Category: Uncategorized

XTI Aircraft, the developer a business-jet style VTOL, has officially announced a partnership with GE Aviation to provide propulsion for its hybrid-electric aircraft. XTI Aircraft’s luxury long-distance VTOL is capable of flying at 345mph for a range of 1200 nautical miles, seating five passengers, and of course, taking off and landing vertically. The company marks a major milestone this week...

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Within ten years, VTOL developer Sabrewing Aircraft Company plans to bring cargo services to the Aleut Community of St Paul Island. The Aleut tribal community has ordered ten of the Sabre Wing aircraft, and are working with Sabrewing to develop a test range. Saint Paul Island is a small island off the coast of Alaska, only about 10 miles in...

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Airbus has recently signed on as a partner to Air Race E, which will host the world’s first electric air race series in 2020. Air Race E was created under Air Race Events, the same company that created the Air Race 1 series that many know as formula one air racing. In this sport, eight participant airplanes race around a 5km...

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Emerging UAM Design Trends

29 January 2019 || 4 min read

This has been a huge year for flying cars. With the Bell Nexus recently revealed at CES, and the Boeing PAV making its first flight in this last month alone, the time of urban aviation is nearing. Over the last few years, a few designs have emerged as the most common. These are illustrated by the EHANG 184, the Boeing...

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The 2019 Detroit Auto Show, also known as the North American International Auto Show, provides a global stage for companies on the cutting edge of industry-shaping technology to debut brand-defining vehicles. It is one of the largest auto shows in the United States. The Workhorse Group tweeted on Tuesday December 18 to “get ready, Michigan because we’re bringing the #SureFly...

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Electrafly, a self-funded aviation startup based in Utah, has announced plans to partner with Utah’s very own dedicated unmanned aircraft system test sight operator Deseret. Set to begin in 2019, flights over the FAA-sanctioned test area will work all the way up to forward flight of a single passenger. The aircraft, dubbed the Electraflyer, is a hybrid electric multi-copter, meaning...

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Electrafly Deseret vtol hybrid electric

Assen Aero Flight Tests A1 Hoverbike

06 December 2018 || 2 min read

Assen Aero successfully flight tested a prototype of their A1 Hoverbike. A video posted to Youtube earlier this week shows the bike flown remotely at low altitudes. This is the one of the first steps towards full scale technology demonstration, which may include Hoverbike races as early as next year. Assen Aero, based in South Florida, has been working on...

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Assen Aero A1 hoverbike Airventure 2018

Los Angeles based urban air taxi carrier Quantum XYZ has placed a pre-order for Workhorse SureFly hybrid-electric octocopters. Quantum XYZ plans to use the aircraft to be the first urban air VTOL service to market. Zeeshan Moha, Vice President and Chief Route Architect of Quantum XYZ told prnewswire.com, “We invite a future where safe, on-demand air travel is as ubiquitous as car...

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Surefly eVTOL air taxi octocopter hybrid electric

German rescue service ADAC Luftrettung is partnering with Volocopter in a study that will test the feasibility of electric vertical takeoff (eVTOL) aircraft for medical rescue missions. The study, planned for Spring 2019, will cost approximately $570,000 and will use the manned version of the Volocopter shown below. By supporting this study, ADAC Luftrettung is the first ever air rescue organization to test...

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Volocopter for ADAC study

The Lilium air taxi is getting closer to market. It recently hired Mirko Reuter, former head of Automated Driving at Audi, Jakob Waeschenbach, former head of Equipment Installation at Airbus, and Rochus Moenter, former Vice President of Finance and Leasing at Airbus. Lilium is a German company based out of Munich. Its air taxi design is one of the sleekest on the market, and...

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Lilium Air Taxi hires from Audi and Airbus

Transcend Air has announced its plans for its air taxi service to launch in 2024. It’s not the first VTOL company to announce a date for service launch, with Uber committed to three cities by 2023 and Lilium committed to a 2025 launch. But Transcend Air is one of the first to offer a ‘business class’ style VTOL. The interior...

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Transcend Air Featured Image

We hear a lot lately about urban air mobility and air taxis that are going to transform our commutes. Recently, I’m getting asked if we’ve yet reached peak-hype. I’m not sure people even agree what the hype is about, much less whether we’re at a crescendo. A common vein in hype is being led into an overly short-term mindset and...

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AVCP Has a New System for eVTOL Safety

26 September 2018 || 3 min read

A new safety system for eVTOLs uses specialized airbags, a balloon-integrated parachute, and even retro rockets. One of the many benefits of Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) as seen in many personal eVTOLs is the design’s redundancy. If one rotor fails, there are still four or more available to make a safe recovery. However a completely failed eVTOL dropping can be...

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AVCP Crash Prevention System in action

This week, the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLC) announced the opening of its new aerospace innovation center in Marknesse. The Centre’s first move was to purchase Pipistrel’s new Alpha Electro aircraft. The Alpha Electro is one of the world’s first certified plug-in private aircraft. It made this purchase through a donation from PwC, which provides consulting, audit, and tax services. PwC’s ambition...

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Netherlands Aerospace Center Leaders posing with its new Pipistrel Alpha Electro

At the end of August, Japan began an initiative to jumpstart the flying car industry. It’s taken its first steps by actively recruiting Subaru, Boeing, Uber Japan, Airbus Japan, and more. Japan plans to have flying cars in the air by 2020. It’s Ministry of Trade, Economy, and Industry initiated meetings with both private and public sectors last month. In...

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Flying Cars in Japan Cartoon