electric Voltaero Cassio has taken flight. 

The Voltaero Cassio, developed by former Airbus CTO Jean Botti, is a hybrid-electric, high-range airplane, built to bring cleaner energy to regional commercial flights, private aircraft ownership, and more. The hybrid system utilized by Voltaero gives the Cassio the utmost safety, the lowest noise emissions, and highest fuel efficiency among any existing aircraft of its class. The new company formed by Botti aspires to eventually create 150 five-to-nine passenger aircraft each year.

The Voltaero Cassio prototype in flight.

Voltaero entered the latest testing phase of the Cassio last July, when it first partnered with Safran to begin development of the prototype. The company has been working on the Cassio since its founding in 2018, and deliveries of production aircraft are expected to begin as early as 2021.

The latest set of testing marks an important milestone for Voltaero, as it proves the viability of the hybrid-electric powertrain. Said Voltaero founder and CEO Jean Botti: “I am very pleased with the testing as we accumulate time aloft and open up the aircraft’s flight envelope. The current test phase is with the powertrain for our six-seat Cassio version, to be followed by validation of the final aerodynamic and powertrain configurations on both the four- and nine-seat Cassio versions.”

The current flight evaluations utlize two Safran ENGINeUSTM 45 electric motors installed in forward-facing positions on the wings.

Said Technical Director Didier Esteyne, who piloted the test aircraft, “Flying on the power of Safran’s ENGINeUS^TM motors is truly remarkable, with no vibration and extremely low noise levels. It confirms that our Cassio aircraft will bring an entirely new experience to aviation.”

Vision for the final version of the Cassio.

Why it’s Important: With this latest breakthrough for Voltaero, an enormous step has been taken forward for the era of sustained electric flight. While eVTOLs do not generally use hybrid systems as does the Voltaero Cassio, development of hybrid-electric airplanes that can travel for extended periods of time contribute greatly to the potential for all electric aircraft. Notably, Safran is also developing electric motors specifically built for eVTOL applications, extending its expertise in electric propulsion for aviation.

Related:

• Former Airbus CTO Jean Botti is Developing A New Electric Airplane
• Safran Unveils Electric Motor Built for VTOL Aircraft
• Harbour Air Completes First All-Electric Powered Flight

The PAL-V Liberty, a road-capable air and land vehicle available starting at $399k USD.

PAL-V is a Dutch company that’s been developing a personal drivable aircraft for over ten years since its founding in 2008. Since then, PAL-V has been working hard to advance its technology and move forward toward both land and air certification. The PAL-V Liberty can take off within 330m, fly at speeds over 180kph, and can land vertically. The company expects to deliver its first aircraft to the hands of customers by December 2021.

Accroding to PAL-V Co-Chairman Drs Janpieter Koning, company representatives recently met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demonstrate its technology. “We might start testing in India very soon” said Koning at the Economic Times Global Business Summit in New Delhi. The Economic Times Summit this year covered many topics, including the the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the impact of artificial intelligence on businesses and employment generation, and corporate preparedness to face disruptive changes.

A panel takes place at the Economic Times Global Business Summit in New Delhi, India

PAL-V hopes begin production in 2021, and according to many sources, is reaching the final stages of the certification process in Europe. The company also recently signed a Memorium of Understanding with Kuwait Airways, which will help provide aviation maintenance service for PAL-V’s customers.

The PAL-V Liberty unfolds its main propellor from its roof

Why it’s important: PAL-V’s Liberty is significant as it’s one of the only personal road-capable aircraft that will soon be available for sale. While other companies such as Terrafugia have pivoted directions, and others are selling private aircraft with a more VTOL-style for a higher price-point, PAL-V has stayed the course in making a personal aircraft that can also serve the daily commute. This may make it one of the first in the industry to begin unit sales to private customers.

Sources // The Economic Times

The Urban Air Mobility Grand Challenge, initiated by the FAA and NASA, is designed to provide a ‘proving ground’ for new types of urban aircraft, allowing both government regulators and the new aircraft developers to begin setting the standards for commercial certification. This week, NASA announced seventeen of the companies it will be working with in the Grand Challenge.

An artist’s rendering of NASA’s vision for the future of urban air mobility.

The main event of the Grand Challenge will take place in 2022, and will be a “full field demonstration in an urban environment that tests the readiness of companies’ vehicles and airspace operators’ systems to operate during a full range of passenger transport and cargo delivery scenarios.” According to NASA, the timeline set for the Grand Challenge series was dictated by predictions from participants on their aircrafts’ readiness. Traffic management systems, weather resilience, safety, and other systems for communications and navigation will all be tested and evaluated.

The developmental testing phase of the UAM Grand Challenge in 2020 will assess the readiness of NASA’s test infrastructure while integrating a mobile operating facility and NASA airspace services. Joby Aviation is slated to complete flight tests during this developmental phase.

In the 2022 main event, Joby Aviation and five other companies will complete flight tests. These are: Zeva Aerospace, Bell, Boeing, NFT, and Prodentity.

Featured: Joby Aviation (top left), Zeva Zero (top right), The Bell Nexus (bottom left), and the Boeing PAV (bottom right).

The other eleven industry partners with NASA focus on providing solutions and data for UAM air traffic management services, which will be a key part of the aerial mobility ecosystem. During the Grand Challenge, these companies will test their airspace management services in a series of NASA-designed airspace simulations. The list of companies includes:

• AirMap
• AiRXOS,
• ANRA Technologies
• ARINC
• Avision
• Ellis & Associates
• GeoRq
• Metron Aviation
• OneSky Systems
• Uber Technologies
• The University of North Texas

Why it’s Important: NASA’s Grand Challenge is not only designed to test new aircraft, but to help NASA and the FAA set certification requirements for vehicles going into commercial operation within the next ten years. Companies that participate in the Grand Challenge are likely to have a head start on launching operation of their aircraft in commercial services.

Related:

NASA Completes First Steps in Urban Air Mobility Grand Challenge
(November 2018)

Toyota-Backed Joby Aviation Raised $590 Million in Series C Funding
(January 2020)

New Zeva Zero Prototype Images Revealed
(October 2019)

Sources //  eVTOL.com

Joby Aviation, a budding eVTOL air taxi designer and manufacturer partially backed by Toyota, has begun work on its manufacturing facilities in Marina, California. In the latest news, Joby has begun leasing and renovating several hangars at the Marina Municipal Airport. According to Joby spokesperson Mojgan Khalili, the new facilities will be used to “support the development and manufacturing of our electric aircraft.” Eventually, the Joby space at Marina Airport may occupy as much as 30 acres.

The latest rendering of Joby Aircraft’s Air Taxi // Joby Aviation

Joby recently announced a notable Series C fundraising sum of over $720M with collaboration from investors like Toyota Motors and JIMCO, a major middle-eastern investment company. Joby is based in Northern California near its upcoming facilities in Marina, and only recently came out of ‘stealth mode’ with images of its latest prototype. Joby also recently announced its partnership with Uber Elevate to bring its world-wide electric urban air taxi vision to life.

Joby currently occupies three hangars at Marina taking up 30,000 square feet each, with plans to build an ‘aviation tent’ outside these facilities taking an additional 55,000 square feet. Architectural plans for the final aircraft manufacturing facility are already under review, which will take up 580,000 square feet total.

Although Joby has yet to say what specific activities will take place at the initial hangers and aviation tent, Joby’s intent is to establish a strong presence in the Marina community, bringing a wide variety of new air taxi related jobs to the area. According to posts from the city of Marina’s website, Joby is “already making a big impact on Marina with new jobs, improved airport facilities and new high tech interest in the community.” Joby has already employed 20 people full time in the Marina facility, and on some days, 40 people.

Why it’s important: Joby’s recent entrance into the field of highly funded air taxi companies further establishes the future of eVTOL. The impending reality of the air taxi industry is becoming very clear as Joby gears up to mass produce its aircraft.

Source // Monterey Herald

Drone Champions AG, the organizer of multiple drone racing series taking place throughout Europe and Asia, has created a massive pilot-ready racing drone. Although the first flight was controlled remotely, DCL (Drone Champions League) foresees a future in which daring racers face off against each other with stunning feats of aerobatics as demonstrated in the first flight of the new aircraft:

Drone Champions AG created the aircraft in order to promote its newest video game in which players can compete in a in various challenges online in order to qualify for real-world drone racing events. Through this effort, Drone Champions AG hopes to source the best pilots in the world to race in the Drone Champions League, and eventually, to compete in the manned races of the future.

The drone itself has a full carbon airframe with six arms extending outwards from an aerodynamically faired chassis, each with a pair of coaxial rotors mounted at the ends. Throughout the test flight in Croatia, the aircraft performed loops, sharp turns, and even flips. The drone itself is already capable of safely carrying a passenger as it did for DCL founder Herbert Weirather, who sat in the drone as it flew low to the ground within its testing hangar.

Herbert Weirather, founder of Drone Racing AG, takes a ride in the newest manned racing drone.

Drone Champions AG is not the first to design a racing drone for manned aerial races. Among the companies aspiring to create global quadcopter racing series are Alauda Racing and Assen Aero. To hear more about the future of manned racing, check out the TransportUP podcast with Alauda Founder Matt Person.

The manned racing drone by Drone Champions AG has 217 brake horsepower and produces 660lbs of static thrust, reaching a top speed of 87mph during test flights.

Why it’s important: Through the development of the manned racing drone, Drone Champions AG pushes the capabilities of passenger-sized quad-copters to the limit, breaking through new innovations in aerial sport which may have implications throughout the growing world of aerial mobility. The race organizer has  successfully leveraged the newest manned drone to bring global attention to the potential of aerial vehicles, and, through its new video game, has begun to identify the next generation of pilots for these new kinds of aircraft.

The Cora eVTOL has been under development for almost ten years, and this week, aspiring air taxi operator Wisk signed an MoU with the New Zealand government in to conduct flight trials in Canterbury. The flight will represent the world’s first full airspace integration trial of an autonomous eVTOL.

Cora was developed by aerospace company Kittyhawk, which gave form to Wisk soon after forming a partnership with both Boeing and Air New Zealand. Ever since Wisk’s creation in 2019, the company has been working tirelessly to make its air taxi vision a reality, starting with New Zealand.

The Wisk Cora on the ground, making its many propellors visible.

The New Zealand Government announced in October of 2019 that it would establish an industry-wide Airspace Integration Trial program to safely test and demonstrate unmanned aircraft. Wisk, based in the United States and New Zealand, is the first company to join this program.

Said New Zealand’s Minister of Research Science and Innovation Hon. Dr. Megan Woods, “This trial is the first of its kind and Wisk’s innovative technology and commitment to New Zealand make them an ideal partner for advancing the future of travel in New Zealand and the world.”

Wisk CEO commented: “We are delighted to now have a signed agreement with the New Zealand Government, which will propel Cora’s entry to the air taxi market. We see this agreement as a sign of confidence in our product and abilities to develop and deliver a safe and reliable air taxi service, starting in New Zealand.”

The Airspace Integration Trial program is being centrally managed by New Zealand’s  Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Innovative Partnerships team, working alongside the Civil Aviation Authority, the Ministry of Transport and other key stakeholders to support industry partners to take their technology from testing to in-service operations.

Why it’s important: With this upcoming cutting-edge integration trail, Wisk puts itself forward as one of the world’s top budding eVTOL air taxi providers. By being first in New Zealand, Wisk will soon have a chance to fully develop and test an every-day urban air taxi network. Originally backed by Larry Page, Cora has come far since its inception.

Related: 

Wisk’s Newest Details on the Cora Air Taxi

Tactical Robotics, a developer of enclosed rotor VTOL technology in Israel, has signed an agreement with Boeing to explore both the production options and commercial applications of Tactical Robotic’s autonomous aerial vehicles.

The Tactical Robotics autonomous ‘Comorant’ is about the same dimensions as a Humvee

So far, Tactical has designed and prototyped a heavy-duty unmanned VTOL called the Comorant (seen above). The single-engine aircraft is autonomous or can be remotely controlled, and is purpose-built for emergency responses and important operations. Unique to Tactical Robotic’s design is its enclosed rotors, which, according to the company, will enable it to traverse and access some types of terrain (e.g. mountainous, wooded, urban) that helicopters may have more difficulty with. Additionally, enclosed rotors have enhanced safety for people surrounding them.

Through the new agreement, Boeing and Tactical Robotics hope to work together on jointly “developing, producing and marketing” aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities. Boeing has already developed a passenger air vehicle prototype with its new subsidiary Aurora Flight sciences, and has partnered with Uber Elevate, so technology from Tactical may contribute to Boeing’s air taxi ambitions.

The stated mission of Tactical Robotic’s parent company, Urban Aeronautics, is to”create, manufacture and market a family of VTOL, multi-mission, utility aircraft known that are capable of operating safely in complex urban and natural environments”. Urban Aeronautics, which has existed for over 35 years and is lead by Dr. Rafi Yoeli, is using what it calls ‘Fancraft’ technology to design vehicles for passenger use as well as emergency response. UrbanAero’s other subsidiary, Metro Skyways, is developing the CityHawk eVTOL for urban use, which follows a similar design to the Comorant. Fancraft technology uses ducted rotors for lift, and transitions to accelerated forward flight by diverting more of the airstream rearwards.

Urban Aeronautics & Metro Skyway’s CityHawk, which uses the same ducted fan technology as in the Tactical Robotics Comorant.

Why it’s important: Tactical Robotics brings forward a new kind of VTOL technology in the form of enclosed ducted fans used for both lift and forward acceleration. This fan style is unique to Tactical Robotics, and may offer important benefits that open-rotor VTOLs lack. Through this new partnership, Boeing will be able to explore the potential of this technology, as well as eventually offer it in some of their commercially offered aircraft and services.

EHang’s newest White Paper explores urban air Mobility vehicle and infrastructure design, applications of technology, the current regulatory landscape, and the path towards commercialization. 

The EHang 216 AAV, which has already undergone many test flights and is nearly ready for commercial launch.

EHang (Nasdaq: EH), one of the world’s leading autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology companies, has published its first white paper on the future of transportation and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). The white paper explores UAM’s potential to transform transportation globally with insights into vehicle design, an overview of potential applications and the current regulatory landscape, and recommendations for how to optimize UAM’s path towards commercialization.

“UAM and the widespread use of passenger and cargo AAVs will transform how people and goods move around urban areas,” said Mr. Huazhi Hu, the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of EHang. “The successful deployment of AAVs will help cities improve efficiency, enhance safety, cut costs, and become more environmentally sustainable.”

A clip from EHang’s first U.S trial flight in North Carolina.

EHang’s key points from the white paper include:

• UAM will be safer, more effective, and more immediately deployable if it structurally resembles an on-demand bus system with centralized oversight and set point-to-point routes rather than a taxi system with diffuse routes.

• The success of UAM will depend on commercial operations that are centrally managed. This is a different model from the traditional airline industry in which hundreds of airlines globally compete with each other, leading to smaller margins.

• Key characteristics of a successful UAM system include: autonomous services (i.e. pilotless passenger and cargo transportation); point-to-point, straight-line, fixed air routes; a centralized command-and-control platform that manages all AAV flights within a certain area; a shared economy (i.e. no individual ownership of AAVs); and a reliance on green energy.

• In order to ensure that safety remains the top priority for vehicle design, AAVs need to include: power source redundancy (e.g. by having multiple motors and propellers); completely autonomous operations; back-up / duplicate flight control, communications, and navigation systems.

• Based on EHang’s modeling for future commercial operations, a straight-line trip on an AAV could be cheaper for the user than a current New York City taxi ride covering the same distance, all while still being profitable to the operator. Furthermore, the model used is highly conservative since it does not capture the efficiency gains of future economies of scale, improved battery technologies, etc.

• While the AAV conversation has mostly focused on urban spaces, there are broad non-urban applications for services currently being provided by helicopters, including in search and rescue, emergency medical services, offshore operations, oil and gas, firefighting, forestry, power-line repair and surveys, agriculture and pest control, media, aerial photography, and law enforcement.

• The successful development of a UAM ecosystem will require deep collaboration between UAM vehicle providers, UAM network operators, infrastructure developers, telecommunication network partners, city, regional and national governments, etc.

Read the full white paper from EHang here.

EHang has already commercialized its passenger-grade AAVs, having delivered 38 units to customers as of December 5, 2019, and is actively working to make UAM an everyday reality in cities worldwide. To date, EHang has safely conducted over two thousand test flights both inside and outside of China to ensure that its AAVs operate safely and reliably. 

Why it’s important: With the new white paper, EHang has joined the likes of Uber Elevate, Volocopter, and Airbus on outlining its vision for the future of aerial mobility through white paper. The Chinese company has certainly earned credibility recently, having recently opened on the NASDAQ with a $662 million valuation, and completing its first trial flight in the U.S in North Carolina. With the publishing of this white paper along with its other recent successes, EHang marks its place among the top aerial mobility companies worldwide.

Other recent news about EHang:

• EHang Successfully Completes First U.S Trial Flight
• EHang’s IPO Results in $662 Million Valuation
• EHang takes new step towards launching pilotless air taxi route in Guangzhou

Transcend Air, based in Boston MA, has partnered with  design studio Huslig Collective to create custom Reserved Editions of its Vy400 aircraft.

The Vy400 is Transcend Air’s VTOL aircraft, which will be available both as an air taxi service of the U.S and privately for $6M USD.

Transcend Air’s Vy400 tilt-wing aircraft has been in development since 2009, with an official company formed in 2017. Well on its way to market release, the Vy400 can fly up to 450 miles at 400mph, with 2,190 lbs of useful payload and cabin pressurization up to 8,000 ft.

In the company’s latest news, Transcend Air is offering refined interior options for the Vy400 to make it spacious, luxurious, and comfortable for hour-long flights. For this, it has partnered with renowned design firm Huslig Collective to custom-make interiors according to Reserved Edition buyers’ specifications.

Said Huslig Collective President Mark Huslig:

Great design is a dialog between the imagined and the possible. The Vy 400R opens up new possibilities for flight, and we already imagine new ways to make that experience more incredible…. We can’t wait to help personalize the completions with their new owners.”

A look at a possible custom interior for the Transcend Air Vy400R.

Transcend Air chose Huslig collective for its depth of experience in creating remarkable and innovative vehicle interiors. According to Transcend Air COO Peter Schmidt, Huslig was the “perfect choice” to work with Transcend’s Reserved Edition customers. He added, “From helicopters to jets, their creations are outstanding and truly unique.”

An Airbus H-160 helicopter interior design by Huslig Collective.

Forty positions are currently available for orders of the Vy400R. Base versions of the Vy400 won’t be available until 2021. Anyone interested in the ordering a Vy400R can contact Transcend Air at contact@transcend.aero. 

Why it’s important: By positioning itself to enter the market early with a luxury aircraft, Transcend Air has begun to mark its territory in the city to city VTOL transport segment. While other companies such as EHang, Volocopter, and Uber focus on affordable intra-city transport, Transcend Air proves variation in the VTOL marketing by targeting longer distances and more affluent customers. Providing a luxury version of the Vy400 will do much to help push this new industry segment forward.

Related: See Leonardo’s Helicopters’ Luxury tilt-rotor AW609.

Sources // Transcend Air, Huslig Collective, Business Wire

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With a great deal of ambition, imaginative on-road vehicle designer Ludovic Lazareth and his team have created a flying motorcycle.

Lazareth’s “Moto Volante” is powred by four small jet engines.

The four wheels of the Moto Volante each have a JetCat turbine (developed by NASA) at their center, and fold out from the vehicle’s body to become the four lift points of the aircraft. Riders pull a switch and turn a few knobs on the control panel, and the wheels fold out into the horizontal flight position while small landing legs come out from the vehicle’s underside. From there, riders can soar through the sky for up to ten minutes.

Electric on the ground and jet powered in the air, the Moto Volante was built to challenge the limits of what motorcycles can be. Italian designer Ludovic Lazareth has been designing innovative motorcycles within his own company since 1998, one of the most recent being the LM847, a 470 horsepower motorcycle with a Maserati engine. Lazareth considers himself a mentee of famous auto-motive designer Franco Sbarro. 

Left: The Moto Volante’s control panel which displays relevant information such as altitude, speed, and remaining power.              Right: The Moto Volante’s jet engines built into the center hub of its wheels

Although the Moto Volante will cost $500k USD and only five of them will be made, Lazareth isn’t the only company making commercially available personal flying machines. Already on the market for only $100k USD, Hoversurf’s Scorpion S3 Hoverbike has already been sold to the Dubai Police, and Assen Andonov’s is well on its way to market.

Why it’s important:  Since only a few copies of the Moto Volante will be made at an extremely high price, the vehicle itself is more of an exotic engineering challenge rather than something that’s close to market for mass audiences. However, the Lazareth team has shown that this kind of micro flight technology is now possible. Other larger companies even such as Goodyear have taken interest in developing in-wheel lift propulsion, and still others continue to work on personal flight.

Skyportz is adding properties to begin building landing sites for aerial taxis in Australia.

Concept art from Skyportz

Skyportz, based in Melbourne, Australia is a company dedicated to helping buildings and properties ready themselves for eVTOL air taxis operations. The company’s mission is develop the necessary infrastructure to make aerial mobility a reality. Most recently, Skyportz was joined by Parking Australia, which represents the majority of parking structure companies in the country.

The partnership with Skyportz will lay the groundwork for Australia’s parking companies to begin updating properties to support eVTOL operations, both cargo and passenger. As of last Summer, Uber Elevate, which is developing a global eVTOL air taxi network, selected Melbourne as its first international city for launch in 2023.

According to Skyportz CEO and Founder Clem Newton-Brown:

“Space is at a premium in our cities and this partnership will enable Skyportz to develop a comprehensive network of sites across Australia in preparation for the aerial mobility revolution which is almost here.”

Uber’s vision for aerial mobility in Melbourne. Commercial operations are expected to launch 2023.

Parking Australia CEO Stuart Norman said:

“With the future changing modes of mobility the commercial car parking industry is well placed to provide the infrastructure needs of new mobility, including autonomous vehicles, electric charging and electric Vertical Take Off and Landing aircraft landing pads.”

“This agreement with Skyportz will give our members the opportunity to be an integral part of this new transportation revolution and to lead the world,” 

Another concept for a rooftop eVTOL vertiport concept from Arup and Pickard Chilton.

Related: Wing, Alphabet’s Delivery Drones, Set for Finland Launch in 2019

Why it’s important: As aerial mobility networks edge closer to reality, local business operations are preparing for their arrival. Skyportz has begun forming important partnerships for the future, and the latest partnership with Parking Australia represents a positive sign for community acceptance. Through this partnership, Melbourne can take significant steps to begin building eVTOL infrastructure.

Russian startup Flyter has taken the next important step in testing the design of its 2-seater PAC 720-200. 

The Flyter PAC 720-200 is capable of carrying 440 lbs with a max range of 560 miles.

Flyter has been around since February 2018. Since then, it unveiled its concept for the PAC 720-200, a two-seater VTOL aircraft that flies like a small plane but can take off like a helicopter. Flyter’s goal is to make an aircraft that can both use airports as well as access more remote locations.

The Flyter 720-200 features a total of eight downward-facing lift propellors. Flyter states that although the it would have liked to use only four props, efficiency and thrust requirements led to the four-prop design.

In the latest test, Flyter successfully proves many of the predicted thrust and efficiency calculations. The design itself is unique in that propellors sit under the wing rather than on top of it, and the test proved the functionality of this concept. While many eVTOL prototypes (such as the Boeing PAV) use only upward facing propellors and others use a combination of upward and downward facing propellors, Flyter is one of the only companies to use solely downward facing propellors.

Watch the company’s full description of the flight test below:

Flyter is also one of the only eVTOL developers in Russia, and is proceeding with testing on schedule. The company begun taking investors in April of this year. Rather than targeting an urban air taxi market, Flyter’s strategy is to provide a vehicle that can access remote locations of Russia. The company will make both a passenger and autonomous cargo version of the PAC 720-200, and intends to use hybrid power for maximum range.

For more about Flyter, visit its website here.

Why it’s important: Since Flyter is one of the only eVTOL developers in Russia, it has a good chance of being first to capture VTOL flight demand there. Through its latest round successful of testing, Flyter sets a precedent for future progress, securing itself as a technology leader in Russia. Flyter’s next steps will involve continuous testing and eventual prototyping and certification.