Joby Aero announced on July 23rd the composition of its Board of Directors in anticipation of the company’s merger with Reinvent Technology Partners, a special purpose acquisition company that is reported to take a “venture capital at scale” approach to partnering with bold leaders and companies. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company will trade as JOBY on the NYSE. In conjunction with the transaction, notable members were also named to the board, including Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn Co-Founder and the Co-Lead Director of Reinvent Technology Partners (RTP). Hoffman currently sits on the boards of companies such as Microsoft and Aurora. 

Next, Halimah DeLaine Prado, General Counsel, Google. Halimah has spent 15 years at Google, working on some of the most complex and important legal issues of the digital age, including a variety of projects at Google X. Prior to her current position, Halimah was a Vice President of Legal, managing a global team providing counsel across Google’s products, including Ads, Search, Cloud, Hardware, Platforms & Ecosystems, and YouTube.

Finally, Laura Wright, former CFO, Southwest Airlines, is reported to be joining the board. Laura has significant experience managing airline finances and operations, having helped to establish Southwest as one of the top US airlines across a 25 year tenure at the company. Her experience of leading an airline through a period of high growth will be particularly relevant to Joby as it seeks to establish and rapidly grow an aerial ridesharing service beginning in 2024.

Commenting on the recent appointments, JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby, said, “We are incredibly humbled to have been able to assemble such a remarkable and diverse group of world-class leaders to guide and support Joby as we plan to enter the public market.”

Earlier this week, RTP announced that an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders has been scheduled for August 5, 2021 to vote on the approval and adoption of RTP’s business combination with Joby.

Why it’s important: Joby Aviation is adding lauded members of a variety of companies to their Board of Directors, enabling the company to continue their growth and expansion plans to deploy on demand aerial mobility services by 2024 at scale.

Bye Aerospace announced that Rheinland Air Service GmbH (RAS), a European MRO outfit, has completed purchase deposit agreements for five all-electric eFlyer 800 aircraft. RAS will act as an MRO support to eFlyer800 aircraft in Central Europe with its service and support facilities in Germany. Furthermore, RAS will be a designated reseller of eFlyer800 aircraft in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“We are proud to be investing in the future of sustainable aviation and to be supporting Bye Aerospace in the transformation of flying. The eFlyer800 with its remarkable economy and flight performance will support the European Market while balancing the amount of carbon emissions” said Johannes Schaesberg, CEO of RAS.

George E. Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace, said RAS is an important partner for many reasons, including its physical location in western Germany. “We have known Johannes and his company for 20 years, and recognize the significant role RAS has, supporting business aviation for this important part of Europe,” Bye said.

Bye Aerospace announced the eFlyer 800 program earlier this year in response to growing demands for regional all-electric airplanes with significantly reduced operating costs, plus increased capacity and utility. The company is in the process of obtaining FAA Part-23 certification for the eFlyer 2 for the professional flight training mission and the four-seat eFlyer 4 for air taxi, cargo and advanced training uses.

All the company’s current and future families of aircraft feature engineering, research and electric aircraft solutions are designed to specifically address compelling market needs.  Benefits include five-fold lower operating costs, no CO2 emissions and decreased noise. Bye Aerospace estimates the eFlyer will eventually eliminate the release of millions of metric tons of CO2 each year as its deliveries begin and the general aviation fleet is replaced.

Why it’s important: Of late, the conversation within aerospace has shifted from that of triage toward orders and future growth – and the sphere of electric aviation is included in that transformation. In recent months, hundreds of orders for eVTOL aircraft have been announced, and on a higher level, the overall general aviation and light aircraft market is continuing to be burgeoned by the influx of demand for future propulsion technology that allows for reduced carbon emissions and more efficient operations.

Initial approach being applied to sub-scale model of Pegasus eVTOL business jet 

A consortium led by Callen-Lenz that is researching a new approach to flight control systems  for next-generation novel aircraft has been awarded a grant of £1m from the UK Government through the ATI Programme. 

Project NOMAD (Novel Control Approaches to Complex Aircraft Dynamics) is an 18-month  research programme to develop a technology framework, common interface and advanced  low-workload cockpit for complex configuration aircraft. The framework provides a  methodology – the ‘model-based journey’ – that can be applied to aircraft being developed  for the urban air mobility (UAM) and personal air vehicle (PAV) markets. 

The consortium includes the Satellite Applications Catapult, and the project will also  develop enhanced SATCOM systems suitable for the operation of highly maneuverable civilian platforms in congested urban terrains. 

An initial application of the new approach developed in Project NOMAD is being made to  the Pegasus Vertical Business Jet (VBJ), an advanced business jet powered by an  environmentally-friendly hybrid power plant with a novel fan-in-wing configuration that has  vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) capability. 

The project is using two quarter-size Pegasus VBJ aircraft – approximately 4m wing tip-to-tip  and 4m nose-to-tail. Flight trials will commence in March 2022, and the outputs will  significantly de-risk the critical design elements and advance the full-scale aircraft program. Business Minister Paul Scully characterized: “The work Callen-Lenz is doing to make the future of urban air mobility, such as  flying taxis and personal air vehicles, a reality is a fantastic example of the aerospace  sector’s commitment to innovation. Technologies like these will help protect jobs  and cut emissions for decades to come. 

The ATI Program is a joint UK Government and industry investment to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace design and manufacture. It is delivered through a partnership between the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), Department for  Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK and addresses technology, capability and supply chain challenges. 

Why it’s important: Additional government support for new and novel flight control infrastructure, in this instance from the UK, is driving the next generation of automation and flight path guidance for fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and autonomous/future eVTOL aircraft designs. Analogous examples include the Agility Prime initiative in the United States, which includes substantial funding for eVTOL aircraft from the United States Air Force.

VoltAero’s Cassio 1 demonstrator aircraft is beginning a “Tour de France” today which intends to reaffirm the company’s commitment to developing a family of hybrid-electric airplanes for sustainable regional air transportation. Departing from France’s Atlantic seaport city of Lorient on July 5, Cassio 1 will make 10 stopovers in a flight plan that covers destinations in the country’s north, east and south, before returning to the west for its conclusion on July 11 at Rochefort. This first-ever travel circuit of its type by a hybrid-electric aircraft will involve stopovers at Tours, Le Havre, Toussus-le-Noble (in the Paris region), Troyes, Dijon, Annecy, Aix-en-Provence, Nimes and Toulouse.

Tour itinerary for VoltAero’s Cassio prototype. Image // VoltAero

The trip’s segments represent typical regional short- and medium-haul flights that can be efficiently served by hybrid-electric aircraft, bringing clean, quiet and efficient air mobility to local airports. Overall, the hybrid-electric Tour de France will cover a distance of more than 1,440 nautical miles (2,600 kilometers) for a combined flight time of approximately 28 hours. “With Cassio 1’s French tour, we are providing realistic examples of how our future family of Cassio airplanes will bring reliable and eco-friendly air service to regions that – more than ever – require such connections,” explained Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and Chief Technology Officer. “Such service will have the full benefits of low-noise operations and reduced CO2 emissions that come with hybrid-electric aviation.” Supporting VoltAero during the Tour de France will be French airport and infrastructure operator Edeis, which is providing logistics assistance as the partner during this trip. Landings are to be made at eight of the 19 airports managed by Edeis in France. Guided visits of Cassio 1 and on-site briefings by VoltAero are to be performed at each destination. Attendees invited for the stopovers include elected officials, business leaders, air service providers, airport operators and other key players in transportation infrastructure. The Cassio 1 demonstrator aircraft is a flying testbed utilized by VoltAero to validate its proprietary hybrid-electric power module – which combines electric motors and an internal combustion engine. With its multiple sources of energy, the hybrid-electric power module provides highly safe and efficient operations by utilizing one source of power (electrical or mechanical) – or both – depending on the flight scenario. In a typical trip, the module’s electrical motors would be used for nearly-silent takeoffs and landings – with the internal combustion engine serving as a range extender once Cassio is airborne, and also recharging the batteries.

To date, the performance and capabilities of VoltAero’s hybrid-electric power module have been proven during more than 105 flights of the Cassio 1 demonstrator aircraft, logging 76 total flight hours. The hybrid-electric power module concept that is integrated on Cassio 1 will be used for VoltAero’s family of production airplanes. Also installed on the Cassio 1 demonstrator aircraft are two forward-mounted Safran Electrical
& Power ENGINeUSTM smart electric motors, which VoltAero is using in performance verifications as part of its flight test program.

The first production Cassio aircraft version to be built will be the four-seat Cassio 330, with a combined hybrid-electric power of 330 kilowatts. Cassio 330 deliveries are targeted for the second half of 2023, to be followed by the Cassio 480 and Cassio 600, utilizing hybrid-electric propulsion rated at 480 and 600 kilowatts, respectively. Production Cassio aircraft are to have a cruise speed of 200 knots (360 km./hr.), with an airport take-off/landing distance of less than 1,800 feet.

Why it’s important:  VoltAero’s target market for the Cassio aircraft is the short to medium haul regional carrier that will benefit from the increased efficiency of electric propulsion, combined with enhanced dispatch reliability and compatibility with changing and restricting global emission and environmental constraints toward new air travel media. The “Tour de France” for the Cassio aircraft will serve as an opportunity to further advance those goals.

VoltAero and Airways Aviation signed an agreement on June 25th for operations of the family of Cassio hybrid-electric aircraft, which will be be deployed for regional mobility and in pilot training.

VoltAero will collaborate with Airways Aviation on defining the utilization of Cassio aircraft in their four-, six- and 10-seat versions (the Cassio 330, Cassio 480 and Cassio 600, respectively) based on the signed agreement, dubbed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop scheduled and on-demand air transport services in Southern France.

The VoltAero Cassio, a modified Cessna Skymaster prototype. Image // VoltAero

Airways Aviation will also explore Cassio’s use in the company’s own world-class pilot training courses – including the development of a flight simulator, as well as evolving innovative training and courses related to hybrid-electric technologies in aviation – covering such subject matter as airports and infrastructure.

The MoU was signed by Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and Chief Technical Officer; and Capt. Mauro Calvano, the President of Airways Aviation, during an event at Airways Aviation’s Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport headquarters.

This event, which was themed “For a Quieter and Cleaner Sky,” also included the presence of VoltAero’s Cassio 1 hybrid-electric demonstrator aircraft, which performed a local flight to highlight its performance capabilities and low noise level. Cassio 1 was made available for inspection by invited local and regional officials, as well as by pilots currently in Airways Aviation’s training.

“Airways Aviation is the perfect partner for VoltAero, as this company’s dual expertise in pilot training and aircraft operations will enable us to jointly pursue a shared vision for the future of hybrid-electric aircraft,” Botti said.

With 30-plus years of expertise, Airways Aviation’s business activity includes the Airways Aviation Academy – a leading global aviation school for the training of pilots, cabin crews and ground-based workers at locations in France and Australia. In 2019, Airways Aviation Group acquired the renowned French aviation education and training organization, ESMA (Ecole Supérieure des Métiers de l’Aéronautique), which is the largest and most important privately owned multidisciplinary aviation school in Europe.

To date, Airways Aviation and ESMA have graduated a combined total of more than 33,000 pilots, cabin crew members, aircraft maintenance engineers and ground handling personnel.

Capt. Calvano added: “We all are very excited about the collaboration. Our mission at Airways Aviation is to train, educate and shape a new generation of industry professionals, and we do it in a socially responsible manner – so this is a natural partnership with VoltAero. As we believe VoltAero’s Cassio will be a game changer, we also are looking at the potential for air taxi operations with the aircraft in beautiful Southern France and the Mediterranean area.”

VoltAero is advancing the Cassio family’s design phase, benefitting from the validation of its hybrid-electric powertrain through flight trials with the company’s Cassio 1 demonstrator aircraft. The first Cassio version to be produced is the four-seat Cassio 330, with a combined hybrid-electric power of 330 kilowatts. Cassio 330 deliveries are targeted beginning in 2023, to be followed by the Cassio 480 and Cassio 600, utilizing hybrid-electric propulsion rated at 480 and 600 kilowatts, respectively.

At full rate, VoltAero anticipates producing approximately 150 aircraft per year.

Why it’s important: A growing suite of aerial mobility companies are inking deals with airlines and operators as the trend towards and operations-focused aerial mobility world is realized. While these MoU’s don’t represent firm orders for aircraft, or a guarantee of future services, they do cement the reality of aerial mobility aircraft as a viable next-generation alternative to current last-mile and low to mid range mobility offerings.

Source // Newswire

Volocopter flew the Volocopter 2X electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft earlier this week at Le Bourget Airfield, during the Paris Air Forum. With the flight demonstration of the Volocopter 2X and the VoloCity model on static display onsite, the German UAM developer demonstrated the progress they are making to introduce eVTOL aircraft as an addition to existing transportation in the Paris region.

Volocopter’s VoloCity featured at the National Air and Space Museum in France

The flight lasted a duration of 3 minutes, was remotely controlled, and was the first public flight demonstration of an electrically powered air taxi in France. It gave the public a real-life experience with what eVTOL air taxis will look and sound like in operation. Attendees watched as the Volocopter 2X flew a 500 m route at speeds up to 30 km/h and 30 m high along the Le Bourget Airfield. This flight marks the beginning of a multi-step test and market development campaign in cooperation with the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC – Direction générale de l’aviation civile) to safely bring electric air taxis to the Île-de-France region. Attendees could sit inside the VoloCity model for a first-hand experience and detailed explanation of the benefits of electric air taxi services.

“The first flight today in Paris highlights Volocopter’s commitment to bring air taxi services to this region in time for the 2024 Olympic Games,” says Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. “The alliance of the Paris region, Groupe ADP, and RATP Groupe and their intent to bring electric air taxis to France is a stellar example of the collaborative approach we see to be the most successful for adding this exciting category of mobility to cities globally.”

Volocopter was announced as the first vehicle and operations partner for the launch of the urban air mobility industrial branch in Paris in September 2020. Now, the company is planning to open a local office and is recruiting staff and expanding local partnerships to ensure the new UAM solutions meet local demands. Volocopter is also working on an agreement with Groupe ADP and RATP Groupe to collaborate for the 2024 Olympics to enhance regional connectivity in a meaningful way and showcase the benefits and key attributes of urban air mobility.

Edward Arkwright, Deputy CEO of GROUPE ADP says, “Today, we were as close as never before in France to experience electric aviation. Volocopter is a vivid example of what the futures of aviation could look like, both carbon-free and innovative, that Groupe ADP wants to accompany thanks to our infrastructure assets, expertise, and know-how. Along with the other partners of the RE.Invent Air Mobility initiative, Volocopter is now ready to enter a first test flight campaign by September on the Pontoise airfield sandbox we have been building up in the past months. And we are thrilled to be partnering with them, RATP Group and DGAC towards our objective of flight demonstrations in the Paris Region during the 2024 Olympic Games, to lay the foundation of a strong UAM industrial ecosystem in France.”

Why it’s important: Volocopter remains the only organization with design Organization Approval (DOA) from EASA, and accordingly is marching forward steadily towards complete readiness and entry into services as a viable on-demand, commercial aerial mobility service. Their “ecosystem” approach to the full scope of aerial mobility aircraft applications (logistics, cargo, passenger, EMS, etc) aim to leverage diversification to find demand in any economic environment.

Since the beginning of the recent coronavirus resurgence in China’s Guangdong Province, EHang has leveraged its autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology by dispatching a flight operations team and multiple AAVs for COVID-19 relief and control efforts in Guangzhou City.

Beginning June 4th, EHang has successively deployed the passenger-grade AAV EHang 216, EHang 216L (logistics model), EHang Falcon B series and Falcon B (logistics) for epidemic prevention and control efforts.

The EHang passenger AAV (autonomous aerial vehicle), 216 model, is the baseline configuration for many of the current COVID-19 relief efforts ongoing. Image // EHang

With the technical advantages of autonomous flight as well as capabilities for rapid response and cluster management, the EHang 216 and EHang 216L AAVs created emergency air transportation routes across the Pearl River in Guangzhou, completing multiple contactless relief and support tasks in the quarantine and containment zones. Tasks covered aerial logistics, emergency transportation, aerial inspections and broadcasting, transporting necessary daily household supplies to residents in the quarantine zones, and implementing urban air mobility (UAM) systems in emergency transportation scenarios.

EHang has been actively involved with epidemic relief and support for 11 days, and the designated flight operations team is reportedly maintaining its station near the quarantine and containment zones to continue with household and emergency supply air transport to reduce risks of front-line staff contacting the virus, and further support the coronavirus control and prevention mission in Guangdong Province with improved efficiency.

Watch a video of the EHang supporting relief efforts: https://www.ehang.com/video/show/392.html

Why it’s important: While Asia responded favorably to early onset of COVID-19, many regions recently experienced increased infection counts. EHang is effectively leveraging its capabilities for urgent medical passenger and cargo transportation with their fleet of aircraft, in a situation that closely reflects the current use cases of aerial mobility vehicles for limited passenger transport and more widely implemented cargo transport. EHang is currently using both their cargo transport aircraft and the 216 AAV for COVID relief efforts in Guangdong.

EHang announced today its flagship passenger-grade AAV EHang 216 successfully performed its maiden Japan unmanned and autonomous trial flight to showcase safe, autonomous, eco-friendly aerial mobility aircraft operations. Ahead of the trial flight, the EHang 216 obtained a trial flight permit from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (“MLIT”) with a local partner. EHang 216 was the first passenger-grade AAV granted permission for outdoor open airspace trial flights in Japan.

One of the trial flights was completed at the “Leading the Revolution of Urban Air Mobility” event, organized by the Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero & Space Industry Cluster Study Group (“MASC”) and EHang at Kasaoka Air Station in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Looking ahead, EHang and MASC will collaborate to further develop new air transportation use cases in Japan. 

The 216 AAV flying above a small airstrip in rural Japan. Image // EHang

At the event, the Chief Cabinet Secretary Mr. Kato Katsunobu appointed his secretary, Mr. Sugihara Yohei, to attend the event and delivered a speech on his behalf, saying, “At present, many companies around the world have launched such flying car projects, and are conducting research and development and demonstration projects. As the government, we will actively improve aviation regulations while supporting private enterprises in a timely and appropriate manner. “

Other guests included Ms. Ito Kaori, the Mayor of Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Mr. Yoshifumi Kobayashi, the Mayor of Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture, Mr. Inoue Mineichi, the Head of the Kurashiki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mr. Sugimoto Tetsuya, the Head of Kasaoka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

 In 2018, the Japanese government established the “Public-Private Council for Air Transportation Revolution” and formulated a Roadmap towards Air Transportation Revolution. The Council aims to start the business services of air transportation of goods and people utilizing flying vehicles by 2023 with gradual expansion from rural areas to urban areas. According to the blueprint, the Civil Aviation Bureau of the MLIT is studying and improving related systems such as the type and airworthiness safety standards for flying cars and the certification of pilots.

Watch a video of the trial flight on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/2WaYLNG5zX0 

Why it’s important: While the first flight of the 216 AAV in Japan is a momentous occasion, more important than the flight itself is the means by which EHang applied for and was granted approval through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (“MLIT”) in conjunction with a local partner. These approvals are key to authorization for initial flight testing, and in the future, more widespread authorizations for operations of aerial mobility aircraft for fare paying passengers.

Near Earth Autonomy and Volocopter’s VoloDrone team announced last week that they will partner to test Near Earth Autonomy’s autonomous flight technology on Volocopter’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) VoloDrone aircraft. The technology demonstration will culminate in a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) display in Munich scheduled for some time in the year 2022.

The VoloDrone, which has a 440 lb payload capacity and a range of 40km

Near Earth Autonomy has conducted 3,500 flights lasting over 2,000 flight hours of their cutting-edge autonomy system across various aircraft types, sizes, and environments in the last eight years of aerial autonomy development. Volocopter and Near Earth Autonomy intend to demonstrate BVLOS capabilities for VoloDrone missions within the business-to-business transport sector.

“We are very excited to work together with the leading player in the aerial autonomy industry,” said Christophe Hommet, Volocopter Chief Engineer VoloDrone. “Near Earth Autonomy has years of experience, shown real results, and is going to help our VoloDrone stay ahead of the curve with autonomous capabilities.”

Near Earth’s complete view of the Commercial Aerial Mobility Ecosystem

Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth Autonomy, commented, “Volocopter’s track record, unique safety design, and vision have established it as the leader in the eVTOL industry. We look forward to proving autonomy systems for their aircraft. Our shared vision of the future, and safety as an integral part of it, makes this an ideal partnership.”

Near Earth has already integrated their BVLOS autonomy systems with full-scale helicopters, both in piloted and remotely piloted configurations. The intent of technology integration with Volocopter will be to adapt their autonomy technology to seamlessly integrate with the overall eVTOL architecture while addressing the challenges of weight, power, and cost.

BVLOS capabilities for the VoloDrone would enable Volocopter to bring fully autonomous aerial cargo transportation to market. Volocopter’s projected market opportunity for VoloDrone transport services is estimated to be ~ $120 billion by 2035.

 Why it’s important: BVLOS capability for VoloDrone is a major step toward fully autonomous aerial mobility aircraft for both cargo and passengers. The industry will likely begin autonomy with logistical and cargo application aircraft, and then move on to passenger-carrying versions. However the core IP of the integration will remain largely unchanged, putting Volocopter and Near Earth at the head of the industry’s development. Keep tabs on the progress of Near Earth and Volocopter as 2021 continues and the planned demonstration dates approach.

While 2021 has been a path to recovery for many commercial airlines, private jet and travel booking platforms have fared very well – and in some cases – to record levels. Demand for on-demand charter services skyrocketed in late 2020, and data from 2021 indicates continuing increases in requirements for point to point travel booked on short notice.

Companies such as Wheels Up released Q1 earnings results recently, and figures such as 68% revenue increases and 56% membership increases reflect a steady rise, even amid an economy still recovering from the pandemic.

Companies like Volocopter plan on employing integrated management software, dubbed VoloIQ. Image // Volocopter

Kenny Dichter, Founder & CEO commented on the recent growth: “We started this year strong, with record revenue driven by increased flying from our significant membership growth, and contributions from recent acquisitions. Our customers are flying longer distances and across all fleet categories.”

Companies like Wheels Up have performed so well amidst the current economy due to focus on creating a marketplace for private aviation, increasing the addressable market while enhancing member and customer experience and optimizing operations and fleet utilization. Furthermore, introduction of the initial digital marketplace app to non-members with dynamic pricing and real-time availability, allowing anyone looking for flights to immediately search, book, and fly Wheels Up, has contributed to growth. All these focus points closely align to planned eVTOL aerial mobility market interaction methods, which rely on digital booking platforms that update in real-time to confirm flight details and bid between operators, much like how Uber and Lyft operate today.

Other private aviation booking platforms have also focused on improved fleet scheduling and utilization and provide new reservation capabilities to enhance the customer experience; again, traits that will be part of future aerial mobility experiences.

Why it’s important: Where aerial mobility stands to go above and beyond current aviation booking platforms today is the ground-up incorporation of features that are now being used to augment the current, traditional booking approaches that largely dominate the private aviation industry. Foundational integration of features such as on-demand booking platforms and customer feedback loops allow for a much more seamless flight management software suite, and improved efficiencies that allow for safe and customer-focused scaling of aerial mobility technology. And, while current demand is not 100% predictive of the future, the current reflection of rising demand within private aviation, amidst the current economic environment, is a promising sign for what the future may hold.

uAvionix Corporation announced on April 28th a new member to its suite of certifiable avionics for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Weighing in at 80 grams, ‘George‘ is the first autopilot product from uAvionix. With a low SWaP, certifiability, and U.S-based manufacturing, George is a solution for enterprise operations and those wishing to type certify their Unmanned Aerial Systems. Built around the world-class Cube from CubePilot, George marries the of the innovation of over a decade of open-source autopilot excellence with Design Assurance Level (DAL) C hardware and safety and sensor monitoring. Together, these enable customers to meet the Type Certification and safety case requirements for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. The autopilot hints towards the future of third-party components specifically tuned for sUAS and aerial mobility use, as these hardware components are TSO’ed and so applicable for use on certified aircraft within the United States.

Key features of the George Autopilot from uAvionics

George’s triple redundant IMU system includes three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, three magnetometers, and three barometers, one of which has been TSO certified under TSO-C88b in other uAvionix products such as skyBeacon, tailBeacon, and ping200X. The hardware platform is designed and built to RTCA DO-254 DAL-C, and meets rigorous DO-160G and MIL-810H power and environmental qualifications. Triple redundancies enable greater confidence in passengers and operators alike, as they have been instrumental in risk mitigation and certification requirements for commercial aircraft, and will be so in future aerial mobility platforms in the years to come as well.

George is plug-and-play compatible with all of uAvionix’s certified and uncertified products, including GPS and dual-band ADS-B receivers for Detect and Avoid (DAA). The ability to rapidly deploy and install new autopilot technology on a sUAS foreshadows the application of similar technology to aerial mobility aircraft, where modular line replaceable hardware will enable quick maintenance and fault resolution during extended, rigorous operation of aerial mobility aircraft.

“The flight control capabilities of the Cube are superb, backed by hundreds of thousands of man-hours of engineering and experimentation over the past 10 years,” said Paul Beard CEO of uAvionix. “But what has been lacking is a hardware platform that matches that capability in robust performance. George brings everything we’ve learned about certified avionics to the autopilot space in a way that outperforms existing enterprise and military autopilots in a lower SWaP package.”

George will be available for beta test launch customers in June 2021 with production units available in the Fall.

Why it’s important: uAvionix’s George autopilot for sUAS is similar to what could be expected from third-party line replaceable hardware that aerial mobility aircraft use in the future. The triple redundancy of the system, combined with the flexibility of application spectrum all contribute to the value that similar avionics and flight path control hardware will provide for the future of drone and manned/unmanned aerial mobility vehicles.

While international air travel still suffers major load factor reductions due to COVID, domestic travel in the United States and other countries globally continues to grow towards pre-pandemic levels. Data from the Transportation Security Administration indicates that the rolling average load factor for air travel in the US has exceeded 60% of 2019 levels, up from only 15% of original 2019 load factor levels in 2020. With many aerial mobility companies lauding 2023 and 2024 entry into service dates, will the reduced quantity of air travel negatively affect initial operations?

Most generally, no. Since initial operations of aerial mobility aircraft will be more limited than full scale networks, initial flights between city points or urban areas to area airports will be few in number regardless of total domestic demand. Additionally, since the demand for private and general aviation has skyrocketed as travelers increasingly favor modes of air travel with less direct contact with other travelers, a hybridized model for future passengers is most likely.

In addition, recent IATA trends also show that international travel is increasing, and a large proportion of air travel models indicate recoveries (in full or to their new peak load factor levels) within three years. Urban mobility companies like BLADE have resumed continuous flights between Manhattan and area airports, which were discontinued during the deepest portion of the travel rut of 2020. In many ways, the reduction in air travel demand over the past year has also allowed many manufacturers the chance to focus more heavily on their technology and flight testing campaigns, driving more value into their ultimate products.

Why it’s important: While demand for air travel is not yet fully restored to pre-pandemic levels, examination of past trends toward recovery from past events such as oil embargos shows some loose predictions for the future of aerial mobility load factor demand. The target entry to service date for most eVTOL aircraft of 2023 to 2024, at the earliest, should support and match the majority of increased traffic demand predictions from current levels. And, since the demand for general aviation and private air travel during COVID was one of the largest areas for the industry’s growth, aerial mobility’s alignment with similar market sectors is well poised for the future.

EHang announced on April 28th hat it established a strategic partnership with the city of Zaragoza in Spain. Zaragoza was announced to be the fourth pilot city for EHang’s pilot aerial mobility program in Spain, and follows Seville and Llíria, as well as Linz in Austria.

According to the agreement, EHang and Zaragoza City will jointly promote the implementation of AAV demonstration projects in passenger transportation, aerial tourism, aerial logistics and other application scenarios under the framework of UAM strategic partnership.  They will also collaborate on UAM infrastructure development such as command-and-control center and vertiport. Both parties aim to build an aerial transportation hub in Zaragoza to advance sustainable and eco-friendly development for the city.

Mr. Jorge Azcón Navarro, the Mayor of Zaragoza, and Victoria Xiang, CEO of EHang Spain & Latin America, signed the strategic partnership agreement.

As the fifth largest city in Spain, Zaragoza has superior geographic advantages. Zaragoza actively promotes the development of urban air mobility as one of the members of UIC2 (UAM Initiative Cities Community) in Europe. In the future, with the goal to promote aerial transportation technology into the next stage of development, EHang will conduct flight tests and pilot projects at the Hera Drone Hub and along the Ebro River in Zaragoza. The partnership will also help Zaragoza to further develop UAM innovation Strategy and lead the expansion of UAM in Europe.

The Ebro River, Zaragoza

Mr. Jorge Azcón Navarro, the Mayor of Zaragoza, said, “The partnership with EHang will further drive the city of Zaragoza to become a pioneer and leader in UAM in Spain and Europe. In the future, the general public can enjoy the view of the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, a national art treasure in Zaragoza, not only from an Ebro river boat but also from passenger-grade AAVs over the Ebro river.”

“Zaragoza is a crucial transportation hub city for Spain and for all of Europe. EHang is committed to make safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone. As the forerunner of cutting-edge AAV technologies and know-how, EHang will lead innovation and build a sustainable and efficient 3D air mobility solution for Zaragoza,” said Victoria Xiang, CEO of EHang Spain & Latin America. She added, “The partnership will benefit the citizens of Zaragoza by making life more enjoyable and environmentally friendly.”

Why it’s important: EHang’s growing partnerships with pilot cities across the world represent a growing network of aerial mobility hubs that will serve as springboards for future development. EHang’s novel approach of partnering directly with cities has been adopted by other aerial mobility companies as of late, and is likely to yield more grassroots support from specific municipalities when electric aerial mobility aircraft commence operations.

Wingcopter announced on April 27th the development of their new drone generation, the Wingcopter 198. The Wingcopter 198 is an all-electric, vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL), fixed-wing drone that has been designed from the ground up to meet aviation safety and reliability requirements. Importantly, the 198 features a triple-drop delivery system that allows for up to three packages to be delivered in a single flight, foreshadowing potential multi-modal aerial mobility operations schemes.

While the 198 is a small package delivery drone, the use case and mode structure for travel in a larger aerial mobility device with shared rides will aid in decreasing the total cost of ridership while increasing the utilization of aerial mobility aircraft. While the primary use case for aerial mobility is point to point transport of one group, the growing preference among logistical applications to evaluate shared and multi-modal trips is foreshadowing for future use cases within air taxi operation.

Wingcopter 198’s triple drop functionality allows for three nodes during a nominal flight plan. Image // Wingcopter

Serial production according to the European aerospace quality management standard EN9100 at Wingcopter’s German headquarters will start shortly to meet the predicted global demand. Wingcopter also announced the opening of reservation slots for the first 100 of their 198 drones.

Wingcopter stood up an Authorized Partner Program to qualify, certify and enable partners such as drone-as-a-service providers, distributors and dealers to operate, promote, distribute and support Wingcopter technology worldwide, similar to the proposed horizontal integration of many eVTOL manufacturers who plan to outsource development of booking platforms, service networks, and maintenance and repair operation services to third party entities which already specify in those areas. Leveraging such specializations will allow eVTOL makers to focus more heavily on the aircraft themselves and less so on the minutia of operationalizing paying customer flights.

Why it’s important: Wingcopter’s marketing of the 198’s triple-drop capabilities exposes an under appreciated sector of the aerial mobility industry – that of the multi-modal shared rider trip, which allows for higher utilization of aerial mobility aircraft, while also reducing cost of fares for passengers who may be sharing a trip with others, similar to Lyft and Uber Pool. Anticipate future eVTOL route structuring to consider the use of similar schemes for transport nodes.