The goal of Rensselaer’s latest research center is to pursue cutting-edge research in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft technologies.

Earlier this month, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) held a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Uber Elevate Director of Engineering Mark Moore, as well as representatives from Terrafugia, Boeing, Aurora Flight Sciences, and Bell.

Uber Elevates, “eCRM” models

While the opening of RPI MOVE is partly driven by interest in vertical lift technologies from the Department of Defense, the director of the new center Farhan Gandhi higlights the “tremendous buzz” around eVTOLs. Ghandi believes that the use of distributed electric propulsion, as well as autonomous operation could “completely change the mobility paradigm.”

“Enabled by the use of distributed electric propulsion, with piloted as well as autonomous operation, eVTOL aircraft have the potential to completely change the mobility paradigm.”–RPI MOVE Director Professor Farhan Gandhi

MOVE has already acquired 21 Ph.D. students and is working on projects having to do with VTOL aeromechanics, multi-copters, advanced VTOL configurations, control and autonomy, flying qualities, diagnostics and structural health monitoring, computational fluid dynamics, experimental aerodynamics, nano-materials, and design optimization.

In short, RPI MOVE is designed to be an innovation hub producing students with unique technological knowledge for VTOLS and a wide range of innovative VTOL projects.

RPI MOVE’s first class posing with a Black Hawk helicopter

RPI has already started releasing educational material, including the “Dawn of eVTOL” speech by Mark Moore, the “The Electric VTOL Revolution” kickoff presentation from the Vertical Flight Society , and the “Electric VTOL: Current Status & Technical Challenges” panel featuring representatives from Boeing, Aurora Flight Sciences, Terrafugia, and Bell.

Why it’s important: The creation of the RPI MOVE center speaks to the future growth of the eVTOL industry. As more and more eVTOL developers begin to emerge, there will be more and more demand for graduates with expertise in Vertical Lift. Rensselaer has recognized this by forming MOVE.

This past weekend, the leaders of the urban air mobility industry gathered at BentonvilleUP, an event hosted by TransportUP, in Bentonville, Arkansas to share their progress and reflect on the current state of the urban air mobility industry.

The event, which was co-hosted by Ben Marcus of Airmap, Cyrus Sigari of jetAVIVA, and Steuart Walton, was the second annual gathering of a select group of individuals who are defining the future of urban air mobility. Among other attendees included representatives from Joby Aviation, Porsche SE, Boom Aerospace, Verdego, Lilium, Volocopter, EHang, Uber, Pipistrel, Airbus, a number of venture capital firms, and more – the total attendee list included professionals from 70 companies.

The event opened Friday evening with a cocktail hour, airshow, and gala in one of the main hangars at Bentonville Municipal airport – complete with an amphibious Cessna Caravan and a Spitfire to complete the accouterment. Saturday morning, the event began with a jetpack demonstration by Richard Browning of Gravity Enterprises. Mr. Browning then kicked off the morning talks with an overview of his current technology and some advice from his journey through business, aerospace, and entrepreneurship.

Then, a number of urban air mobility specialists overviewed the status of their technology, their innovations, struggles, and achievements that have allowed them to stand out in the UAM industry through a series of lightning talks that spanned the greater part of Saturday. Among some of the largest announcements were those made by EHang and Pipistrel, and some attendees afforded their personal experience dealing with common regulators or technical challenges in efforts to progress the whole industry in lieu of individual gains.

Throughout the event, a number of tours were conducted of the surrounding area in a Huey helicopter, in addition to walking tours of the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art.

On Sunday, the lightning talks continued during the course of the morning. In the afternoon, there was an investor roundtable that sparked discussion toward the current and future state of the industry, the business activities that most drove investment interest, and the mechanics of long term positions in urban air mobility firms.

Here’s the opening video of the flying car conference:

The third annual event scheduled for fall of 2019 is already planned in an undisclosed location.

Why it’s important: BentonvilleUP marks the second in a series of annual conferences that are bringing the urban air mobility industry’s brightest minds together. The collaborative and personal nature of these conferences aides in the sharing of information and lessons learned between UAM companies that is helping to bridge infrastructure, regulatory, and public perception gaps that have been identified as the main hurdles in bringing commercial UAM solutions to widespread market application.

The city of Los Angeles has announced its support of the second annual New Mobility Challenge. The main categories of the two-day pitch competition are Smart Infrastructure, Shared Mobility, Electrification, Autonomous Vehicles, and Personal Mobility.

Presented as part of the LaComotion Mobility Festival and sponsored by Metro, the New Mobility Challenge will award companies with cash prizes and support from LA’s best new venture investor networks and incubators. Matt Peterson, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), mentioned, “Los Angeles is the epicenter of innovation for creating a zero emissions mobility future”.

The Electrification finalists are electric aircraft developer Ampaire, ConnectMyEv for autonomous EV charging, and Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing,

Ampaire developed the Tailwind, a commercial electric aircraft. The Tailwind is not a eVTOL, but has similar goals such as noise reduction, efficiency, and environmental impact. Ampaire’s work could mean great steps forward for the certification and social acceptance of electric aircraft.

The fully Electric Ampaire Tailwind

Of interest as well is ConnectMyEv.  As noted in the Uber Elevate white paper, eVTOL operators will most likely place their ports on tops of large buildings like parking garages. Autonomous docking, charging, and ground management will be a major part of urban e-VTOL transport no matter who develops them.

ConnectMyEV’s autonomous charging solution

Why it’s important: Los Angeles’ investment in a combination of autonomous solutions, electric capabilities, and flight show its commitment to finding high-tech aviation answers to LA’s mobility issues. The traffic issue in LA is the result of an overburned transit system at its capacity, and the emerging eVTOL industry could be an obvious answer. With the amount of interest generated by events like these, the market for eVTOL solutions will surely grow.

The Samson Sky Switchblade, one of the world’s first flying cars, will officially be unveiled this week during the EAA AirVenture 2018 airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The three-wheeled vehicle is federally classified as a motorcycle. Sam Bousfield, the founder of Samson Sky, the company that produces the switchblade, explained that its speed capabilities are not just limited to the ground, but extend to the air as well.

According to Bousfield, the Switchblade can reach more than 190 mph in the air, with an average cruise speed of 160 mph. On the ground, it can reach more than 100 mph.

Bousfield will test the vehicle’s air capabilities within the next few months. While there’s no finalized date yet for the car to be available to the public, consumers can join a waitlist. There’s no immediate fee to join the list, until the Switchblade’s first public flight, when consumers will need to pay $2,000 in order to maintain their spot.

The target price of the Switchblade will be near $140,000, Bousfield said.

“This allows people to enhance their lifestyle, so that their reach everyday can be further, faster, and get more done,” he said.

Why it’s important: The Samson Sky Switchblade is one of a few flying cars being unveiled at EAA AirVenture 2018. Others include the WorkHorse SureFly VTOL. Growing public awareness towards these aircraft is bound to provide the necessary validation for many skeptics that the concept of a flying car works – and that there are ways to scale the industry – including methods like ride sharing that Uber is working on – that adapt the cost to being tractable for the average consumer.

Learn more about the Switchblade here.

Source

• FOX Business

The Pal-V Liberty will be on display at the Farnborough International Airshow from July 16 through 22 later this month in England. The Pal-V has been under development since 2001 and is a three seat gyroplane that converted to a two seat gyroplane.

Liberty is planning on attaining FAA certification by 2020. If certification is gained by this point, deliveries should began shortly thereafter.

The certification date of 2020 is later than intended on for Pal-V – the aircraft was initially targeting a 2017 certification completion date, which was moved to 2019, and now finally 2020.

From the Robb Report Website: “The company continues to accept orders for the Liberty, which is available in two models: the fully loaded Liberty Pioneer Edition and the base model Liberty Sport. The estimated price of the Pioneer Edition is about $600,000, and it’s roughly $400,000 for the Sport. Pal-V plans to build only 90 examples of the Pioneer Edition and sell only 25 in the North American market. Reserving a Liberty requires a non-refundable deposit of $25,000 for the Pioneer and $10,000 for the Sport. (Pal-V says it will refund the deposits if the Liberty fails to receive certification.)

Both Liberty models will have a maximum speed of just under 100 mph in driving mode and a zero-to-60-mph time of less than 9 seconds. In flying mode, both will have a high cruising speed of nearly 100 mph and a range of about 250 miles with two people aboard and 310 miles with just a pilot. Pal-V recommends a runway—paved or level grass—of at least 900 feet for takeoff and a 100-foot strip for landing.

It’s perhaps fitting that the world’s first production flying car is a gyroplane—an unusual aircraft design that harkens back to the earliest days of powered flight and, while never completely disappearing, has always lived on the edge of mainstream aviation. Unlike a helicopter, a gyroplane’s blades are not powered by a motor; instead, they spin freely and generate lift as a result of their forward motion through the air. The vehicle’s forward thrust is provided by a separate motor and propeller, more akin to a fixed-wing airplane. That’s why the Liberty needs 900 feet to take off; it cannot rise vertically like a conventional helicopter. But one of the primary advantages of the design is a much lower stall speed and easier handling.

The Liberty converts from an automobile into a gyroplane in about 10 minutes—the amount of time it takes to unfold the blades, which are bundled on the roof when the vehicle is in driving mode.

To operate the Liberty in the United States, you’ll need a standard driver’s license and a gyroplane license. The latter requires 30 to 40 hours of training. The company plans to offer flying lessons at its Pal-V FlyDrive Academy locations, one of which will be located in Florida.”

Source

• Robb Report