Jetson, a Swedish based personal aerial vehicle (PAV) start-up, is unveiling their Jetson ONE eVTOL aircraft this week on Thursday, October 21st.

Jetson was founded by Peter Ternstrom and Tomasz Patan in 2017, and the first PAV prototype/proof of concept was built in the spring of 2018.  It took a further three years to create a consumer-friendly version. 

The current design iteration, dubbed the Jetson ONE by the company, is a “commercially available personal electric aerial vehicle that anyone can own and fly”.

Peter Ternstrom, Founder of Jetson, stated: “Our mission is to make flight available to everyone. The Jetson ONE is an electric helicopter that you can own and fly.  We intend to make everyone a pilot.

Jetson targets entry to the personal aerial vehicle market (PAV), which is a smaller segment of the aerial mobility market that aims to create personal sized vehicles for recreational use that employ many of the same technologies that will be rolled out in the larger aerial mobility sphere.

The company stated that their PAV can recharge “faster than a mobile phone” to enable user to enjoy repeat flights. The battery life duration and flight time duration have not yet been disclosed.

Tomasz Patan, co-founder and Technical Director of Jetson, stated: “The Jetson ONE is built around a rigid aluminum spaceframe with eight powerful electric motors.  It utilizes composite carbon fibre and cutting-edge 3D printed components, making it an extremely lightweight design.  It is also equipped with many safety features including a redundant propulsion system and a ballistic parachute.  It is a dream to fly.”

The Jetson ONE has already sold out for 2022 production and are now accepting deliveries in 2023. More information on the Jetson ONE and the unveil event programming can be found via the company’s website.

Why it’s important: A growing number of PAVs are achieving technological readiness and serve as proving grounds for technology that will be used in the future for aerial mobility and personnel transportation at scale. This increase in PAV deployments and usage will help solidify the framework for continued AAV industry growth.

Media Credit // Jetson

Jaunt Air Mobility has entered into an agreement to merge with the AIRO Group (US). Jaunt joins a group of six aerospace businesses all engaged in the next generation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies and services. The group offers commercial, military, robotics, manned/unmanned aerial systems and multi-modal aircraft and avionics systems.

The companies will use the capital raised through the merger to support the development of the all-electric, five-seat eVTOL Jaunt aims to bring into commercial service by 2026. While several eVTOL aircraft developers, including Joby, Archer, and Lilium, have raised large amounts of capital by going public via special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), AIRO has opted to proceed straight to an IPO on its own.

Recently, Jaunt Air Mobility was also awarded an Air Force Contract for eVTOL Noise Reduction Research. The eVTOL developer’s patented slowed rotor compound (SRC) technology decelerates the rotor once aloft (the rotor tip speed equaling the aircraft’s speed) thereby reducing drag and associated vibration. In combination with a small wing sized for cruise, this produces a lift to drag ratio equivalent to a fixed wing airplane providing an exceptionally efficient flight with very low noise – noise that is practically imperceptible in flight, according to the company. Jaunt also touts that its Journey aircraft is poised to certify to transport commercial certification requirements, ensuring the highest level of safety.

“AIRO has existing revenue in its current civilian and military operations and has historically reinvested earnings into Independent Research and Development (IRAD). Therefore, additional capital required to produce fully operational eVTOL aircraft is substantially reduced to our advantage compared with our competitors.  The current market capitalization of companies in the eVTOL space and urban air mobility platforms are very significant.  AIRO additionally delivers diversified services across the UAM/Avionics/eVTOL/Defense marketplace.  AIRO is poised to be the leading publicly traded mid-tier aerospace and defense company after the void created by acquisitions in the public marketplace,” said Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, Executive Chairman of AIRO.

Why it’s important: As stated by AIRO Group CEO Joe Burns: “together, Jaunt and the other AIRO Group companies offer a transformational, next generation capability for the aerospace industry that addresses high growth markets in advanced air mobility as well as leveraging technologies across markets that benefit the general, business, commercial, and the military aviation community. Additionally, we have the resources, experience, and inherent knowledge to help streamline regulatory compliance and certification among all segments.”

Source // AIRO Group press release

EHang announced via press release last week that they’re now coordinating with the Spanish National Police to explore potential use cases for AAVs in emergency and security missions. EHang also conducted an exhibition of the EHang 216 passenger-grade AAV in Spain at the Cuatro Vientos Aerodrome in Madrid, as part of Press Day of Expodronica at World Air Traffic Management Congress.

EHang and the Spanish National Police plan to work closely to use the AAV in emergency situations such as rescue, surveillance and other missions that are critical for improving the quality of life and safety of citizens. As a result of this collaboration, the Spanish National Police and EHang, together with the Polytechnic University of Valencia (“UPV”), will demonstrate how to best utilize revolutionary AAV technology through trial flights and use case analysis, thus exploring safer and more effective solutions for saving more lives.

The EHang 216 at Cuatro Vientos Aerodrome, Madrid. Image // EHang

The Chief Commissioner of the Air Vehicles Unit of Spanish National Police affirmed the collaboration with EHang and the UPV represent progress in determining the best uses of AAV for policing, “AAV technology holds the promise to significantly improve our capability in emergency and security missions, such as firefighting, accessing contaminated areas with nuclear, radiological, bacteriological or chemical risks, landing in confined areas, transporting material, and other police services that may require agile mobility. The application of the AAV technology makes the Spanish National Police a vanguard among police using AAV technology nationally and internationally.”

Victoria Xiang, CEO of EHang Spain & LATAM, emphasized that collaborating with the Spanish National Police is very important for EHang. “The application of AAVs in emergency, national security matters and the fight against the pandemic is crucial and advantageous for the public sector. Autonomous, sustainable, and efficient mobility enables the authorities to execute their tasks in an environmentally friendly manner. EHang and the Spanish National Police will work jointly to leverage this cutting-edge technology to benefit citizens and society.”

Why it’s important: A large focus of AAV implementation hones on passenger carrying operations, but the EMS and security application for the technology may be ready sooner than commercial transport, due to regulatory approvals, public and social benefit, and technological appropriateness for aerial mobility aircraft in EMS and surveillance/security roles. EHang has a track record of seeking partnership with firms that span beyond personal transport, to include fire, security, and government services. Expect the trend of AAV deployment to follow logistical applications and limited EMS/Police force arenas first, ultimately progressing to on-demand commercial.

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

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

Related: Ascent Partners with Embraer for 100 Eve eVTOLs

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

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

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

Source // Eve press release

Propulsion company Sentient Blue and UAS manufacturer blueflite announced Monday that they have signed a MoU to develop cutting edge cargo UAS with improved capabilities when compared to what is possible with UAVs using lithium polymer battery power.

The streamline diffuser in Sentient Blue’s hybrid propulsion system. Image // Sentient Blue

Sentient Blue is a propulsion developer that has a patent pending hybrid microturbine power system technology. The propulsion technology is planned to combine with blueflite’s advanced tiltrotor VTOL platform. Together, they create unique drone performance characteristics to provide an efficient platform for use in the logistics industry. The companies are developing a UAS powered by a hybrid microturbine that simultaneously reduces time for delivery and operating costs while maximizing system availability and enhancing reliability. Sentient Blue’s value proposition maintains that their hybrid technology enables increased range and endurance and allows for a wider operating envelope leveraging off the chemistry of hydrocarbon and biofuel energy sources, which are 45 to 48 times more energy dense than batteries. Possible applications range from delivery of industrial spares to disaster recovery support missions. The companies are looking forward to joining forces and changing the future of logistics.

Why it’s important: The Sentient Blue hybrid propulsion system is a fresh approach to hybrid power for UAS systems, and potential aerial mobility aircraft, which traditionally focus on either all-electric offerings or larger sized turbines integrated in hybrid systems. This approach will utilize a smaller turbine that may allow for greater compatibility across multiple aircraft designs. The collaboration with blueflite means that the system will have the opportunity to prove itself in logistical applications that are more prone to early approval and adoption than operations in a manned or passenger carrying operation would be. Additionally, the logistics sector of last-mile transport is more rapidly growing due to lesser certification requirements and human psychological barriers than the fare-paying transport portion of the advanced mobility market.

Kaman Corporation recently unveiled its KARGO UAV, a medium-lift vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) member of a family of unmanned systems for expeditionary logistics. The innovative eVTOL has been built with the U.S. Armed Forces future operating concepts in mind, and offers a rugged design for easy transport and deployment. The system’s compact form-factor fits in a standard shipping container and is designed to be unloaded and operated by as few as two people.

The KARGO UAV is designed to provide cost-effective cargo hauling in its conformal pod or external sling load configuration, and will self-deploy with no payload up to 523 nautical miles with max lifting capacity of 800 lbs. This size and class vehicle also has multiple commercial applications and is part of a growth strategy involving a family of purpose built KARGO vehicles for multiple and repeatable missions.

Over the past six months, flight development testing of a scaled KARGO UAV demonstrator has been completed to prove out the air vehicle design, and flight testing of a full-scale autonomous vehicle is planned for 2022. The KARGO UAV leverages commercial off-the-shelf components as well as thousands of hours of automated and autonomous flight data from Kaman’s K-MAX TITAN program in order to reduce schedule and technical risk.

Also notably, Hybrid eVTOL developer Transcend Air also announced in August that it has selected Kaman Aerospace Group to build its planned Vy 400 tilt-wing aircraft, which is slated to enter service by 2025. Helicopter manufacturer Kaman will make the turbine-powered VTOL at its facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Transcend Air claims that its five-passenger, piloted aircraft will deliver per-mile direct operating costs that are one-quarter of those for medium twin helicopters with comparable cabin volumes and payloads.

Rendering of the Transcend Air Vy400 in its horizontal flight configuration.

Why it’s important: As stated by Kaman Corporation CEO Ian Walsh, “The Kaman KARGO UAV is the only system of its class that is purpose-built to provide deployed Marines, Sailors, Airmen, Soldiers, and Coast Guard autonomous resupply in the lethal, fluid combat environment that future military operations will entail or for regular logistics missions. Our deployed service men and woman have persistent logistics challenges that we are answering with this reliable, maintainable and affordable solution.”

Sources // AINonline; Inside Unmanned Systems; Kaman Corporation, Vertical Magazine

EHang made the debut of its long-range dual-seat passenger-grade AAV VT-30 at the Jiuzhou Airport in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, before the upcoming 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as the Zhuhai Air Show.

VT-30 Long Range AAV. Image courtesy of EHang

The VT-30, was officially released this year in May, and is the first in EHang’s product suite that is designed for inter-city transportation. With a hybrid structure, VT-30 is designed to achieve a maximum balance of hybrid lift and push, which has the advantages of intelligent safety features, autonomous flying capabilities, cluster management, low noise and so on. The VT-30 is designed to carry two passengers, with a designed flight distance of 300km and a designed flight time of 100 minutes.

Edward Xu, Chief Strategy Officer of EHang said, “EHang will continue to innovate and improve the future Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) ecosystem. The VT-30, which focuses on inter-city travel, will be a complement to the EHang 216, which focuses on intra-city air mobility, to bring safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility for everyone.”

As a pioneer in the global UAM industry, EHang was granted two honors – the Guangdong Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (“UAV”) Industry Outstanding Contribution Award and the Guangdong UAV Social Responsibility Contribution Award – by the Guangdong General Aviation Association and the Guangdong UAV Industry Association at the 2021 2nd General Aviation Night event. These accolades reflect the industry’s recognition of EHang’s active innovation in the exploration and development of general aviation.

Watch the VT-30 video: https://youtu.be/I7mMS6Ir7qs

Why it’s important: EHang’s debut of the VT-30 reflects a larger momentum shift within the aerial mobility industry toward consideration of short to medium distance electric hybrid aircraft that are not solely designed for intracity application – since hybridized propulsion and flight control approaches are likely to be those that are deployed the soonest, the same approach toward use case – missions of 20-100 miles, for instance – has a reasonable chance of being the most lucrative offering for initial eVTOL deployment. While time will tell, an increasing number of aerial mobility companies are currently augmenting their offerings with slightly longer range autonomous air vehicles.

Source // EHang Press Release

Iris Automation announced last week that Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI) is now a partner to work on the integration of its Casia detect and avoid (DAA) system with DMI’s family of hydrogen powered systems and drones. The joint solution will enable DMI’s clients to operate safer advanced missions like beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and accelerates the Korean manufacturer’s entrance into the US market.

Iris Automation’s Casia allows unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to see and react to the aviation environment around the aircraft. Casia detects other aircraft using computer-vision algorithms to classify them, makes intelligent decisions about the threat they may pose to the drone and then triggers an alert to execute maneuvers to safely avoid collisions. This same technology could also be applied to eVTOL aircraft in the future.

With its leading hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology, DMI commercial UAVs are BVLOS-capable and well suited for long endurance flight applications. Drone operations are both eco-friendly and sustainable when powered by hydrogen, as opposed to petroleum.

DMI will provide US customers with the option of Casia integrated with its drones or as a combined purchase with their stand -alone powered systems. The two companies will also collaborate on professional services to advance compliance with emerging US aircraft regulatory requirements.

Lori DeMatteis, vice president of sales & marketing at Iris Automation, stated “This partnership opens a new pathway for enterprise operators to evolve their operations from traditional platforms to sustainable and safety-focused BVLOS UAS systems that deliver real business outcomes today, while protecting their environmental and accident safety reputation.”

Why it’s important: See and avoid technology (also called detect and avoid technology) allows for greater situational awareness in both crewed and uncrewed aircraft, and this latest partnership between Iris and Doosan will allow for increased exposure of DAA technologies in operationally sensitive environments, and will add robustness to the system for any future applications to eVTOL designs in the future. What’s more, this technology will also allow more beyond visual line of sight operations of UAV’s, which is the same operational specification for the eventual aerial mobility target of widespread, BVLOS, autonomous operation of eVTOL aircraft.

Becker Avionics and commercial drone safety innovator, Iris Automation announced on September 8th that they have entered into a strategic partnership to increase the situational awareness of general aviation pilots and advance uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) safety. The two companies will jointly develop a non-required safety enhancing equipment system to detect and warn pilots of nearby, potentially threatening aircraft.

The Iris Automation and Becker Avionics collision avoidance safety system will use computer vision and machine learning to “see” when another aircraft is approaching from outside the pilot’s field of view, and poses a risk to the equipped aircraft, issuing 3D audio warnings. The solution will combine Iris Automation’s patented Casia detect and alert technology with Becker Avionics’ communication and navigation equipment expertise for both crewed and uncrewed airborne applications.

Many aircraft are equipped with radio-based signalling technology (ADS-B) to avoid mid-air collisions. But in some airspace, traditional ADS-B signals are not available, increasing the workload on a pilot to monitor for incoming aircraft. Iris Automation cites research from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 1450 near mid-air collisions were reported from 2016-2020. Eighty-two percent of mid-air collisions occur from the rear, states the AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF). This risk is especially acute for the $48B helicopter market, with over 38,000 aircraft in service worldwide.

Jon Damush, CEO of Iris Automation, commented “This relationship is a pivotal move for Iris Automation as it defines and accelerates our work in the general aviation space. Our core mission is to improve air safety by avoiding collisions and this extension of our technology is a natural evolution. We are excited to be able to work with one of the most storied brands in the industry to deliver this important innovation.”

The Iris Automation/Becker Avionics opto-electric/audio system will monitor airspace in visual flight conditions independently, onboard the pilot’s aircraft, even if ADS-B or TCAS signals may be unavailable. It supplements pilots’ situational awareness, whether in the cockpit or remote, during instrument scans or other parts of the airspace. By providing warnings in time to take appropriate actions to avoid potential collisions, the system is designed to improve safety with minimal impact on pilot workload.

Why it’s important: The Casia detect and alert technology, paired with Becker’s avionics know-how, will allow for eVTOL upstarts, drone operators, or small experimental aircraft builders to apply this package to their aircraft to increase safety and provide collision avoidance out of the box. While some eVTOL aircraft and aerial mobility systems rely on integrated technology for DAA, or the pilot in the loop to avoid traffic conflicts, this technology could be used by smaller companies or those looking to outsource in early stages to bolster the comprehensive nature of their designs.

Archer announced on September 7th that the G-1 Issue Paper it had previously submitted to the FAA, which establishes the airworthiness and environmental requirements necessary to achieve FAA Type Certification has been approved and signed, enabling Archer to move further down the runway towards its goal of obtaining an FAA Type Certification for its eVTOL aircraft.

The G-1 Certification Basis is based on the FAA’s certification standards contained in 14 C.F.R. Part 23. With Part 23 as the foundation, the G-1 Certification Basis sets forth the specific Airworthiness Standards and Environmental Standards required for FAA Type Certification. With these requirements now established, Archer can focus on finalizing its G-2 Issue Paper with the FAA, which will set forth the means of compliance to meet the requirements set forth in the G-1 Issue Paper. Archer has been working on the means of compliance for the G-2 Issue Paper with the FAA since earlier this year, as well as the necessary testing and methods required to demonstrate safety and compliance of our aircraft.

The Maker eVTOL. Image // Archer Aviation

According to the company’s press release, Archer has focused on ensuring that its design, engineering and business decisions align with what it believes is necessary to design and develop an aircraft that meets the FAA’s rigorous safety standards and achieve FAA Type Certification as soon as possible. Today’s achievement results from a collaborative relationship Archer has established with the FAA, led by Archer’s Head of Certification, Eric Wright, an accomplished aviation professional with a decades-long history of designing and obtaining FAA Type Certificates for aircraft.

“We’re certainly proud to have hit this historic milestone for Archer. Obtaining the G-1 Certification Basis is a significant step forward towards Archer’s and the eVTOL industry’s goal of changing how people will move around urban environments,” said Archer’s Head of Certification Eric Wright. “This is an exciting time to be a part of the aviation industry as we work to electrify the skies, and we look forward to continuing to partner with the FAA on revolutionizing aircraft transportation.”

“Our team is pragmatic and realistic about the steps towards launching our urban air mobility network. The aircraft is just one part of the business Archer is building, and we will never lose sight of that final goal,” said Adam Goldstein, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer.

Why it’s important: The approval of this certification basis by the FAA is another example of usage of existing Part 23 guidance in the vein of certification of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. While EASA’s special issuance paper contains approved methods for compliance, the FAA adopted a slightly different approach toward certification requirements, instead maintaining regulations already in existence to account for the certification of a new “type” of aircraft (though the term “type” is not used colloquially as in aviation when referred to the configuration of an airplane). Continue to monitor Archer’s progress towards the G2 Issue paper in coming months.

Source // Archer Press Release

EHang announced on September 3rd that their EHang 216 and Falcon logistics models have completed Beyond Visual Line of Sight (“BVLOS”) trial flights for airport transport and parcel delivery in Estonia under the European Union’s GOF 2.0 Integrated Urban Airspace Validation (“GOF 2.0”) project to demonstrate safe, autonomous and eco-friendly urban air mobility (“UAM”) and the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles and air taxis into manned operations with air traffic management (“ATM”) and U-space services.

The Estonian Transport Administration issued a Special Permit to EHang for trial flights in designated Estonian airspace until the end of 2021.

The EHang 216 is the first passenger-grade AAV to have conducted BVLOS trial flights in Estonian airspace. During its live trials, the EHang 216 performed a flight mission of a VIP passenger transport scenario from the Tartu Airport to the Estonian Aviation Museum, with no passengers onboard, to demonstrate the uses cases and scenarios of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) intra-urban and peri-urban flights. The EHang Falcon logistics model completed a flight mission of parcel delivery from the Tartu Airport to a cargo terminal at the Estonian Aviation Museum, to demonstrate the uses cases and scenarios of automated parcel delivery drones operating at low level.

These trial flights are among the first wave of trials in the two-year GOF 2.0 project, with the focus of entry to and exit from defined airspaces. The trials demonstrate how manned and unmanned aviation can enter and leave various types of airspace, such as controlled/uncontrolled airspace and U-space airspace.

EHang has conducted multiple trial and demo flights of its passenger-grade AAVs in 10 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. The company will continue further involvements in GOF 2.0 and plans to conduct more trial flights in Europe to demonstrate the validity, safety, security and sustainability of unmanned aerial systems and manned operations in a unified, dense urban airspace using existing ATM and U-space services and systems. These trial flights are an important enabler for the further development of the unmanned aerial vehicle market and will deliver the technical components (services, software, competencies, practices) required to cost-efficiently operate autonomous and semi-autonomous aerial vehicles BVLOS in urban low-level shared airspace.

Watch the video of the trial flights in Estonia:

Why it’s important: Operation of AAVs in new countries will further bolster the integrity of agreements for logistical and eventually passenger mobility operations. With a larger number of discussions taking place between local and national aviation authorities, definition of regulatory requirements will become more clear for AAV operators, which in turn will inform the design process to customize their aircraft for plug and play operability in various countries. Currently, logistics applications are the testbed for such trial flights since they reduce the risks associated with carrying human passengers, but still define the same requirements for AAVs operating within controlled airspace and near densely populated areas.

Source // EHang Press Release

Aviation business Microflite and electric air taxi infrastructure start up Skyportz announced a partnership on August 30th to lay foundations for expanded air taxi infrastructure in Australia. Microflite operates Australia’s largest fleet of helicopters, servicing various sectors including tourism, charter, search and rescue, firefighting and pilot training.

Skyportz is working with property owners to establish the landing infrastructure required for the introduction of electric air taxis. Both Microflite and Skyportz plan to work with all new electric aircraft as they move through certification. Rod Higgins, General Manager of Microflite said, “Microflite operates a range of different aircraft and we intend to be at the forefront of the industry as it morphs into cleaner and quieter electric propulsion. We can forsee that many of our tourist operations will be very well suited to electric aviation”. “With quieter operations we believe there will be opportunities to operate from the new range of landing sites that Skyportz is assembling”. “The Skyportz partnership will enable us to rapidly grow our tourism business to new destinations. We will be able to take on new electric aircraft into our fleet as soon as they are available to operate on the Skyportz network”, Mr Higgins said.

Clem Newton-Brown, CEO and founder of Skyportz has been working on the critical landing infrastructure component to enable Advanced Air Mobility for some years. He is Chair of the Advanced Air Mobility working group of the Australian Association for Unmanned Systems and serves on the NASA working group and a Federal committee investigating new and emerging aviation technologies. “There is no doubt we are headed for a revolution in micro-aviation. The aircraft are coming and there is support at a Federal and State level for Australia to be a world leader in Advanced Air Mobility”’ Mr Newton-Brown said.

“It is not going to be the technology which holds up the advance of electric air taxis and freight drones. It is having enough pilots and places to land which will be the impediment which will limit the potential for Advanced Air Mobility” “Microflite and Skyportz are focusing on these bottlenecks and creating the ecosystem which will attract aircraft manufacturers that want to enter the Australian market” he said. Microflite and Skyportz are already assisting various air taxi start ups in establishing concepts of operations in Australia for their aircraft and they look forward to helping them to get established utilizing their infrastructure and support.

The first air taxi summit in Australia commences in Melbourne this week and has attracted global players in this emerging industry.

Why it’s important: While aircraft manufacturing partnerships are becoming increasingly common between OEM’s and companies with direct-aviation related products, partnerships that focus on infrastructure pairings are few and far between. Real estate equity groups and those familiar with aviation operations such as on-demand helicopter and aircraft charter service BLADE UAM in the United States are well poised to succeed in offering large networks of vertiports across nations (and even continents). Whether those networks will be open source or privatized for paid use by owners and/or operators remains to be seen, and is a key component of understanding the mechanics of future on-demand air taxi operations.

Sources // Microflite; Skyportz

Varon Vehicles and Real-Time Innovations (RTI), a software framework company for autonomous systems, announced on August 17th that they will be collaborating to integrate RTI’s software connectivity framework into Varon Vehicles’ Traffic Management Systems (TMS).

The technology, dubbed RTI Connext® DDS enables the future of UAM by supplying the robust software connectivity framework for all UAM vehicle sensors and systems to communicate vehicle intelligence in milliseconds. Connext underpins vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications with security and resilience, while enabling the vehicle management infrastructure to scale according to demand, all while optimizing control and efficiency. Additionally, Connext offers commercial RTCA DO-178C and EUROCAE ED-12C DAL A certification evidence, accelerating the path to UAM safety certification and airworthiness.

Varon Vehicles is looking at urban air mobility as an answer to mobility infrastructure problems. Credit // Varon Vehicles

“We are proud to work with RTI as we plan for implementation of our operations and progress with the integration of the components required in our Infrastructure Networks. RTI Connext delivers the communication and data fusion capabilities necessary to enable high-end reliability and safety of all the systems we need to bring together,” says Felipe Varon, CEO and Founder. “Data management robustness, reliability, and real-time performance are critical in the highly automated environments required in our Infrastructure Networks.”

“Urban air mobility platforms and ground infrastructure systems have unique requirements and face complex challenges as they move towards wide-spread, commercial deployment,” said Chip Downing, Senior Market Development Director, A&D at RTI. “Futuristic transport systems like these provide the industry with safe, convenient options. We are pleased to work with Varon Vehicles as they drive UAM innovation and build a powerful infrastructure system for UAM in Latin America.”

RTI Connext serves as the connectivity framework for both autonomous air and ground support systems in over 1,700 design wins, including over 250 autonomous systems.

Why it’s important: Varon Vehicles’ decision to leverage out of the box, readily available integrations, including the RTI Connext system, should allow the aerial mobility company to more readily deploy their product while assuming the benefits of a software package that already has considerable application scope among current use cases. More generally, companies that offer full-stack solutions to traffic management and deconfliction, as well as detect and avoid technology are becoming common integration companies for aerial mobility upstarts that are managing multiple challenging aspects of new aircraft design, and seek opportunities to reduce degrees of freedom (especially with regards to entire new system ID and design).

Vinata Aeromobility announced yesterday that their Hybrid Powered Flying car and Air Cargo aircrafts are both set for concept reveal/launch on October 5^th in Excel London, at the world’s largest Helitech Exhibition.The company also released this teaser video of their concept: celebrating their 75th independence day:

Vinata has garnered seed stage funding with angel investor Mr. Mohan Paroha, the founder of Paroha Developers, Paroha Technologies, Paroha Reality. He has 27 years of versatile experience in Management, IT, Real estate and other business in India and Europe. He is currently working on to develop a fintech company, AR-based tryon app and to provide support to many startups along with urban Air Mobility Infrastructure Developments. Mr. Mohan Paroha shares his dream of flying cars and has therefore joined as Cofounder to support the project by Vinata Aeromobility.

With this project, Vinata Aeromobility intends on deploying their concept as early as 2023. The main focus is to harness user excitement with the intention of bringing the future closer to everyone and promoting sustainable development in the Air transport sector.

Yohg CAS  Iyer, founder & CEO, Vinata Aeromobility says, “Urban Air Mobility has been categorized into two, that is, flying passenger cars and cargo. Our passenger car is a 2 Seater Flying car Prototype and this makes it to join the largest Helitech Expo in the world. Vinata Aeromobility is also unveiling and developing a full autonomous 200Kg Payload Capacity Hybrid Air Cargo UAM which will greatly boost revenue earnings in the cargo industry.”

The Hybrid Powered car from Vinata Aeromobility weighs 1100kg and can handle a maximum takeoff weight of 1300kg. Since it has an electric battery, this aircraft type of the Hybrid Flying car is a Made in India Hybrid Electric VTOL. The Rotor Configuration of the flying car is the Co-axial quad-rotor.

Vinata Aeromobility has stated that the Hybrid Powered flying car is more sustainable and it uses Bio Fuel, and it appears that Vinata Aeromobility was very cognizant of the safety of its latest design as well. The Hybrid Powered Flying car has a Distributed Electric Propulsion which provides safety for the passengers through redundancy. The Distributed Electric Propulsion means that the flying car has multiple motors and propellers. Therefore, if one or more propellers or motors fail, the remaining propellers and motors that are still in good condition can land the flying car safely. In case there is a power interruption on the generator, the backup power will provide electricity to the motor.

The Hybrid Powered Flying car will also feature an ejection parachute, along with airbags for those in the flight deck.

Why it’s important: Vinata’s design claims follow the most popular trends in the aerial mobility industry for design at present, however they are still a concept stage company that has not completed flight tests of their aircraft. Continue to monitor Vinata’s progress as October draws nearer and their design is unveiled at Helitech in London.

A mock-up of a hybrid aircraft engine was presented for the first time in the United Engine Corporation (part of Rostec) exhibition at the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2021. The mock-up consists of a gas turbine engine, electric motors, power electronics units, an electric generator and a battery pack. It is designed for next-generation unmanned aerial vehicles flying with four propellers.

“In 2022, we plan to create the first hybrid engine demonstrator capable of outputting around 150 kW. The demonstrator will be further used for testing a design with ultimate power output of 500 kW by 2023”, said Mikhail Shemet, Deputy Director of prospective engine projects at UEC-Klimov.

The 500 kW hybrid engine demonstrator is based on the VK-650V engine. Potential aircraft of this power class are light multipurpose helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles with a takeoff weight between 2–8 tons, light local airliners, air taxis and various VTOL designs. After the first stage of the project, an additional objective was determined to develop a marine application with 200-250 kW of power.

The advantages of a hybrid power plant include increased fuel efficiency and flight safety, reduced emissions, increased thrust-to-weight ratio, capability for quick power boosts due to the electrical component, as well as increased service life and reliability.

Why it’s important: Russian consideration and investment toward hybridized propulsion mediums indicates the nation’s perceived importance of aerial mobility aircraft. The hybridized, and distributed electric propulsion model that’s more and more common among aerial mobility applications today is the main focus for Russia as Rostec aims to blend the best of currently available, high energy density conventional powerplants (Jet fuel burning turbines) with the regenerative energies of battery packs. The quoted 2-8 ton takeoff weight for aircraft that the powerplant will serve is a large number considering other commercially available power sources are optimized to support aircraft that almost all have weights less than 2 tons.