Crown Consulting‘s vision of the future aerial mobility market

In 2018, NASA selected Crown Consulting to aid in understanding the potential barriers to creating the aerial mobility industry. After creating that study, Crown is now extending its analysis by partnering with QSS (Quantitative Scientific Solutions) to understand how eVTOL ride quality might affect community acceptance. While Crown Consulting will facilitate the analysis, QSS will assist in collecting the and assembling the relevant data.

According to QSS and Crown Consulting, past work has related passenger comfort to noise and vibration, but no measure has yet been developed relating acceptance to the combination of noise, vibration, and vehicle motion. Since eVTOLs will certainly have different motion dynamics from helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, QSS and Crown consider these motion dynamics a key variable in determining the probability of community acceptance. Research and data collection will focus gaining an understanding of how future passengers may react to new motion dynamics.

QSS is a scientific and technical consulting and analytics firm based in Arlington, VA. Its mission is to provide creative solutions to the most challenging scientific problems through hard data, and it utilizes the most advanced technologies available to conduct analysis.

Crown Consulting’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Tom Edwards, commented, “This work will enable resolution of a major barrier to successful implementation of UAM.” Crown considers itself an expert in providing data and analytics to both private and government organizations. Read the full study so far provided by Crown Consulting to NASA here.

Why it’s important: With the advanced data collection and analysis technologies now available through companies like QSS, it has become possible to create deep understandings of how new innovations in air travel might affect people in the near future. Through partnering with QSS, Crown Consulting will be able to understand with a fair degree of certainty how people will react to eVTOLs’ new motion dynamics before aircraft even enter the flight testing stages or manufacturing stages. This information can help drive both vehicle designs and government regulations.

Ascent Urban Air Mobility, a new aerial mobility company, has announced that it will commence services in Thailand by the end of this year. Although Ascent currently uses traditional helicopters, its aerial mobility business model follows those that will soon come with advanced electric VTOLS. Ascent first launched in the Philippines around May of 2019.

Ascent Founders Darren Tng and Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff

Although charter helicopters have existed in Thailand (mainly for tourism), Ascent’s offering will now serve transportation needs between major activity centers such as Bangkok, Chonburi, and Rayong, and leisure destinations such as Hua Hin or Pattaya. Unlike any other helicopter service in the area, Ascent offers by-the-seat booking through a smartphone app. Ascent’s mission is to enable busy customers to skip traffic and reach remote destinations with ease and now (with the advent of COVID-19) minimized physical contact. By serving these hubs, Ascent aims at contributing to the growth of businesses and the economy in line with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), Thailand 4.0, and Smart City initiatives. Seat prices will start at about the equivalent of $250 USD.

Passengers on board an Ascent Urban Air Mobility Aircraft. Each seat will start at $250 per ticket.

Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, one of the founders of Ascent, said, “The dynamism of Bangkok combined with this new context (COVID-19), makes mobility a great challenge for the business community, commuters, and tourists. This in turn effects the economy, the environment, and people’s well-being. In addition, public economic initiatives like the EEC require enhanced mobility solutions. With Ascent, we believe we can elevate mobility to the skies to better connect locations and skip traffic seamlessly in a safe and more affordable manner. We are excited to open this new chapter of Ascent with partners such as Advance Aviation and SFS Aviation, which have driven the industry in Thailand for so long and will ensure our users with the highest operational and safety standards.”

Part of the Ascent Urban Air Mobility team

Why it’s import: Although other urban air mobility companies based in the U.S use a similar business model to Ascent (such as BLADE Urban Air Mobility and Uber Copter), Ascent’s launch in Thailand will make the country one of Asia’s first to host aerial mobility services. Ascent’s customer sourcing and management as well as fleet management softwares will likely plug into more advanced electric aircraft once they become available.

Bye Aerospace has begun the next phase of its flight test program for its two-seat all-electric eFlyer 2. The latest aircraft built is a technology demonstrator aircraft that will pave the way for the future of electric flight, and the final version eFlyer 2.

Bye Aerospace’s two-seater eFlyer 2 technology demonstrator.

Bye Aerospace’s mission is to develop innovative and effective zero CO2 electric propulsion systems, along with integrations of structural and mechanical systems and aerodynamic advances. With electric aircraft like the eFlyer 2 moving towards production, the future of electric flight slowly is becoming more clear. This next stage of testing for the eFlyer 2 focuses on identifying an efficient and effective propellor for the eFlyer’s all-electric flight, setting the stage for the propellor dynamics of electric aircraft of all kinds, including eventual all-electric eVTOLs. It’s likely that industry discoveries and innovations being made in these traditional fixed wing electric aircraft (like the eFlyer 2, the magniX Cessna Grand Caravan, and the Ampaire EEL Electric Aircraft) will eventually make their way into all kinds of aerial mobility aircraft, including vertical-lift electric aircraft and more. For now, Bye Aerospace hopes that the eFlyer 2 will dramatically reduce operations costs and eliminate C02 emissions within the pilot flight training industry.

The eFlyer 2 in-flight

Said George E. Bye, CEO of Bye: ““Data from these flight tests will help our engineering team determine the most efficient propeller that will maximize the overall efficiency for the typical flight training syllabus requirement. The prototype Rolls Royce electric motor currently on the eFlyer 2 technology demonstrator has varying torque and a large RPM range with a relatively small size and cross-section compared to a conventional internal combustion engine.  Therefore, more of the propeller length is available to provide thrust across a broad range of RPM.” Mr. Bye concluded by mentioning that multiple iterations of the propellor will be tested over the summer against beneficial and unique electric propulsion criteria required for flight training missions.

Watch a full video summary of Bye’s mission below:

Why it’s important: Bye Aerospace is one of the world’s top companies pushing forward the electric propulsion and flight industry. With advancements made by Bye and similar electric aerospace companies, overall contributions to eVTOL aircraft such as batteries, aerodynamics, and propulsion technologies will be vast.

After a brief pause in flight testing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, air taxi company Wisk has resumed flight tests of the Cora aircraft in both the U.S and New Zealand. 

Wisk is the result of joint venture between Kitty Hawk and Boeing, in collaboration with Air New Zealand and the New Zealand Government.

Wisk was established in 2019 as a joint venture between The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation, in collaboration with Air New Zealand. The Cora aircraft itself was originally created by Kitty Hawk, which has now transitioned to working on its latest aircraft, the Heaviside. As of February 2020, Wisk had signed a partnership with the government of New Zealand to eventually bring Cora’s autonomous air taxi capabilities to the country’s transportation infrastructure. The MoU signed that month allowed Wisk to begin conducting the world’s first full airspace integration trial of an autonomous eVTOL in Canterbury, a large region of New Zealand.

The now-resumed flight tests will evaluate the performance of the aircraft in a real world environment, while collecting data that will help inform the further development, operation, safety features and certification of the Cora aircraft. Prior to the to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company had completed over 1300 test flights to expand the flight envelope, provide data for modeling, improve overall design, and complete procedures to operate the aircraft safely and efficiently.

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

Says Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk, “The team’s dedication over the past few months has allowed us to remain focused on critical non-flight areas, such as certification, software development, and operations. This has allowed us to maintain momentum during this unique time. But it’s awesome to be flying again.”

Carl Engel, Director, Flight Test for Wisk, comments: “Our first priority has always been safety, both for our employees and in the development of our aircraft. As we return to flight testing, we have implemented a number of procedures and social distancing measures based on best practices and recommendations from local and national health and government organizations.”

Why it’s important: While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly put a temporary hold on physical flight tests, the team at Wisk was successfully able to use that time to achieve many important goals working from home, focusing on subjects like operations, certification, and critical software. Given that Wisk was able to adjust its development workflow so quickly, it was likely able to reduce a great deal of the negative impact of the pandemic slow-down, and now can resume flight testing without delay.

Airflow, a company founded in 2019 by five former members of the Airbus Vahana Project, just announced its upcoming eSTOL – an electric aircraft capable of taking off and landing within remarkably short runways.

Rendering of the upcoming Airflow eSTOL.

STOLs (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft have been around for many years; typically being used to access remote areas such as clearings in forests or other rural areas where full runways may not be available. Their ability to take off and land quickly, often within 150-300ft, makes them extremely versatile.

A traditional STOL aircraft, typically used for accessing remote areas without large runways.

Members from the Airflow team believe that many of the cargo transportation goals of the UAM (Urban Air Mobility) movement could be accomplished by electric STOLs at around one third the operating cost. Due to the growing diversity of desired products and destinations that is coming with the rapid growth of ‘same-day’ e-commerce, there is becoming a growing need for middle-mile transportation that can transport items directly between warehouses quickly, without using traditional airports. Airflow believes it can meet this need through a combination of its proprietary aircraft and its accompanying logistics service for sellers of e-commerce products. Other use cases include rural delivery, medical supplies to remote areas, disaster relief, and military applications.

A diagram showing how cargo is traditionally moved between Distribution Centers (via semi-truck) versus how they will move with Airflow. Airflow eSTOLS will be 4X as fast as semi trucks at 1/3 the price of eVTOLs.

According to Marc Ausman, Founder & CEO of Airflow:

“The demand for same-day e-commerce continues to rise, and we’re building a new low-cost aerial capability to enable that growth. Our approach from the beginning is to focus on a simple aircraft design with well-defined new technology.”

Airflow’s first aircraft features a distributed electric motor propulsion system, a single-pilot set-up with automated pilot assistance, 250 miles of hybrid-electric range, 500lbs of cargo capacity, and an impressive take-off and landing distance of only 150 feet. The eSTOL is simple fixed-wing aircraft, which Airflow hopes will yield a quicker path through certification and development. The team believes that both the certification and development process combined will cost around $200 million USD, vs around a $700 Million price tag for eVTOLs with similar regional air mobility capabilities. Production is expected to begin on the aircraft in 2025.

In addition to their work together at the Airbus Vahana project, Airflow’s founders also held previous experience at companies like Eclipse Aviation, Northrop Grumman, Airware, Scaled Composites, and even Uber Elevate.

The Airbus Vahana Project, where the five founders of Airflow worked previously.

Why it’s important: The leaders of Airflow come from a depth of experience not just in aviation, but in the newly formed world of urban aerial mobility. Together, they have spotted a niche in this new industry (for middle-mile cargo transport) where capital could be deployed more efficiently through the use of simpler technologies. The new Airflow eSTOL, together with its accompanying logistics service, has extremely high potential in the growing short-distance transportation industry.

Since February of 2014, Bye Aerospace has been developing an all-electric trainer aircraft, designed to reduce the fuel costs of training new pilots. Having already certified its aircraft through the FAA’s FAR 23 rules, Bye Aerospace will be releasing two models; the 2-seater eFlyer 2 and the 4-seater eFlyer 4. Combined, orders for these aircraft now total over 330.

As of today (June 2nd), Bye Aerospace announced that it is nearing completion of the eFlyer 2 critical design phase. This final part of this design phase is meant to clear the aircraft’s design to proceed into fabrication, demonstration and test. The CDR (critical design review) being conducted will also ensure that the aircraft meets the FAA 14 CFR 23 Amendment 64 certification standards and performance requirements within the eFlyer 2 cost, schedule and safety criteria. Once these reviews are completed, Bye Aerospace will begin delivering electric aircraft to customers.

“I’m grateful to our remarkable team of engineers, designated engineering representatives, our development partners and suppliers for their support in the engineering progress of eFlyer 2,” said George E. Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace.  “This important upcoming aviation industry milestone is a reflection of the team’s incredible dedication and hard work.” Bye Aerospace reached this latest milestone while working from home due to concerns over the Coronavirus pandemic, indicating the high-functioning capabilities of its engineering and executive teams.

Notably, Bye Aerospace is certainly not the first company to begin putting functional electric aircraft into the skies. Just this week, MagniX and AeroTEC flew the world’s largest all-electric aircraft, a converted Cessna Grand Caravan 208B. Other companies like eViation, Ampaire, Voltaero and more have all begun creating electric aircraft that may soon enter operation.

Other electric aircraft: magniX (top left), eViation Alice (top right), Ampaire EEL (bottom left), Voltaero Cassio (bottom right).

Why it’s important: Although Bye Aerospace is not in the business of developing eVTOLs, its progress into attaining FAA certification for electric aircraft, and its efforts to put these aircraft into useful operation, paves the way for electric flight technologies utilized by eVTOLs. Putting certified electric aircraft into use is no small feat, and building the aerial mobility industry will likely happen incrementally, starting with products like the eFlyer.

Related:

• Environmental & Women’s Activist Cassie Lee Joins Bye Aerospace Board
• magniX and AeroTEC Successfully Fly the World’s Largest All-Electric Aircraft
• VoltAero Finalizes Production Configuration for Cassio

About a year ago, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced its plans to publish certification standards for electric and hybrid VTOL aircraft, aimed at those designed for urban environments such as Lilium, Volocopter, and Vertical Aerospace‘s eVTOLs. These standards have been under review by public and private stakeholders, as well as EASA itself. Yesterday, on May 25th, EASA moved one major step closer to the full set of standards Europe will need to allow air taxis into commercial use.

EASA standards for eVTOLs have been moving forward in sync with the development of eVTOL aircraft by European companies. The latest certification standards release, which is the third, focuses on structural design, flight load conditions, crashworthiness, capability after bird impact, design of fly-by-wire systems, safety assessment process, lightning protection and minimum handling qualities rating. Previous iterations included initial prototyping standards, followed by certification requirements for electric and/or hybrid propulsion systems.

Examples of eVTOL aircraft the latest EASA standards will apply to: Vertical Aerospace Seraph (left), The Lilium Jet (middle), and the Volocopter Velocity (right).

According to the latest news from EASA, “These subjects (certification standards) were identified and discussed with industry members and representatives from other aviation authorities worldwide. The requirements and guidance cater for a wide variety of flying vehicle architectures and enable innovative designs. The scope for the guidance remains “person-carrying small VTOL aircraft with 3 or more lift/thrust units used to generate powered lift and control”. Essentially, this means that through the last year, EASA has been developing its documentation to become more and more specific, consulting business leaders, government officials, and public stakeholders at every turn. Over the next few months, the latest set of standards will undergo review by all these stakeholders, and the next package of ‘guidance material’ will be presented during the 2020 EASA Rotorcraft and VTOL Symposium scheduled November 10 – 12, 2020.

Why it’s important:  The publishing of this next set of documents represents a major milestone for aerial mobility in Europe. EASA (the European Aviation Safety Agency), was one of the first global governments to begin work on regulation standards in October of 2018, and has been steadily making progress ever since. With its consistency in standards development, Europe is leading the charge in bringing aerial mobility to reality.

Read the full set of revised certification standards here.

Related:

• • How EASA Proposes to Approach eVTOL Certification
  • Airbus and EASA Sign MOC on Development of VTOL Aircraft
  • Volocopter to Receive EASA’s Design Organization Approval

EHang, the Chinese company behind the EHang 216 AAV (autonomous aerial vehicle) recently announced that it will build an autonomously-operating aerial vehicle port in the city of Hezhou, China.

EHang’s “E-port” is already under construction

The 2,500-square-meter “E-port” terminal building will feature a first-floor reception hall, second-floor passenger waiting area and third-floor departure/arrival zone with four landing pads located on the roof. The port, along with a planned delivery of 20 EHang 216 AAVs, is expected to initially be used for air tourism operations.

This announcement is part of EHang’s larger entry into the mobility market of urban China, which recently included a partnership with LN Holdings Garden Hotel in Guangzhou. The company has conducted over two thousand flight tests of its aircraft, is prepared for large-scale manufacturing, and has already entered partnerships with several cities and countries worldwide including Seville, Spain, and the Norway Civil Aviation Authority. These locations, like the newly
added city of Hezhou, initially plan to use EHang aircraft for air tourism
and then eventually transition to everyday travel.

Said EHang founder Huazhi Hu :“As we progress, we intend to create more commercial applications for EHang AAVs, such as aerial sightseeing that can uniquely merge modern culture and tourism. We also welcome more local partners to join us and embrace the opportunity to a provide safe, autonomous, and green approach to travel and sightseeing.”

The EHang 216 itself flies completely autonomously, with air traffic management done by a control center on the ground.  Watch the video below for an in-depth explanation of the E-port design:

Why it’s important: Although many companies have begun putting forth urban Vertiport designs, EHang is the first to plan one that will be completely autonomous. While small-scale operations may not make autonomy unnecessary for now, the large scale nature of future operations planned by EHang will require it. Although EHang has yet to enter service or operation in the U.S, it has already made agreements with several areas internationally, including Spain and Norway as well as China. With this latest announcement, as well as its progress into aircraft delivery and operation, EHang may very well have put itself in the lead for global aerial mobility solutions.

Related:

• EHang to Build the World’s First UAM Hotel
• EHang Enters Agreement with Seville, Spain to Begin Urban Air Mobility Program
• EHang Obtains Operational Permit from Civil Aviation Authority of Norway

Chinese passenger drone manufacturer EHang has officially entered into a partnership with Shenzhen tourism company LN Holdings to create the world’s first ‘UAM themed’ hotel.

The idea behind the new partnership is for EHang to further commercialize its AAV’s (autonomous aerial vehicles) through integrating them with existing and future LN Hotels. The LN Garden Hotel in Guangzhou will be the first to offer these services.

The hotel will promote the AAV’s as a new form of travel by offering UAM services to guests like aerial sightseeing, travel to common destinations, aerial light shows, intelligent exhibitions education about UAM, and more. Hotel operators will assist in handling air and passenger logistics and in integrating UAM smoothly with guest experiences.

An EHang 216 AAV taking off from the courtyard of the LN Garden Hotel

Hu Huazhi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang, said, “We are excited to establish a comprehensive and long-term strategic partnership with LN Holdings. Helping to build Guangzhou into a global air mobility pilot city is a milestone for us, and further promotes the commercialization of the UAM ecosystem. ”

Said Liang Lingfeng, General Manager of LN Group and Chairman of LN Holdings, “We own a broad chain of resources in the tourism industry, covering travel, brand hotels, conventions, exhibitions and scenic attractions. By leveraging our controlling shareholder LN Group’s ability to integrate its resources in consumer sector, cooperating with EHang could generate incremental products and services. We can fulfill customers’ travel demands in the air and on the ground by combining intelligent technology with the tourist experience.”

To celebrate the partnership, executives of both companies as well as journalists got to take demo flights in the new EHang 216 aircraft over the LN Garden Hotel. An aerial light show was also held on the  evening of May 9th to demonstrate the capabilities of the aircraft.

Why it’s important: Ehang isn’t the first company to begin integrating UAM services with hotels and residences. A similar project, that will include a vertiport and lobby for guests and residences, is in its planning stages for the Paramount Miami Worldcenter and others. As the aerial mobility industry advances, these initially novel services will transition into common amenities for guests who need travel in and out of nearby cities. Hotels like the LN Garden Hotel have begun this step forward.

Related:

• Paramount Miami Worldcenter and Others Develop Air Taxi Landing Pads
• BLADE Announces new Miami Beach Service
• Uber Elevate Reveals 16 New SkyPort Concepts, Additional Ground Operations Partners

German drone delivery company Wingcopter has been growing more and more in the past few months, and most recently has won a $80k USD prize in the Emergency Delivery category of the Lake Kivu Challenge in Rwanda, sponsored by World Bank.

A large part of Wingcopter’s mission to use its patented UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) technology to assist the world in various humanitarian and commercial applications. Most recently, Wingcopter won the grand prize in the Emergency Delivery Category of the Lake Kivu Flying Competition in Rwanda. The Flying Competition was part of the 2020 African Drone Forum in February, which was hosted by the Rwandan Government. The Forum aimed at showcasing the advances in autonomous drone delivery that can make a significant difference for isolated communities and rural areas across Africa.

“We are very proud to be winners of the Lake Kivu Challenge, as this challenge and the African Drone Forum embody the innovative spirit of humanitarian aid and the African drone community as well as the great potential for sustainable drone deployments. We strongly believe that Wingcopter drones can leapfrog existing infrastructure by delivering significant social and economic value in Africa and beyond.” – Tom Plümmer, CEO and Co-founder of Wingcopter.

Wingcopter’s flight demonstration for the competition included a fully automated delivery of an emergency package from a droneport on the mainland of Africa to offshore Bugarura Island, and a secure return landing. The roundtrip, beyond visual line of sight flight, was 40 kilometers and was completed in 24 minutes of flight time, a drastic reduction compared to over 1hr and 40 minutes by boat. The package drop-off required no landing or human interaction, an attribute to Wingcopter’s innovative winch mechanism.

Notably, Wingcopter had already successfully deployed a similar type of on-demand vaccine delivery to 19 remote villages in the country of Vanuatu on behalf of the local Ministry of Health and supported by UNICECF. In Vanuatu, Wingcopter was able to live saving medicines and vaccines to many villages that are difficult to reach by other means of transport. The average payload for a Wingcopter mission is 3.5 kg.

Why it’s important: Wingcopter has made several significant achievements in the past few months, including a partnership with UPS, a large investment from Corecam Capital, and multiple successful and impactful operations of humanitarian missions. As the company gains more and more traction, providing ample proof of successful and meaningful operations through humanitarian missions, it is making itself one of the world’s top providers for drone delivery. Also notably, Wingcopter is working with UPS on multiple Coronavirus aid projects.

Related:

• German Drone Startup Wingcopter Receives Seven-Digit Investment from Singapore

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