Rising worries about the security of supplies of critical goods and medicine is threatening the survival of remote communities in Canada, new research (1) shows.

Two out of five (40%) of people living in remote communities are considering a move to major towns and cities due to worries about supplies, with a third planning to move out of their rural areas within two years. Nearly six out of 10 (58%) are concerned about the long-term survival of their community, the nationwide study by Horizon Aircraft, a Canadian-based innovative leader in hybrid electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aerial vehicles, found. Government data shows nearly one in nine Canadians are classed as living in remote areas, which accounts for 74.6% of the Canadian landmass.

A potential solution to the threat to the survival of remote communities is identified in the research by Horizon – the introduction of air taxis or eVTOL aircraft to service the areas. Roughly 60% of people questioned in remote communities said they would stay in their community if air taxis improved the delivery of supplies and made travel easier. Around 18% were undecided and 22% said it wouldn’t influence their decision.

The research by Horizon highlighted the scale of the current problems faced by remote communities - more than half (55%) of residents are concerned about the delivery of critical goods and medicine to their community and the same number of people say there has been a drop in the availability of supplies in the past two years.

Around 36% say they are becoming more concerned about security of supplies and blame a combination of prices rising for the goods, the rising cost of transport, and Government budget restrictions for the issues. Up to 86% questioned said the rising cost of goods means they can no longer afford them, while 71% point to Government spending, and 63% say the cost of fuel is making deliveries more expensive.

Brandon Robinson, CEO of Horizon Aircraft, said: “The rising cost of living in general and the increasing price of fuel pose a real threat to remote communities, whose survival is dependent on secure and reliable supplies.

“Innovations such as air taxis can play a major role in securing the future of remote communities for those who want to be able to continue living there. We believe they have the potential to revolutionize the way people travel between remote communities and provide a dependable means for the transportation of cargo, such as vital supplies and medicine, to such locations.”

Horizon Aircraft is building a new hybrid electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft that will be used by business aviation travellers as early as 2026. Their “Cavorite X5” is an eVTOL built for longer-range regional passenger or cargo, as well as special missions. It will take off and land vertically like a helicopter but will fly almost twice the distance at a fraction of the cost. It will have a maximum passenger capacity of four plus a pilot, a payload of 500 kg (1,100 lb), and a range of 800 km (500 miles) with full fuel reserves.

Horizon’s innovative approach and technology allows its Cavorite X5 to fly 98% of its mission in a very low-drag configuration like a traditional aircraft. Flying most of the time as a normal aircraft is also safer and should make the aircraft easier to certify than other radical new eVTOL designs. The full-scale aircraft will also be powered by a hybrid electric system that can recharge the battery array in-flight while providing additional system redundancy. Continued rigorous testing of its 50%-scale aircraft will reduce technical risk moving forward as Horizon continues development of its full-scale aircraft. Horizon Aircraft, and its flagship Cavorite X5 design, has been attracting significant interest from within the industry having won several grants, a US Department of Defence advanced research and development contract award, and being ahead of its competitors with its large-scale prototype already flying.

Source:https://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/article/evtol-impact-remote-communities

Self-flying air taxis may create a new era of transportation opportunities for passengers and cargo, shortening travel time using autonomous software that provide safe and reliable flight paths. From urban centers to rural communities, automated air taxis could grant passengers unprecedented access to the world around them.

Before automation software can be used for flight it must be developed and tested to ensure its accuracy and safety. NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility researchers at Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, have been developing automation software as part of a collaboration with Sikorsky and DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. This research will ultimately test the software’s responsiveness using two highly specialized helicopters as surrogate air taxis.

Using customized test-tablets with scripted flight paths, software developers and pilots run software through precise simulations of air-to-air encounters, enabling a variety of conflict scenarios to test algorithms.  

“The software design begins with conceptualizing what future Advanced Air Mobility vehicle operations and flight behavior scenarios might look like,” says lead software developer Ethan Williams. “We then refine the software requirements under development, so it behaves as expected enabling the proposed Advanced Air Mobility air-taxi operations. The simulation using the tablets and ground control room displays help to identify potential issues prior to actual flight testing.”

The team will evaluate how the software prototype allows pilots using the tablet to initiate specific autonomous flight rules that would be common for air taxis in the highly complex, dynamic, and dense Advanced Air Mobility airspace.

“Pilots must be comfortable with the software and tablet controller,” says NASA pilot Scott Howe, “given the extensive ground training familiarization, desktop and cockpit simulation exercises we’ve run, test aircrew are comfortable using the software and tablets.”

Howe added the team is confident with the software’s capabilities.

“We’ve proven the software interacts well with the aircraft flight control systems and is very capable of safely executing multiple precise software-controlled profiles in a single flight,” he said.

When the project reaches the flight stage, NASA researchers will use the Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft, a modified S-76B helicopter, and the company’s Optionally Piloted Vehicle Black Hawk helicopter as air-taxi surrogates. Their tests will evaluate the NASA-designed automation software and flight control tablets in several Advanced Air Mobility operations flight scenarios.

With NASA test pilots and Sikorsky safety pilots onboard each aircraft, the two will autonomously fly test scenarios to capture the data from precise flight scenarios as the pilots interact with the research tablets to select their desired avoidance maneuvers from a set of software-provided options.

Future Advanced Air Mobility operations may include flight in very dense traffic environments. These new routes must include safe and reliable separation from every other aircraft in the area. NASA is helping to create those capabilities exploring safe procedures to pave the way for air taxi operations in the national air space.

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-software-developers-take-autonomy-from-simulation-to-flight

STRATEGIC THRUST 5:

 IN-TIME SYSTEM-WIDE SAFETY ASSURANCE 

The vision for Strategic Thrust 5 is the ability to predict, detect, and mitigate emerging safety risks throughout aviation systems and operations. It is developed using the community’s vision based on priorities identified during dialogue and through strategic analyses.

Research Themes for Strategic Thrust 5

• Continuous System-Wide Safety Awareness (Monitor): Technical approaches and required architecture to support comprehensive continuous safety monitoring through acquisition, integration, and assurance of sensitive data from heterogeneous sources.

• Safety Risk Identification and Evaluation (Assess): Assured tools that improve the accuracy of real-time detection, diagnosis, and prediction of hazardous states and the impact of these states on system safety.

• Coordinated Prevention, Mitigation, and Recovery (Mitigate): Trusted methods for dynamic, multi-agent planning, evaluation, and execution of real-time risk mitigating response to hazardous events.

• Experimentation, Demonstration, and Assessment: Experimentation, demonstration, benefits analysis, and transition of new In-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance technologies to the NAS. 

Strategic Thrust 5 Outcomes:

1. 2020-2035

Give more users better access to safety-relevant data to allow for system-wide monitoring and enable predictive technologies. Integration of heterogenous data from the entire system will allow for a more comprehensive understanding of risks, including in-time detection and alerting capabilities available to operators across the NAS.

2. 2035-2045

Introduction of an IASMS that continuously monitors the

NAS – and sub-elements within the NAS – to collect data on the status of all elements and operators within the NAS. The IASMS will accommodate new operations and new capabilities as they are introduced into the system, detecting new risks as they emerge.

3. Beyond 2045

Adaptive in-time safety threat management will incorporate increasingly autonomous human-machine decision support to enable proactive prediction and mitigation of risk in complex operations and support NAS-wide safety assurance.

STRATEGIC THRUST 6:

ASSURED AUTONOMY FOR AVIATION TRANSFORMATION 

The vision for Strategic Thrust 6 is to safely implement autonomy in aviation applications. It is achieved using the community’s vision based on priorities identified during dialogue and through strategic analyses. 

Research Themes for Strategic Thrust 6

• Technologies and Methods for Design of Complex Autonomous Systems: Methods and technologies for design of intelligent machine systems capable of operating and collaborating in complex environments.

• Integrated Modeling, Simulation, and Testing: Development, integration, advanced modeling, and validation of system architectures and capabilities to enable diverse and scalable end-to-end operations, including seamless integration of AAM operations and improved sustainability to traditional operations.

• Assurance, Verification, and Validation of Autonomous Systems: Methods for certification and assuring trustworthiness in the design and operation of autonomous systems.

• Human-Autonomy Teaming in Complex Aviation Systems: Optimal humanmachine role assignments and teaming strategies for increasing machine autonomy and earned levels of trust.

• Implementation and Integration of Autonomous Airspace and Vehicle Systems: Novel real-world autonomy applications and transition paths toward higher levels of autonomy.

• Testing and Evaluation of Autonomous Systems: Metrics, models, simulation capabilities, and testbeds

Strategic Thrust 6 Outcomes:

1. 2020-2035

Initial safe and efficient integration of highly automated vehicles into the NAS by introduction of aviation systems with bounded autonomy, capable of carrying out function-level goals. Starting from wildfire management, increasingly autonomous air and ground systems will enable 24/7 continuous aerial surveillance and suppression, and not be limited to visual meteorological conditions that exists today. This period will also see the introduction of initial adaptive automation functions within airborne and ground-based systems, assured by limiting envelopes of applicability. New capabilities enabled by use of autonomous systems will be introduced, especially for AAM applications.

2. 2035-2045

Ubiquitous integration of increasingly autonomous vehicles into the NAS by introduction of aviation systems with flexible autonomy based on earned levels of trust

and capable of carrying out mission-level goals. Feasibility validation of new air, ground, and cloud edge architecture that will enable the density, diversity, and

complexity of airspace operations expected in 2045 and beyond.

Systems will learn and adapt through access to large quantities of data, enabling sophisticated world models of system states and operating environments.

3. Beyond 2045

Introduction of distributed collaborative aviation systems with assured autonomy capable of carrying out policy-level goals.

Society will gain high confidence in autonomous aviation systems, and large-scale autonomous systems will achieve goals specified at levels of system governance and sustainability. System elements will be distributed and collaborative, enabling unprecedented efficiency, agility, robustness, and resilience.

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-releases-newest-vision-for-flight-research

NASA has released the newest iteration of its vision for aeronautics research activities, and it includes exciting, cutting-edge sustainable aviation updates.

The Strategic Implementation Plan lays out the research strategy for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) for the next 20 years and beyond. It presents the rationale and architecture through which NASA will continue to lead the future of research into all aspects of flight.

A notable theme present throughout the document relates to sustainable aviation and a global aviation industry commitment to achieving netzero carbon gas emissions by 2050 – a goal that will require innovations in aircraft and engine technology, operational efficiency, and sustainable aviation fuel. 

 In a 2020 economic impact report published by the Federal Aviation Administration, air travel accounted for $1.8 trillion of total U.S. economic activity, supporting nearly 11 million direct and indirect jobs.

To continue NASA’s leadership in aviation innovation and enable a revolutionary transformation of the aviation system, ARMD’s research portfolio is focused on six Strategic Thrusts:

• Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations

• Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft

• Ultra-Efficient Subsonic Transport

• Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles

• In-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance

• Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation

ARMD research will leverage new and non-traditional technologies and approaches, including alternative fuels and electric or hybrid propulsion, low-boom supersonic flight, automation and autonomy, and technology convergence to develop transformative solutions.

STRATEGIC THRUST 4: SAFE, QUIET, AND AFFORDABLE VERTICAL LIFT AIR VEHICLES

The vision for Strategic Thrust 4 is to realize extensive use of vertical lift vehicles for transportation and services including new missions and markets.

Transportation by vertical lift aircraft could prove to be faster and more convenient relative to ground transportation. To reach widespread use, however, the flights must be safe, operate with a significantly reduced environmental footprint, and generate acceptable noise to the surrounding communities.

Public demand for increased mobility will be met in part by vertical lift air vehicles developed to operate over a wide range of configurations and missions. These configurations will provide unmatched access to urban transportation and services (e.g., air taxi, air metro, and personal air vehicles). They also will make unique missions and public good services available across a spectrum of applications (e.g., cargo delivery, emergency medical services, and disaster relief). 

Many of the unique missions will require various levels of automation and autonomy for both air vehicles and airspace, and they also will require noise and emissions to be nonintrusive when operating near people and property

Strategic Thrust 4 Outcomes: 

1. 2020-2035 Increased capability of new vertical lift configurations with reduced environmental impact and improved safety and accessibility for new and current markets. 

2. 2035-2045 New vertical lift configurations and technologies introduced that enable expanded markets, improve reliability, increase mobility, enhance accessibility, and reduce environmental impact. 

3. Beyond 2045 Vertical lift vehicles of all sizes routinely used for widespread transportation and public good services in successfully developing markets, and that feature mature mobility and accessibility with demonstrated low environmental impact.

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-releases-newest-vision-for-flight-research

A walking car that can fly and drive too? This is wild.

Hyundai has filed the wildest patent application CarBuzz has ever discovered, with designs for a drone attached to a car to create - you guessed it - a flying car. But not just any car. Filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the South Korean automaker wants to combine two of its former zany ideas into one wild package.

This new two-vehicle system is essentially a Hyundai walking car with one of its flying cars pasted to the top.

According to Hyundai, ground and air vehicles both have limitations, and this odd creation solves all their problems. Air vehicles can easily travel through the air, but they have limited or nonexistent ground-based movement. Ground-based cars, like the Ioniq 5, are restricted to terra firma.

The solution, says Hyundai, is cooperative transport. This brings us neatly to the odd creation you see here: a ground-based vehicle that can attach to an oversized drone. The drone has to be sizeable because it needs enough juice to be capable of transporting the ground-based vehicle through the air. Once this odd combination lands, the ground-based vehicle will transport the drone to places it can't reach.

If you think this is silly, you're quite right. But this new system has benefits beyond simply picking a car up and flying it a few hundred miles down the road. And it wouldn't be hampered by range because Hyundai specifically mentions alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, or fuels derived from resources other than petroleum. That means synthetic fuel, like the type being explored by Porsche, also counts. Both ground and aerial vehicles can be powered by any of the vast powertrain options Hyundai currently has at its disposal.

Theoretically, Hyundai can build a mobile charging station using the flying part of the car. The drone can be powered by a hybrid system, and it can swoop in and charge a fully-electric vehicle. Hyundai says this can be done via a wired or wireless connection. This would be an epic solution for EV owners who live in apartments and don't have access to a home charger. You simply leave your car on the street, and a drone will swoop in and charge it for you.

Hyundai says it's also perfect for transporting goods. In this scenario, the ground-based vehicle would have a detachable pod where people can put things. The ground vehicle can then drive to a suitable location to meet up with the air-based vehicle. It will then grab the detachable pod from the car and transport it much faster over a long distance.

When the car is driving blind (on unpaved roads, during natural disasters, and so on), its flying part can also scan the area and provide the vehicle with solutions that its limited view can't see.

Hyundai says there are too many potential applications for ground and air vehicles working together to mention. Still, the main takeaway from this patent is what it can achieve by making two very different vehicles work together.

According to Hyundai, the air-based vehicle can be configured in several ways. The drone is just for illustration purposes. The ground-based vehicle has to be strong and equipped with the same sort of legs are the walking car. It's purely so the flex in the legs can soak up the impact a flying vehicle would inevitably have when it lands on your Ioniq's roof. Can you imagine what a standard shock absorber would look like after five landings?

It's an exciting concept, but what would the ownership model look like? Would you want both, or do you want the car for daily driving and limited access to the service a flying car provides? It's not like you'll use it every day, so why pay for it? Also, can you imagine what cities would look and sound like if every EV relied on a drone for charging? The buzzing would never stop.

Source: https://carbuzz.com/news/hyundais-flying-car-patent-is-a-bonkers-as-it-sounds

Plana already has customers for its hybrid air taxis.

Describing itself as a company ready to offer new horizons in air mobility, South Korean startup Plana plans to revolutionize the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry with its hybrid eVTOL CP-01 aircraft. Built using composites, Plana calls the CP-01 a significant step forward in pursuing efficient, eco-friendly urban transportation solutions.

Plana's CP-01 features six tilt-rotor propellor electric engines powered by batteries. These batteries are charged using a turbine generator running on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) similar to the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, Plana envisages the CP-01 as an air taxi and ambulance in busy built-up urban areas. Flown by a single pilot, the CP-01 can comfortably seat six passengers, has a range of 310 miles (excluding reserve miles), and features a top speed of 186 mph.

Plana is looking to get FAA certification

Plana's Research and Development (R&D) Center is in Inchon, South Korea. Still, to help speed up Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the South Korean startup is opening offices in Silicone Valley and Irvine, California. While it is easy to see Silicone Valley's appeal, the company selected Irvine for a second office as it is a thriving aerospace hub with prominent players.

Currently, Plana is using model aircraft for tests but hopes to have a full-size prototype built by 2025 and for production to begin in 2028. In May this year, Plana signed a deal with Osaka, Japan-based air taxi company SkyTaxi, to provide them with ten CP-01 aircraft by 2030 and 40 more by 2040. SkyTaxi is a subsidiary of the Daiho Taxi Group, which believes that the future of intercity travel will be with air taxis.

Plana signs an MOU with a South Korean airline

Two months later, in July, Plana released a statement saying that it had signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the South Korean commercial air carrier Hi-Air for 30 Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft. The Letter of Intent says that Plana will deliver ten CP-01 aircraft in 2030, and the remaining 20 will follow later.

Hi-Air began operations in 2019, flying from its hub at Ulsan Airport (USN) to Gimpo International Airport (GMP) in Seoul. Despite a slowdown in air travel brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic Hi-Air has continued to grow, offering ATR 72–500 flights from its hub at Ulsan Airport (USN) to the following domestic and international destinations:

Sacheon Airport (HIN)

Muan International Airport (MWX)

Jeju International Airport (CJU)

Kitakyushu Airport (KKJ) in Japan

When speaking about the deal with Hi-Air in a company statement, Plana CPO Jinmo Lee said:

"We are excited to partner with Hi-Air, a leading small-scale air operator in South Korea. This partnership will help us to strengthen our position in the AAM market and contribute to the development of the South Korean air mobility industry."

Source: https://simpleflying.com/plana-hybrid-electric-aircraft-guide/

Light eVTOL developer Opener has announced a unique testing program as it looks to achieve market certification and commercialization of its BlackFly aircraft. The company unveiled an Early Access Program today in which a dozen early eVTOL customers will not only get to experience Opener’s training and aerial technology first hand, but will report back about their entire customer experience.

Opener is Palo Alto, California-based eVTOL developer that began as a mere concept by founder Marcus Leng in 2009. By 2011, Leng was completing his first flight with a proof-of-concept personal aircraft in his own front yard in Canada.

For the past decade, Opener has been developing is flagship commercial eVTOL, called BlackFly. During that time, Opener developed and tested various versions of BlackFly, but the company didn’t catch attention until 2018, when it performed a flight with a pre-production eVTOL.

Aside from looking a bit different from other eVTOLs, BlackFly also has a unique tilt architecture where the eVTOL goes almost completely vertical. With hundreds of billions of flight data points collected and several human-operated flights under its belt, Opener is starting BlackFly deliveries… but only to a very exclusive few that will need to be properly trained and share their experience.

Have what it takes for Opener’s early eVTOL access?

Per Opener, it is beginning an Early Access Program (EAP) that will enable the first dozen BlackFly eVTOL customers to take to the skies… as long as they share feedback with the company of course. Per Opener CEO Ken Karklin:

We have a sound and novel aircraft design. Opener’s EAP establishes a two-way communication channel to inform how we address customer concerns, refine features, and optimize the overall user experience. Our close partnership with early adopters is a huge step toward moving us closer to general release and fulfilling the promise of personal aerial freedom.

Since BlackFly was designed as a light eVTOL aircraft that complies with the FAA’s Part 103 (Ultralight) category, no pilot license is required to take one for a ride. That being said, Opener relayed that it requires any and all eVTOL pilots undergo comprehensive flight training.

During the announcement, Opener introduced us to its very first BlackFly customer and early adopter Tim Lum, who recently completed his first flight documented by the company. He shared his initial thoughts as well:

Flight in a BlackFly is amazing. Even though I’ve been in and around aircraft for years, this is my first time as an official VTOL pilot. And the connection with my BlackFly goes well beyond the aircraft itself. It’s all the things that Opener does to assist me — from extensive flight training to delivery and ongoing support. The level of hands-on service is off the charts.

No word on official pricing or commercial production yet. It appears the EAP is Opener’s focus right now as it fine tunes its near-production aircraft.

Opener says the public is welcome to register interest in the Early Access Program, but limited opportunities are available. According to the program’s dedicated page, it looks like only 12 slots are up for grabs, 11 if you count Mr. Lum. That page also has the video of Lum’s experience you’ve got to see. 

Source: https://electrek.co/2023/07/25/opener-recruiting-early-adopters-train-test-blackfly-evtol/

1. General. The NAS extends from the ground to above 60,000 feet MSL and includes various classifications of airspace, both uncontrolled and controlled. sUAS remote pilots and recreational flyers are generally permitted access to uncontrolled airspace without special permission. However, this changes when access to controlled airspace is desired. All access to controlled airspace whether by manned or unmanned aircraft must be granted by ATC.

While the NAS is divided into controlled and uncontrolled airspace, users must remember that all airspace is regulated, and certain rules apply throughout the NAS.

Recreational flyers are limited to 400 feet AGL in Class G airspace, without special authorization.

2. Controlled airspace is a generic term that covers the different classification of airspace (Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class E airspace) and defined dimensions within which air traffic control services can be provided to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flights and to Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flights, in accordance with the airspace classification.

3. Special Use Airspace (SUA). SUA consists of that airspace wherein flight activities must be confined because of their nature, or wherein limitations are imposed upon aircraft operations that are not a part of those activities, or both. These areas are generally depicted on aeronautical charts and will be indicated on the B4UFly and LAANC applications for UAS.

4. Temporary Flight Restrictions:

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) are non-permanent airspace restrictions created to protect persons and property in the air or on the surface from an existing or imminent hazard associated with an incident on the surface, when the presence of low flying aircraft would magnify, alter, spread, or compound that hazard (14 CFR Section 91.137(a)(1)). TFRs can exist to protect aircraft from hazards, and also to protect people/objects on the ground from aircraft hazards. Examples of TFRs include natural disaster areas especially forest fires, floods, congested flight areas, the area around spacecraft launches and recoveries, certain stadium sporting events, and the security of national public figures.

UAS operators should be aware that substantial fines and penalties can be levied on UAS remote pilots or recreational flyers violating a TFR.

5. Special Restrictions over Critical Infrastructure:

Operating a UAS over our nation's critical infrastructure such as power grids, nuclear reactors, transportation centers, political or military sites, etc., can potentially create risk to people on the ground and also to fixed site facilities and associated infrastructure. 

UAS remote pilots and recreational flyers must carefully consider the need to fly over critical infrastructure and determine the legality of doing so, infractions may result in significant fines and legal actions.

6. Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA). SFRAs are airspaces of defined dimensions, above land areas or territorial waters, within which the flight of aircraft is subject to special rules, established after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Examples include the Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and Hudson River SFRAs. All aircraft are highly regulated within SFRAs. The inner area of some SFRAs, the Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ) is very highly restricted and prohibits all but previously vetted aircrew and aircraft from entering. 

Source: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap11_section_4.html

Remote Identification and FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs)

Background:

Remote identification (RID) of UAS is crucial to UAS integration.

RID is the ability of a UAS in flight to provide identification and location information that can be received by other parties.

RID allows the FAA, national security agencies, law enforcement, and others to distinguish compliant airspace users from those potentially posing a safety or security risk. It helps these agencies find the control station when a UAS appears to be flying unsafely or where it is prohibited.

Remote ID Rule:

1. Remote Identification (RID) of Unmanned Aircraft, will require most drones operating in U.S. airspace to have RID capability. UAS not equipped with RID capability will be limited to operating in specific FAA-approved geographic locations, such as FRIA.

2. There are three ways drone pilots will be able to meet the identification requirements of the RID rule: Standard RID, RID Broadcast Module, and FRIAs.

A. Standard RID. Only standard RID drones may be manufactured after the September 16, 2022, rule effective date. Unmanned aircraft broadcast the RID message elements directly from the unmanned aircraft from takeoff to shutdown. Message elements include: (1) A unique identifier to establish the identity of the unmanned aircraft; (2) an indication of the unmanned aircraft latitude, longitude, geometric altitude, and velocity; (3) an indication of the control station latitude, longitude, and geometric altitude; (4) a time mark; and (5) an emergency status indication. Operators may choose whether to use the serial number of the unmanned aircraft or a session ID (e.g., an alternative form of identification that provides additional privacy to the operator) as the unique identifier.

B. RID Broadcast Modules. An unmanned aircraft can be equipped with a Remote ID broadcast module that broadcasts message elements from takeoff to shutdown. Message elements include: (1) The serial number of the broadcast module assigned by the producer; (2) an indication of the latitude, longitude, geometric altitude, and velocity of the unmanned aircraft; (3) an indication of the latitude, longitude, and geometric altitude of the unmanned aircraft takeoff location; and (4) a time mark.

C. FAA-Recognized Identification Area:

An FAA-recognized identification area (FRIA) is a defined geographic area where persons can operate UAS without remote identification, provided they maintain visual line of sight. Organizations eligible to request establishment of a FRIA include CBOs recognized by the FAA and educational institutions. The latter group includes primary and secondary educational institutions, trade schools, colleges, and universities.

To operate in a FRIA RID of unmanned aircraft, operators must be physically located within the boundaries of the FRIA, must only operate drones within those boundaries, and must operate within VLOS at all times. UAS equipped with RID broadcast capability must broadcast continuously even while operating within or transiting a FRIA.

Source: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap11_section_4.html

Recreational Flyers

1.Exception for Limited Recreational Operations of Unmanned Aircraft, provides guidance for recreational flyers. Failure of a recreational flyer to adhere to any of the requirements for recreational status will result in greater penalties if the operator is found operating in an unsafe manner.

2. Operations in Class G airspace. Flights in Class G airspace will be the most common environment for many recreational flyers. The upper limit of recreational UAS operations in Class G airspace is 400 feet AGL. When operating in Class G airspace, the recreational flyer must follow the set of safety guidelines outlined and developed by a recognized Community-Based Organization (CBO)

3. Operations in controlled airspace or uncontrolled airspace above 400 feet above ground level AGL. If a recreational flyer desires to operate in class B, C, or D airspace, or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of class E airspace designated for an airport, or in class G airspace above 400 feet, the operator must obtain prior authorization from the Administrator or designee before operating.

Airspace Access for Civil Aircrafts

1. Civil operators of UAS may conduct commercial package delivery BVLOS. These types of operations are prohibited for sUAS. 

2. Generally, UAS cannot comply with certain regulations originally written for a manned aircraft environment and therefore require relief. UAS operators obtain relief from the requirements of these regulations through exemptions, waivers, and deviations. The relief document lists conditions and limitations which provide a level of safety at least equal to that provided by the rule from which relief is needed. Additionally, UAS operators must obtain a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) from the FAA Air Traffic Organization (ATO).

3. Civil and public operators of UAS may conduct agricultural aircraft operations. Operators of sUAS, weighing less than 55 pounds MGOW and operators of large UAS, weighing 55 pounds MGOW or more may conduct agricultural aircraft operations.

UAS Traffic Management (UTM)

1. UTM is predicated on layers of information sharing and data exchange amongst a range of stakeholders including UAS operators, service providers, and the FAA to achieve safe operations. Operators share their flight intent with each other and coordinate to de-conflict and safely separate trajectories. The primary means of communication and coordination between operators, the FAA, and other stakeholders is through a distributed information network, rather than between pilots and air traffic controllers via traditional voice communications. The FAA makes real-time airspace constraints available to UAS operators, who are responsible for managing their own operations safely within these constraints without receiving ATC services from the FAA. However, the FAA does have access to applicable UTM operational information as necessary.

2. UAS operators not receiving ATC separation services are required to participate in UTM at some level using applicable services to meet the performance requirements of their operations. The number and type of services required varies based on the type and location of the intended operation and the associated communication, navigation, surveillance (CNS), and other operational needs.

Source: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap11_section_4.html

Walking into a dealership and picking out a flying electric car might seem like something taken out of a sci-fi script, but it’s getting closer to becoming a reality. After its flying electric car became the first of its kind to receive legal approval to take flight in the US, Alef Aeronautics has now secured pre-orders to sell modern aircraft through a car dealership – another first.

First flying electric car headed to US dealerships

Since 2015, Alef Aeronautics has been looking to do the impossible. To push the boundaries of sustainable travel and develop an actual drivable car with vertical takeoff (eVTOL) abilities. Plus, it has to be (relatively) affordable.

After showing a scaled prototype and proprietary electric propulsion tech, Tim Draper, a venture capitalist best known for his early Tesla investment, became the pioneering investor with $3 million in seed money to kick-start the program.

Over the years, the company has continued to develop the model, unveiling the first 100% electric flying car, “Model A,” on October 19, 2022.

According to Alef, its flying car can drive 200 miles and can fly 110 miles. Last month, Alef’s “Model A” broke the internet, being the first electric flying car to receive a Special Airworthiness Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration.

First-flying-electric-car

Model A production is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025, with deliveries following shortly after.

Although the Model A isn’t due out for at least another two years, people are already lining up for their chance to get one.

Alef announced Tuesday that pre-orders for its first flying electric car had reached 2,500, up from 400 at the end of the year, representing $750 million in revenue once delivered.

The company began pre-orders for the $300,000 Model A in October, with the option to put down $150 for the regular queue or $1,500 for priority.

The orders include 2,100 deposits from individuals and agreements with businesses to sell 400 cars, including with a California car dealership. Alef is now the first in history with pre-orders to sell a modern aircraft through a car dealership.

Alef’s CEO, Jim Dukhovny, commented on the milestone, saying:

We’re excited to see such strong initial demand for the Alef flying car. We’re are thankful for the notes of gratitude and inspiration we received with some of the pre-orders. We still have a road to go before starting deliveries, but where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

The Model A is designed to carry one or two passengers who can drive on public roads with included vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.

After the Model A, Alef is already planning to launch a four-person sedan called “Model Z,” due out in 2035. The company claims it will feature over 300 miles of flying range with the ability to drive 220 miles, starting at $35,000.

If this is considered as an aircraft by the FAA then

1) driver will need a pilots license

2) takeoff /landing only from registered airports and helipad

3) need good weather for vfr flight

4) maintenence & annual inspections will cost well over $10k per year, likely closer to $40k on average. All repairs & service need to be done by certified aircraft mechanics.

5) any accident or damage, even while driving or parked, exceeding $25k (ie most everything for an aircraft) needs to be reported to the NTSB

At best this is a bragging rights toy for high net worth individuals, not a transportation solution

Source: https://electrek.co/2023/07/25/worlds-first-flying-electric-car-us-dealerships/

Embraer, a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, has announced that it will build a new factory close to Sao Paulo to produce electric flying taxis. The Eve subsidiary will manufacture these cutting-edge airplanes, which are scheduled to hit the skies in 2026. These electric air taxis, which look like miniature helicopters and can carry up to six people, will provide a fast, quiet, and environmentally friendly way to get around. Eve has received orders for nearly 3,000 air taxis, with prices ranging from $50 to $100 per ride. The construction of a prototype has begun, and it is expected to be finished this year.

Imagined electric flying taxis would be a major technological advance for the transportation sector. Because they can take off and land vertically, VTOL aircraft can operate in a wide variety of settings. Combining the speed of planes with the portability of helicopters, they can cover great distances while remaining relatively small. These air taxis, powered by electric motors, are designed to be quieter and produce less pollution than conventional aircraft.

Congestion in urban areas is a common problem that can lead to delays, pollution, and irritated drivers. Flying taxis powered by electric propulsion could provide a novel solution to these problems. For congested urban areas, air taxis offer a practical and economical alternative to driving. A more rapid and effective mode of transportation can be provided by taking to the skies, relieving pressure on the ground.

Flying taxis powered by electricity could be an effective strategy to lessen aviation’s destructive impact on the environment. These planes use electric motors, which eliminate air pollution and carbon emissions. The worldwide movement toward more environmentally responsible modes of transportation is consistent with this green strategy.

Electric flying taxis offer a significant time savings over traditional taxis due to their ability to avoid ground traffic. Travelers can save time and energy by taking to the skies instead of sitting in traffic on the ground. Professionals and others with limited free time will appreciate the time savings afforded by this mode of transportation.

Electric flying taxis improve accessibility by cutting out the need for passengers to make multiple transfers or stops along the way. This simplified method is preferable to conventional transportation because it saves time and effort. Electric flying taxis make travel more convenient for passengers by allowing them to avoid traffic and delays.

Electric flying taxis have many potential uses outside of the transportation sector. These planes can be used to transport cargo, providing a cost-effective and time-saving option for logistics firms. They can also help the emergency services out, getting people where they need to go quickly and efficiently.

Taubate, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Sao Paulo, will be where Embraer builds its new electric flying taxi factory. The factory’s convenient proximity to Brazil’s economic capital will allow for streamlined manufacturing and shipping operations. The factory in Taubate will become a center for producing these cutting-edge air taxis, boosting the development of electric aviation in the area.

U.S. authorities have just released a schedule that paves the way for the commercial launch of air taxis by 2025. The rapid development of the electric aviation industry is highlighted by this timeline. Eventually, thanks to technological progress, electric flying taxis will be available to the public, ushering in a new era of environmentally friendly air travel.

In conclusion, Embraer’s commitment to innovation and sustainable transportation is reflected in the company’s plans to construct an electric flying taxi factory near Sao Paulo. With Eve at the controls, these eco-friendly and cost-effective electric air taxis will change the way we get around in cities. Electric flying taxis offer a promising solution to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions as the world moves towards a more sustainable future. Electric flying taxis have the potential to revolutionize transportation because of their adaptability and wide range of uses. The Embraer factory in Taubate, which will be instrumental in making this vision a reality, will help to advance the field of electric aviation and establish Brazil as a world leader in this developing sector.

Q. How do electric flying taxis address urban congestion and pollution?

Electric flying taxis offer a practical and environmentally friendly alternative for congested urban areas, as they can bypass ground traffic and produce fewer emissions.

Q. What benefits do electric flying taxis offer in terms of accessibility and convenience?

Electric flying taxis provide a time-saving and direct mode of transportation, eliminating the need for multiple transfers or stops, making travel more convenient for passengers.

Q. How might electric flying taxis be utilized outside of passenger transportation?

Electric flying taxis can be used for transporting cargo and assisting emergency services in quickly reaching their destinations.

Source: https://readwrite.com/embraers-electric-flying-taxis-to-take-off-from-sao-paulo-in-2026/

AAM operators are expected to comply with existing communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) requirements for the airspace in which they will operate. For I28, the expectation is that the aircraft will operate from the surface to 4000 feet above ground level in urban and metropolitan areas, and in relatively close proximity to or directly on airports. This means that AAM aircraft will operate predominately in or around Class B and C airspace. 

To operate within Class B airspace, pilots must receive ATC clearance, and aircraft are required to be equipped with an operating two-way radio, Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) Out, suitable navigation capability, and an operable transponder with altitude reporting capability. Initial AAM aircraft operations are generally expected to operate in compliance with Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather minima in visual meteorological conditions (VMC). 

VFR aircraft operating within Class B airspace receive separation services from ATC. VFR aircraft may obtain an ATC clearance to transit Class B airspace, if needed, however, the FAA encourages VFR pilots to operate above or below, or transit Class B airspace using established VFR corridors. 

To operate within Class C airspace, pilots must initiate twoway radio communications prior to entry and maintain communications while in the airspace. They must also be equipped with a two-way radio and an operable transponder with altitude-reporting capability. 

The addition of AAM operations will add to the already busy traffic levels of Class B and C airspace. In cases where existing VFR procedures do not meet the needs of air traffic facilities or AAM operators, special agreements or coordination may need to occur to accommodate the increase in traffic levels. Ideally, agreements made at the local level will reduce ATC workload. 

Charted routes will be the primary routing structure used by AAM aircraft. This approach enables the FAA to develop routes that accommodate AAM operator needs while leveraging the existing design and charting processes. The development of airspace route structures for I28 operations will consider design standards based on 14 CFR parts 135 and 91, General Operating and Flight Rules, local procedures, terrain, and traffic flows. 

Pilot adherence to charted I28 routes and the recommended altitudes or flight ceilings associated with them are voluntary. However, ATC may assign charted routes and altitudes where pilot compliance is required, provided such procedures are called for in specific FAA-operator Letters of Agreement (LOAs), or are necessitated by traffic density and/or safety considerations. 

ATC may also restrict operations within designated operating zones when certain criteria are met, and as requested by the appropriate authorities. Noise and other environmental considerations are accounted for in the airspace design. Changes to airspace design and/or new routes will likely require the FAA to conduct environmental review and community outreach. 

I28 AAM routes will be designed for use in VFR conditions only, and where possible, use existing or modified low altitude VFR routes and constructs. 

While these routing constructs do not inherently provide separation or segregation of participating AAM traffic, they are developed to assist pilots in avoiding major controlled traffic flows. 

The routes may include: 

•VFR flyways - General flight paths not defined as a specific course, for use by pilots in planning flights into, out of, through or near complex terminal airspace to avoid Class B airspace. An ATC clearance is not required to fly these routes. 

• VFR corridors - Airspace through Class B airspace, with defined vertical and lateral boundaries, in which aircraft may operate without an ATC clearance or communication with ATC. 

• VFR transition routes - Specific flight courses depicted on a terminal area chart for transiting a specific Class B airspace. These routes include specific ATC‐assigned altitudes, and pilots must obtain an ATC clearance prior to entering Class B airspace on the route. 

• Special flight rule areas - Airspace of defined dimensions, above land areas or territorial waters, within which the flight of aircraft is subject to the rules set forth in 14 CFR Part 93, unless otherwise authorized by ATC. 

It is important to note, however, that no unique AAM airspace structures (e.g., dedicated AAM airspace corridors) or procedures are expected to be implemented by this 2028 timeframe. 

These routing constructs do not inherently provide separation or segregation of AAM traffic, therefore see-and-avoid will continue to be the primary means of aircraft separation.

Source: https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/AAM-I28-Implementation-Plan.pdf

July 26, 2023_PLANA, a hybrid Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft developer, announced it is waiting for final approvals to lease space in the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE) in Springfield, Ohio, as part of PLANA’s efforts to accelerate its technology research and development, as well as its plans for global expansion.

The NAAMCE, adjacent to the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport terminal, is a 30,000-square-foot office building that will house administrative, laboratory, meeting, and collaboration space, with 25,000 square feet of aircraft hangar space, for the Air Force and private industry. The center supports the expanding work of manufacturers and operators of electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL) and other vehicles used for Advanced Air Mobility.

The U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation approved a $6 million Defense Community Infrastructure Program grant to support the project in 2021. JobsOhio supported the project through a $2.9 million Ohio Site Inventory Program (OSIP) grant to support site preparation, utility extensions, an access drive, and a parking area for the facilities. The City of Springfield is funding the balance of the project.

The NAAMCE will provide participants with a collaborative environment in which companies can find support for aerospace research, design, validation, test and flight, training, and business advice related to aircraft development. The NAAMCE also supports various demonstration projects showcasing technologies that will advance AAM integration, beyond the aircraft itself. 

PLANA would join other eVTOL Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) who have had a presence at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport like Joby Aviation and BETA Technologies who both have simulators on the airport grounds.  By joining the NAAMCE, PLANA aims to accelerate research on the hybrid-electric AAM aircraft that it is currently developing, establish new technologies, and collaborate with U.S. companies and organizations.

The program also would establish a collaboration with the State of Ohio’s capabilities offered through the NAAMCE. Regional use cases are being developed to support logistics and emergency medical services while the state pushes to establish flight corridors connecting Ohio’s largest cities Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati.  PLANA states that it acknowledges strategic synergies as they look to expand upon and utilize these resources to advance their technology.

 “Participating in NAAMCE is of great significance in building a collaborative ecosystem with various AAM projects currently being developed in the U.S.,” Minyoung Ahn, co-founder and chief strategy officer of PLANA, said. “It is a great opportunity to showcase South Korea’s AAM technology to the world and jointly develop new technologies for the future.”

Source: https://plana.aero/newsroom/

Korean advanced air mobility company PLANA has announced an order for 50 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The company announced that it had signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with SkyTaxi (SoratobuTaxi Co., Ltd) for the hybrid eVTOL CP-01 currently under development. Additionally, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SkyTaxi for the development and operation of AAM aircraft. According to the company, the initial 10 aircraft will be delivered in 2030, followed by an additional 40 by 2040.

SkyTaxi(SoratobuTaxi Co., Ltd⁠) was formed last year by the Daiho Taxi Group.

According to a PLANA company press release:

“The Daiho Taxi Group has been operating taxi companies in the Osaka region of Japan for almost a century. SkyTaxi was created to venture into the “air taxi” business. The company is currently training pilots, introducing new aircraft, and conducting operational tests. They are preparing to launch air routes that will connect Osaka’s city centers, including Umeda and Namba, world heritage and sightseeing destination all over Japan, as well as Kansai and Kobe airports. These routes are expected to be operational in time for the 2025 Osaka Expo. In the future, SkyTaxi plans to launch long-distance operations focused on the tourism industry, utilizing eVTOL aircraft. SkyTaxi stated that PLANA’s CP-01 was chosen due to its significantly longer flight range through the utilization of a hybrid approach.

“Under the letter of intent and business agreement, PLANA and SkyTaxi will collaborate on the development of AAM aircraft, operational concepts, and interior design concepts that cater to the needs of ‘air taxi’ operators, market analysis, and demonstrations. It is also planned to develop cross-border AAM air routes utilizing the CP-01, which will be supplied by PLANA in the future.”

“This collaborative project between PLANA and SkyTaxi will have a huge impact on the global AAM industry by players from Asia,” said Mr. Takuto Hojo, CEO of SkyTaxi. “We are committed to developing the best business with PLANA so that we can be a model case for one of Asia’s leading AAM industries.”

“With the signing of this letter of intent and business cooperation, we have opened up a huge potential market in Japan, and for the first time in the world, we are looking at cross-border travel,” said Braden J. Kim, the CEO of PLANA. “We will proceed with the development of the aircraft according to the roadmap we have designed and continue to develop more optimized utilization models by understanding the specificities of each country’s market.”

Source:https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/aam-uam-route-and-programme-news/koreas-plana-to-deliver-50-evtols-to-skytaxi-for-services-in-japan/

It’s been a busy week for Japanese eVTOL developer SkyDrive, who has announced its second pre-order agreement in two days, its latest coming from CT UAV in Vietnam. That puts pre-orders for the company’s new SKYDRIVE eVTOL up to 200 in Vietnam alone.

We will spare you the brief history of SkyDrive Inc. as we just offered a recap yesterday when the company announced a pre-order for up to five of its newly designed SKYDRIVE eVTOLs (seen above) by Austin Aviation in South Carolina.

That initial letter of intent kicks off SkyDrive’s journey toward setting up shop in The Palmetto State as it collaborates with local airports and other aviation companies to develop and implement an entire infrastructure plan for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), including eVTOL charters.

Closer to its original headquarters in Toyota City, Japan, SkyDrive has already secured a pre-order for 100 eVTOLs in Vietnam following a memorandum of understanding signed by Pacific Group Co. Ltd. in November 2022.

Today, SkyDrive has announced a second pre-order from a separate aviation company in Vietnam, potentially doubling the amount of aircraft sold in the country.

SkyDrive finds future home for its eVTOLs in Vietnam

Fresh off its US pre-order yesterday, SkyDrive is announcing a second MOU in Vietnam – this time from CT UAV – a subsidiary of CT Group, which develops various forms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies.

Combined with the aforementioned pre-order from Pacific Group, SkyDrive’s eVTOL tally in Vietnam sits at 200. CT Group says its UAV subsidiary is focused on integrating AI technology with clean air mobility to create a “smarter and more advanced future and improving the quality of life.”

SkyDrive says it will work alongside CT UAV in Vietnam to evaluate the potential to scale and commercialize eVTOL mobility, exploring adjacent factors like vertiports, route planning, charging infrastructure and AAM ecosystems.

The SKYDRIVE eVTOLs will be built at a Suzuki facility in Japan.

Source:https://electrek.co/2023/07/21/skydrive-pre-order-vietnam-100-three-passenger-evtol/

Landmark document details early air taxi operations, certification, infrastructure, environmental concerns, and more.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft get most of their lift from rotors and propellers, but they just received a massive lift from the FAA.

After months of anticipation, the agency on Tuesday released its first implementation plan for advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft such as eVTOL air taxis. Dubbed “Innovate28,” the living document, which will be updated periodically, is designed to enable AAM operations at scale in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, when several air taxi firms are expected to take to the skies.

Its publication follows the release of the FAA’s air taxi blueprint and a proposed rule for AAM pilot certification and training.

Innovate28 is focused solely on near-term operations through 2028. It defines AAM as “a transportation system that moves people and property by air between two points in the U.S. using aircraft with advanced technologies, including electric aircraft or eVTOL aircraft, in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.”

The plan lists the various stakeholders expected to contribute to AAM implementation, including the FAA, NASA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, Air Force, and other federal agencies and departments. AAM and power industry stakeholders and state, local, and tribal communities will have roles as well.

A core tenet of the plan is a “crawl-walk-run” approach, which will rely on existing infrastructure, regulations, and procedures to support earlier entry into service. It entails sequential steps the FAA and its partners will follow to certify aircraft and their operators, train pilots, manage airspace, develop new infrastructure, and more.

By 2028, the FAA hopes to see AAM operations at scale spanning multiple “key sites”—which, according to Innovate28, will mainly include existing airports and heliports.

“This plan shows how all the pieces will come together allowing the industry to scale, with safety as the North Star,” said Katie Thomson, deputy FAA administrator.

The 40-page document contains a mountain of proposals to sift through. But here are some of the key points:

Innovate28 is jam-packed with other proposals. But the gist is that the plan should help eVTOL companies chart a path to certification and operations, transform a handful of airfields into AAM hubs, and bring together stakeholders across the industry to address and alleviate concerns.

There’s still a lot that needs to happen before air taxis fly at the 2028 Olympic Games. But the publication of an initial implementation plan is a huge step, and it should guide the AAM industry for years to come.

Source:https://www.flyingmag.com/faa-releases-its-innovate28-plan-for-aam-integration-by-2028/

In the not-so-distant future, when the need arises to get from one side of a bustling metro area to another, one may have the option of hailing an electric air taxi.

A growing number of companies are working to develop such aircraft. And a manufacturer in Ferguson hopes to tackle one of the key engineering challenges: Creating an electric motor strong enough to lift the craft into the skies, and lightweight enough to remain aloft.

Last month at the Paris Air Show, Japan-based Nidec and Brazil-based Embraer announced plans to establish a joint venture to develop motors for eVTOLs, or electric Vertical Take-Off Landing vehicles. The new venture would be headquartered at Nidec’s motor business — Nidec Motor Corporation — in Ferguson, and will mark the company’s largest move yet into the aerospace industry.

“The technical challenges of applying an electric motor in aerospace are huge,” said Greg Gorman, chief growth officer at Nidec Motor Corporation. “We have to get the power that’s necessary — at the lowest weight possible.”

Nidec supplies industrial, automotive and appliance companies. It makes motors that open sunroofs and adjust seats in cars, and run compressors in refrigerators, and adjust the angles of wind turbines. It makes small motors that make smartphones vibrate.

Nidec and Embraer are hoping to capitalize on the push in the industry to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Last year, the United Nations’ aviation agency — the International Civil Aviation Organization — advocated for a goal of net-zero air transport emissions by 2050. The air taxi motors Nidec is developing would run on lithium ion batteries.

“These are the waves that Nidec is following,” Gorman said. “The industry wants to decarbonize. Needs to decarbonize.”

The joint venture’s first customer, Florida-based Eve Air Mobility, is a spinoff company of Embraer. Eve aims to get its craft into service in 2026. The Eve air taxis will have a range of 60 miles, a spokesperson said. They will initially seat a pilot, four passengers and luggage, but will eventually be made to function autonomously and carry six passengers.

There should be a number of different companies bringing eVTOLs to the market between 2025 and 2027, said Vincent Braley, chief of staff for Nidec’s motion and drives business.

One California-based company, Joby, plans to begin passenger flights in 2025.

Federal regulators are laying the groundwork for eventual approval of eVTOLs — just last month the Federal Aviation Administration released its proposed rules for certifying eVTOL pilots.

In the future, the motors could potentially be used for cargo drones. Further in the future, they could be used to power airplanes — perhaps beginning with smaller, private or agricultural aircraft, Braley said.

“It is a very substantial, high-growth market,” Gorman said.

Braley said Nidec’s new joint venture plans to hire 30 to 60 people in the first two to three years, many of them engineers.

The team will work on computer models of motors, and then develop prototypes, and run tests on those prototypes.

While the joint venture will be headquartered in Ferguson, it’s undecided how much of the research and development work will be done in there, Braley said. St. Louis is an aerospace city, while Embraer has a large presence in Florida’s “space coast.”

Nidec’s motors business used to be a part of Emerson, until Nidec acquired it in 2010. The unit is still located on Emerson’s 200-acre campus on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson. Nidec has several hundred employees at the site, most in roles that support the larger company’s operations, like accounting and marketing. Others work in the labs there, running tests on motors and components.

Nidec has ventured into aerospace in other ways: It has worked with Tokyo-based SoftBank to create a lightweight motor for an unmanned, solar-powered glider. But the new joint venture is the company’s most significant push, so far, to enter the aerospace industry.

Nidec will own 51% of the joint venture, and the deal is expected to close by the end of the year.

Source:https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/business/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-no-its-an-air-taxi-with-a-motor-designed/article_b7cc0cb0-20f9-11ee-95e1-47d0950ea718.html

Another flying car has been certified to begin flight testing. California-based ASKA has received special airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct test flights of its four-seater passenger vehicle

The car features propellers and a folding wing and is designed to fit into standard parking spots and use traditional car charging stations.

The vehicle is also designed to be fully roadworthy, with large wings and propellers that fold in and rest on top of it while on the ground.

Where did it come from?

The company started product development in 2018 with subscale models and has now certified its larger-than-life prototype to begin flight testing. The SUV-sized aircraft debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this January and has been driving on the streets of Silicon Valley ever since, conducting testing and gathering data for this most recent certification.

The functional prototype has received FAA authorization and a Certificate of Authorization to start the type certification process toward commercialization. This Special Airworthiness Certificate signals that ASKA A5 has successfully met all FAA safety requirements, and the aircraft has now progressed to conducting authorized hover tests. Simple Flying spoke exclusively to the company's founders about the recent certification and next steps for the company. Maki Kaplinsky, Chairman & COO of ASKA, shared her excitement to continue in the certification process:

"We are very excited that we are doing the flight tests. We are gathering the data, and we are making good progress for the next milestone of our type certification, which is G-1."

The aircraft faces a lengthy testing and certification process to ensure it meets the airworthiness and environmental requirements necessary to achieve FAA Type Certification Validation.

How does it work?

In contrast to other eVTOLs, ASKA's prototype has folding wings, which allow it to glide. The aircraft also features a ballistic parachute in case of emergency.

It is powered by six motors, all independent of each other to increase safety and redundancy, and is designed to reach speeds of 125 mph. Designed to have a flying range of 250 miles, the flying car also has a traditional fuel engine to provide the 30 minutes of reserve power required by the FAA. The range extender engine charges the batteries in-flight using premium gasoline from conventional gas stations.

The company confirmed that it expects users of the vehicle will be required to have a private pilot's license to operate the aircraft, which can seat three passengers in addition to the pilot. The car is designed to do the first and last mile on the road and most of the commuting in the air. It can take off moth vertically and traditionally on a runway using its wings and tilting rotors.

With this new certification, ASKA is now conducting hover testing in its prototype to gather the requisite data for further development.

Are flying cars safe?

There is still a long process after the aircraft is completed before it can be fully certified by the FAA. Even in non-experimental categories, aircraft often have to wait over two years once completed to gain certification. Completed models like Boeing's 777X have been flying for years while they undergo the testing and demonstration flights needed for FAA Certification.

According to Vance Hilderman, author, and expert on aviation safety and certification, about the future of eVTOL and Urban Air mobility vehicles. Even once the initial requirements have been met, there is an ongoing process to monitor safety processes at each step. Aircraft must be at least ten times safer per passenger kilometer than cars to carry paying passengers. Hilderman expressed his confidence that only aircraft meeting the most stringent standards would be allowed to carry paying passengers.

"Everyone's got to follow the same rules as Airbus and Boeing, although they're lower on that rigor scale, with less complexity, they still have to follow all the same rules. There's no certificate awarded to allow paying passengers until they've shown that they've met those tens of thousands of rules, so we can be pretty safe."

The size of the aircraft also affects how it can be certified. In the US, any subscale photo prototype weighed in more than 55 pounds needs special airworthiness certification. ASKA's prototype weighs over 5,000 lbs, which is 30% larger than the final model is expected to be when launched in 2026.

Fellow flying car startup Alef, which also achieved an FAA certification, its Model A prototype will have an estimated weight of 850 lbs but that "Current weight is much below this." The car will also initially be a Low-Speed Vehicle, with the intention to achieve full automotive certification in the future. 

Source: https://simpleflying.com/meet-aska-the-flying-car/?newsletter_popup=1

Among the many priorities in the FAA reauthorization bill is a focus on accommodating new entrants, such as eVTOL aircraft, into the national airspace.

We’re about four months away from the passing of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, with a draft announced June 9, and among its many priorities is a focus on future eVTOL use.

The last FAA reauthorization occurred in 2018. It was the first multi-year reauthorization since 2012 and the first five-year reauthorization since 1982. 

As former acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen explained to a U.S. Senate Committee Hearing in February, “our current authorization expires on Sept. 30, and there is sustained energy from both industry and government around the development of ideas and proposals to modernize the national air system.”

Nolen noted that the FAA must now manage three airspace systems, two of them being the legacy management system, and the other being “the system that relies on the next generation of technology for improved communication, navigation and surveillance.”

The third is “a future that has already arrived. It is the system that must accommodate new entrants in all their forms, including drones, advanced air mobility [AAM] aircraft, commercial spacecraft, and other new aircraft yet to be imagined. It will involve autonomous aircraft, data exchanges and a dynamic airspace.”

Nolen acknowledged that for the FAA to sustain, implement and plan for all of these systems, “we have a lot of work ahead … We must work with stakeholders, make strategic investments, and create an agile regulatory structure that maintains safety, ensures efficiency, and facilitates access for new entrants.”

Demonstrations and tests

Just how does the FAA foresee new entrants being integrated into the national airspace?

“We expect the initial AAM aircraft will operate much like helicopters do today, using existing infrastructure, such as helipads, routes and air traffic control services where possible,” stated an FAA spokesperson. “It is going to take additional innovation as this segment of aviation grows.”

The spokesperson added that “with an eye toward the greater automation we know must come, we’ve been conducting demonstrations with NASA, industry stakeholders and others at test sites since 2019. The test results are providing us with information to develop policies and standards to support routine operations.”

Among other things, the tests have examined increasingly large and complex operations and information exchange between airspace management service providers and between service providers and the FAA, including message security.

VFS perspective

Mike Hirschberg, former executive director of the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) and now director of strategy, views the FAA reauthorization as an important opportunity for the U.S. Congress to provide strategic priorities to the agency.

“With dramatic advancements in eVTOL flight testing and progress toward certification since 2018, Congress must help the FAA meet the challenge of AAM,” he said. “This includes providing the FAA with sufficient funding for personnel, and in particular certification personnel, with relevant experience wherever possible.”

The top VFS priorities for FAA reauthorization are for congressional oversight to ensure that:

1. The FAA meets its self-imposed 2024 deadline for the special federal aviation regulation (SFAR) that will facilitate powered-lift aircraft into the national airspace system, and a path that ensures companies can operate if the FAA misses that deadline.

2. Existing helicopter and airplane infrastructure can be utilized for day one operations.

3. Bilateral aviation safety agreements will be updated to include powered-lift aircraft where needed, ensuring that U.S. products can receive streamline validation around the world.

4. Airport funding must be increased for programs like the Airport Improvement Program and include electric charging and hydrogen infrastructure at airports.

5. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) programs should be increased to include hydrogen and electric charging, which are more sustainable energy sources than kerosene-based SAF. 

“In addition,” Hirschberg said, “aviation and the FAA should be explicitly added to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation [joint between the Departments of Energy and Transportation] to allow the FAA to borrow DOE expertise on batteries and hydrogen.”

Type certification, pilots and vertiports

Digging into how certification of eVTOLs fits into the reauthorization, the FAA spokesperson noted that FAA regulations already allow manufacturers “to achieve our safety standards in innovative ways.” So far, the FAA has published the proposed airworthiness certification criteria for Joby and Archer.

On the pilot front, the spokesperson reported that standards creation for these new powered-lift aircraft is “on pace.”

“Additionally, we know aviation shares borders with more industries today and we are reaching out so there is collaboration,” the spokesperson said. “One of those is the electric power industry, which will be critical at vertiports. And action from local governments is key to approving vertiport locations.”

Rex Alexander, president of consulting firm Five-Alpha, noted that last September, the FAA published Engineering Brief No. 105, Vertiport Design, with a complete Vertiport Advisory Circular expected to follow by 2025.

“Prior to this, the only other published vertiport standard [in the world] was ASTM International’s F-3423, Standard Specification for Vertiport Design, which came out in August 2022,” he said.  

Working with various industries and local governments around vertiport development is only one way in which the FAA is focused on collaboration to maintain its leadership in eVTOL.

“Successful integration requires working with our international partners, and we’re working with other civil aviation authorities [such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency] to harmonize our AAM integration strategies,” the spokesperson said. “For example, we joined the National Aviation Authorities Network, which consists of the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.”

In addition, in October 2022, the FAA signed a declaration of cooperation with Japan on integrating and certifying AAM aircraft.

“We’re eager to work with other nations so we can exchange expertise and share progress with each other,” the spokesperson said. 

Innovate 28

Meanwhile, an FAA program called Innovate 28 is being developed to support initial trial operations of eVTOLs in several U.S. early adopter communities by 2028.

“We know that when the Los Angeles Summer Olympics get underway in 2028, air taxis will be in high demand. Our job at the FAA is to make that possible,” explained the FAA spokesperson.

The industry is excited by this lofty goal. For his part, Hirschberg noted that “anything that inspires the FAA and other government agencies to expand eVTOLs to broader adoption is great.”

Among other published commentary, eVTOL use at the 2028 Olympics has been described as “an opportunity to be on the global stage” by Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein.

Eric Allison, head of product at Joby, has stated publicly that many, if not most, of the pieces that need to come together to scale AAM by 2028 “are in the FAA’s hands, so to have the FAA leading and talking about this is an awesome bit of foresight.”

As part of this leadership and foresight, in May 2023, the FAA released an implementation plan that shows “how all the pieces of our safety work will come together, allowing the industry to scale safely,” the spokesperson said.  

Developed with NASA and industry stakeholders, the urban air mobility (UAM) concept of operations (CONOPS) 2.0 was released this spring.

CONOPS 2.0

In the CONOPS 2.0, the FAA notes that mature UAM operations will be achieved at scale through a crawl-walk-run approach.

First, in the “crawl” phase, UAM operations will consist of new aircraft certified to fly within the current regulatory and operational environment.

In the next “walk” phase, higher flight and aircraft volumes will be supported through regulatory evolution and UAM corridors that leverage collaborative technologies and techniques

The FAA expects that air taxis will first fly in corridors between major airports and vertiports in city centers, but that corridor complexity could increase over time from single one-way paths to routes serving multiple flows of aircraft flying in both directions. Over time, automation of aircraft, as well as real-time data-sharing between them, will likely play increasing roles in these corridors.

The FAA concludes that “corridors may offer the opportunity to respond to what could be new levels and types of service demands, while taking advantage of the aircraft’s capabilities and without adversely impacting current service levels. The concept of UAM corridors envisions safe and efficient UAM operations that may not require traditional air traffic control services in certain situations, are available to any aircraft appropriately equipped to meet the performance requirements, and would be created/implemented when operationally advantageous.”

The FAA foresees that UAM operators, among their other future duties, will need an operational intent in order to operate in UAM corridors and participate in communication with other operators for many purposes, such as strategic deconfliction as needed.

In the third “run” phase of UAM scale-up, the FAA states in CONOPS 2.0 that “new operational rules and infrastructure facilitate highly-automated cooperative flow management in defined cooperative areas, enabling remotely-piloted and autonomous aircraft to safely operate at increased operational tempos.”

Source:https://verticalmag.com/features/an-inside-look-at-the-faa-reauthorization-act-and-innovate-28/

Drones will start hovering over Seoul to monitor traffic congestion more accurately and even predict road conditions, according to the city government on Monday.

Starting in September, the machines will fly up to 230 meters over the city to see where traffic jams are occurring, according to the City Transportation Office under the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The authority said the drones will enable more advanced traffic monitoring as they can watch hundreds of vehicles in motion from high above simultaneously.

The flying eyes can also single out a certain vehicle to study it and, depending on ambient traffic conditions, calculate possible routes the vehicle may take. Considering that multiple drones can have such data collected from hundreds of other vehicles across the city in real time, it can help traffic flow more efficiently.

Such a feature is out of the question with conventional methods using stationary surveillance cameras that are positioned just a few meters above the ground ― giving only a low-altitude view of traffic.

Another merit of drones is their artificial intelligence that will automatically read traffic movements, carry out calculations and present traffic data.

The machines can also record videos. This recorded data will be transferred in real time to the Seoul Transport Operation & Information Service (TOPIS), the city's central traffic monitoring center. The command center, upon receiving the data, can make necessary decisions depending on real-time traffic conditions and pop-up notifications on electronic display boards visible to drivers along roads and city highways.

Such a method beats the traditional ground-based cameras which are not capable of analysis and thus require humans to monitor and analyze the video feeds.

The upcoming strategy for Seoul TOPIS is expected to help the city authority greatly in cases where spontaneous decision-making is often required, like watching over large-scale rallies, marathons, parades and outdoor concerts in areas shared by vehicles.

City Transportation Office Chief Yoon Jong-jang said that the implementation of drones into the city's comprehensive traffic control system will strengthen further the ways the city responds in real time to road conditions as well as large-scale events.

"The city government's traffic administration will keep pursuing scientific breakthroughs to improve the quality and safety of citizens," said Yoon.

Source:https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/06/113_353724.html

A fully electric car you can drive on public roads and fly to skip traffic may sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but Alef Aeronautics is making it a reality. The company revealed Tuesday that its flying car, “Model A,” became the first of its kind to receive legal approval to fly from the US government.

Meet the first electric flying car to get certified in the US

The same year Marty McFly from Back to the Future traveled to, well, the future (2015), the idea of Alef’s flying car was also born.

In 2016, the company built its first subscale prototype to fit specific constraints, including driving like a real car, having vertical takeoff abilities, and being relatively affordable.

The scaled version and Alef’s proprietary electric propulsion were shown to Tim Draper, a well-known venture capitalist and early Tesla investor, who became the pioneering investor in the company.

Draper Associates Fund V invested $3 million in seed money to jump-start the program. Last October, Alef introduced the “Model A” to the world as the first electric flying car with real street driving and vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) abilities.

According to Alef, the Model A has a 200-mile driving range and a flight range of 110 miles. After presales began last October for $300,000 (with a $150 regular queue or $1,500 priority queue deposit), Alef says it had collected over 440 reservations by the end of the year.

Alef’s Model A was the first vehicle of its kind to receive a Special Airworthiness Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration. CEO Jim Dukhovny commented on the accomplishment, saying:

We’re excited to receive this certification from the FAA. It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week. This is a one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.

The company says it has been test-driving and test-flying full-size prototypes since 2019. Model A production is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025, with deliveries starting shortly after.

Alef is also developing additional models, including a four-person sedan, “Model Z,” slated to debut in 2035, with a starting price of $35K. The company claims it will have an over 300-mile flying range with an over 220-mile driving range.

Several other automakers and startups are also working on bringing “flying cars” or eVTOLs to market, such as XPeng. The EV startup’s Aero HT was the first crewed eVTOL to receive a flight permit in China earlier this year.

Source: https://electrek.co/2023/06/27/worlds-first-flying-car-gets-flight-certified-electric/

Last year, Tokyo-based SkyDrive announced plans to launch an eVTOL taxi service at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Now the company is at the Paris Air Show to reveal design and specs changes and a production deal.

Originally, the company's SD-05 air taxi would only be able to accommodate one passenger and a pilot, but now the newly named SkyDrive eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) has grown to 13 x 13 x 3 m (43 x 43 x 10 ft) dimensions and added another passenger seat to "enable a more profitable operation and a more convenient and enjoyable experience."

The battery electric flyer is now expected to have a maximum takeoff weight of around 1,400 kg (3,100 lb) and will still operate using 12 motor/prop units. Essentially, this is a non-transitioning "big drone" design, highly reminiscent of Volocopter's short-range 2X, which has been flying manned missions for several years now.

Top speed remains unchanged at 100 km/h (62 mph), but the per-charge range has increased to 15 km (9.3 miles). That sounds pretty pathetic compared with the 250-plus km (150-plus miles) we're already seeing from transitioning eVTOLs like the Autoflight Prosperity and Joby S4, but both Volocopter and SkyDrive clearly feel it's enough for inner-city rooftop-to-rooftop hops over traffic, or short sightseeing tours.

Plans call for SkyDrive to start making the aircraft in early 2024, and to that end the company is building on a collaboration with the Suzuki Motor Corporation that began in March last year, setting up a new subsidiary to focus on production at a Suzuki facility in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan.

The eVTOL will then be prepared for airworthiness certification in time for the World Expo 2025 event, followed by type certification in 2026 ahead of full production and delivery to customers. A Paris Air Show briefing document also reveals a development timeline that will see a doubling of range by 2029, and autonomous operation with three passengers for 40 km (25 miles) per charge by 2031.

SkyDrive also aims to seek type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration with a view to starting operations in the US.

Source: https://newatlas.com/aircraft/skydrive-evtol-2023-revised-design-specs/

The agreements include a possible order of 100 jets.

Electric air taxi maker Lilium (NASDAQ:LILM) signed an agreement with Shenzhen Eastern General Aviation (Heli-Eastern), for potential sale of Lilium jets and developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) services in China.

Under the agreement, Heli-Eastern — which operates in Greater Bay Area, Yangtze River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Areas — plans to order 100 Lilium Jets.

Lilium continues its rise in the urban air mobility (UAM) market. The German company has been going from strength to strength since it was formed in 2015, signing agreements with the likes of NetJets, Azul, Honeywell, Expliseat, Livent, Aernnova, ABB, Bristow, and Ferrovial over the years. Now, we can expect the Lilium Jet to have a robust presence across Asian networks.

Looking to shake up the high-speed eVTOL space. Lilium has signed two major deals with Greater Bay outfits. The first is an agreement with Heli-Eastern that could see the firm order up to 100 Lilium Jets. Heli-Eastern is an influential low-altitude general aviation carrier that provides helicopter services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It will work with Lilium to develop eVTOL services across the region.

Lilium has also signed an MOU with the Bao'an District of Shenzhen municipality for opening of a regional headquarters to represent the company in China and the Asia-Pacific region for sale of its jets.

Following the announcement, Lilium's order pipeline has increased to 745 Lilium Jets from multiple customers, according to the company.

Heli-Eastern will conduct operations with Lilium Jets and offer maintenance and crewing work. With several major metropolises in the Greater Bay Area, eVTOLs are a natural fit for city commuters or those looking for a speedy way to get to the airport.

A USP of Lilium is its jet. eVTOLs are usually seen as an evolution of the helicopter. However, Lilium’s product will carry people with vertical takeoff and landing and travel with jet technology.

Lilium Jets will offer a maximum range of 250+ km (155+ miles) with reserves and a cruising altitude of 3,000 m (10,000 ft). Thus, there are strong prospects for the aircraft across the globe.

The company believes that the eVTOL aviation ecosystem will feature its fully electric jets with “zero operating emissions, minimal infrastructure vertiports, low-noise vertical take-off and landing capabilities, and high-speed regional connectivity.” It has its eyes on certification as early as 2025, which is just around the corner. So, the future of short-haul travel could be overhauled sooner than we think.

Source: https://simpleflying.com/lilium-strikes-evtol-jet-deals-china/

Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) operators are attracting evermore attention as regulators signal the reality of flying taxis appears closer than ever.

Supernal, the advanced air mobility (AAM) unit of South Korean automotive giant Hyundai, has taken a minority shareholding stake in micro-climate specialist TruWeather Solutions, whose hyper-localized atmospheric tech solutions will be used in operating safe and comfortable air taxi services.

Supernal announced it had taken a minority capital position in TruWeather earlier this month, and said it will use the partnership to build their overlapping activities together. The Hyundai AAM affiliate says it will integrate the Reston, VA-based startup’s low- and medium-altitude climatic data analytics and forecasting technology for use in the testing phases and eventual launch of its air taxis.

Supernal will notably rely on TruWeather’s V360° software-as-a-service product as an interface between its air taxis while in flight or preparing for departure, and monitoring systems. The asset will supply pilots and ground staff rapidly updated data feeds on atmospheric conditions that often quickly change at the lower levels at which AAM craft operate.

TruWeather’s approach in monitoring climatic evolutions at those altitudes calls for using denser networks of sensors positioned at future vertiports and along corridors next-generation aircraft will use for flight. 

That measuring of hyper-local conditions will permit V360° to provide Supernal air taxis with updates every 15 minutes, and offer enhanced granularity of one kilometer or better resolution at low- to medium-altitudes, compared to 2 kilometers by tech now being used by legacy aircraft.

Supernal chief commercial officer Adam Slepian believes the company’s strategic and financial ties to TruWeather Solutions will assure maximal safety and comfort for AAM clients climbing aboard the firm’s future air taxis.

“Supernal is pleased to incorporate TruWeather technology into our vehicle and operations testing as we work to make Advanced Air Mobility as safe and reliable as commercial aviation,” Slepian said. “The concept is simple: Better weather measurements mean better forecasts for AAM operations. TruWeather’s solution is advanced and can turn potential flight delays or cancellations into safe and timely passenger journeys for Supernal customers – and the entire industry.”

Source: https://dronedj.com/2023/06/13/air-taxi-maker-supernal-to-use-truweather-micro-climate-tech-for-safe-low-altitude-aam-operations/

Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) operators are attracting evermore attention as regulators signal the reality of flying taxis appears closer than ever.

Indeed, the Federal Aviation Administration said that it is “planning for integration of these aircraft into the airspace, and collaborating internationally” in an update just this week. The latest update adds to an operational blueprint released by the agency in May. Adding to optimism on regulatory headway, acting administrator of the FAA, Billy Nolen, is reportedly nearing an agreement to join Archer Aviation (ACHR), joining former FAA chief and current Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY) director Michael Huerta through the regulator to company board revolving door.

The spate of updates in recent months has sparked major rallies for the likes of Archer Aviation (ACHR), Joby Aviation (JOBY), Blade Air Mobility (BLDE), Embraer-backed (ERJ) Eve Air Mobility (EVEX), Lilium (LILM), and Vertical Aerospace (EVTL). For example, both Archer and Joby have surged to over 40% gains in the past month, the latter running over 100% higher year to date. Boeing (BA) subsidiary Wisk Aero, Beta Technologies, and German manufacturer Volocopter GmbH have each garnered increased attention as well.

The Sky is the Limit

According to Canaccord Genuity, the potential for these aircraft could be grander than the helicopter-like niche many now assume. Instead, the air taxi service could become a ridesharing-like industry and challenge the likes of Uber and Lyft.

“eVTOL aircraft, given their optimized ranges in the 20- to 50-mile range for journeys, are in a strong position to take share in the ground vehicle-based ridesharing sector. Based on our estimates, ~15% of rides hailed to and from airports and 5% of longer-distance regional trips could be replaced by eVTOL aircraft, potentially reaching 45M monthly active riders within the next decade,” the team wrote on Friday. “At a target ticket price of ~$107 for an airport-ranged flight, we estimate that the TAM for eVTOL travel in urban metros could be worth nearly $58B by 2033.”

The analysis adds that eVTOLS could be smiled upon by lawmakers given their potential to reduce emissions. Further, the proliferation of these electric vehicles could “greatly reduce traffic congestion, reducing fuel wasted and carbon emitted from being stuck in traffic” while also easing commuting in general for travelers.

Aside from commuting and consumer use, airlines have also latched onto the idea of air taxis for short-haul service. For example, Delta Air Lines (DAL) has inked tens of millions in investment toward Joby Aviation (JOBY) just as United Airlines (UAL) has conversely backed Archer (ACHR). Meanwhile, American Airlines (AAL) has committed to buying tens of eVTOLs from Vertical Aerospace (EVTL).

Primed for Takeoff?

That said, the crowded industry is likely to be led by a select few firms in its infancy, according to Canaccord’s analysis. Archer Aviation (ACHR) and Joby Aviation (JOBY) are the team’s chosen winners at the present juncture.

“In our view, JOBY and ACHR are the closest to having their respective aircraft types certified by regulators, with years of flight tests under their belts and final approvals expected in 2024 (ACHR) and 2025 (JOBY),” the analysts concluded. “EVEX, which is backed by aircraft OEM Embraer, has yet to fly an aircraft but has amassed a massive $8.3B order backlog. JOBY, ACHR and EVEX also remain well-capitalized.”

By contrast, Lilium (LILM) and Vertical Aerospace (EVTL) look much farther away from reaching certification in the team’s view. As such, both were started at Hold ratings in contrast to the Buy ratings assigned to Joby and Archer. Joby (JOBY) and Archer (ACHR) were assigned ambitious price targets at $8 and $9 respectively. The upside projected for Eve Air Mobility (EVEX), Lilium (LILM) and Vertical Aerospace (EVTL) was comparatively far more modest.

Source: https://seekingalpha.com/news/3978999-air-taxi-interest-heats-up-as-faa-highlights-milestones

The Alphabet effort publicly demonstrates a launch station it hopes will make it easier for retailers to whisk burritos and aspirin to your home.

The system the Alphabet subsidiary uses to whisk groceries, tools, vitamins and other small packages from retailer to home.

Wing, the drone delivery subsidiary from Google parent company Alphabet, has shown publicly for the first time the "autoloader" station it expects will make it significantly easier for retailers to send products through the air to customers.

The autoloader, announced in March and set to be deployed later this year, is a Y-shaped stand that easily fits in a parking space. A company employee hangs a delivery box on a pair of hooks on the autoloader then returns to work. There's no need to wait for the drone to arrive, because it can snag the package on its own by lowering a yellow hook to the autoloader station.

Adding the autoloader may seem like a minor change, but it paves the way for a potentially massive expansion of drone delivery. Instead of operating isolated base stations, Wing envisions a fleet of drones autonomously dispatched across a network of delivery and charging stations, hopping from one destination to another with a minimum of human intervention. Inexpensive autoloaders make it easier to bring new retailers into the network.

Drone delivery today remains limited by regulators who limit its expansion to a few pockets, but the regulations are maturing along with the technology. Expect millions of us to be within drone delivery range this year from Wing and rival drone delivery efforts from Zipline, Amazon, Drone Express, Matternet, DroneUp, Manna and others.

Wing demonstrated its autoloader technology in a company parking lot at offices in Palo Alto, California, flying packages to a nearby courtyard. It took no special measures to avoid people, trees and cars other than blocking off three parking spots with traffic cones, a sign that Chief Executive Adam Woodworth said shows how mature operations have become.

"We are at the point in this journey where I think that this is a thing that's going to happen," Woodworth said. Wing has made more than 340,000 drone deliveries so far with operations in Australia, Finland, Virginia and Texas.

The autoloader has no computer controls or moving parts, but it's still pretty sophisticated. The two upward pointing poles help guide the drone's hook, dangling from a string below the hovering drone, to a narrow slot that aligns the hook properly to latch onto the waterproof, recyclable package.

The slot, package and drone hook are all designed to work together. For example, the hook will grab the package only once it's pushed through the hole on the package. Its round bottom won't bump back in to regrab it after release.

"It'll save a lot of time for the user. Instead of going to the store and picking something up, you're staying at home and waiting for the drone to deliver it to your doorstep," said Wing marketing chief Jonathan Bass. "For a worker, they can essentially place the package on the auto letter, go back inside and continue working. We think it will save a lot of time."

The drones, made chiefly of foam, weigh 11 pounds each and can carry a payload up to 3.3 pounds.

"We do expect to introduce aircraft that can deliver larger payloads and some smaller [aircraft] that might be longer range," Bass said.

Today, Wing's drones have a range of 6 miles, though bing part of a Wing delivery network, with a mesh of destinations, will extend that since Wing can offer wireless charging pads in more locations. 

Will we someday see delivery drones blackening the skies? Not likely, Woodworth believes. Even with current operations launching 1,000 flights a day, which can mean one every 30 seconds or so, drones are unusual.

"The sky is really big," Woodworth said. "Even at full scale, you're not going to look up and see tons of airplanes."

Source: https://www.cnet.com/pictures/take-a-look-at-wings-auto-loading-drone-delivery-system/

AMSTERDAM & SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 09, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) and Stellantis N.V. will attend the 54th edition of the 2023 Paris Air Show, starting June 19, 2023, to share progress toward scaling manufacturing of Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft as Archer prepares for planned commercialization in 2025.

Archer’s Midnight aircraft will be the featured eVTOL aircraft at the Paris Air Show, positioned in the center of the Air Mobility event, which is located in Hall 5 at Le Bourget Airport. Dedicated to the latest innovations and emerging technologies in eVTOL, the Paris Air Show’s Air Mobility event will bring together key players of this sector with three days of discussions focused on the maturation of advanced air mobility and its impact on the future of aerospace.

This unique partnership in the eVTOL aircraft industry between Archer and Stellantis will leverage each company’s respective strengths and competencies to bring the Midnight aircraft to market at scale. To complement Archer’s world-class team of eVTOL aircraft, electric powertrain and certification experts, Stellantis is contributing advanced manufacturing technology and expertise, experienced personnel and capital to the partnership. This combination is intended to enable the rapid scaling of aircraft production to meet Archer’s commercialization plans, while allowing Archer to strengthen its path to commercialization by helping it avoid hundreds of millions of dollars of spending during the manufacturing ramp up phase.

About Archer

Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. Archer’s mission is to unlock the skies, freeing everyone to reimagine how they move and spend time. Archer’s team is based in Santa Clara, CA.

About Stellantis

Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA / Euronext Milan: STLAM / Euronext Paris: STLAP) is one of the world’s leading automakers and a mobility provider. Its storied and iconic brands embody the passion of their visionary founders and today’s customers in their innovative products and services, including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep®, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, Free2move and Leasys. Powered by our diversity, we lead the way the world moves – aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates.

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stellantis-archer-host-european-debut-060000942.html?guccounter=1

United Airlines ordered $1 billion worth of Archer Aviation's electric air taxi known as "Midnight."

The eVTOL is optimized to fly short-haul missions between city centers and airports, saving time in traffic.

A regulatory change could delay the launch, but Archer's CEO says commercial flights are still on track for 2025.

The era of electric air taxis is near, but a regulatory change has created an obstacle for manufacturers.

Up until early 2022, electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles — known as eVTOLs — were on track to enter the market by next year. With their zero emissions, quiet propulsion system, and low operating costs, airlines see these passenger craft as a solution to intercity transport and are already placing orders.

However, a change in how the aircraft will be categorized in the eyes of the Federal Aviation Administration has created uncertainty.

In March 2022, the agency changed the eVTOL certification category to "power-lift" because it flies like a plane but takes off and lands like a helicopter. This means the criteria for certification have changed because it is no longer considered just a regular airplane.

There are few laws that govern this type of flying, so the FAA will need time to create new regulations — particularly surrounding pilot ratings.

However, some companies have held firm in their timeline. Insider spoke with Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein to learn more about the status of eVTOL certification and the future of its "Midnight" air taxi.

Archer's Midnight eVTOL is a leader in the urban air mobility market, competing against companies like Joby Aviation, England's Vertical Aerospace, and Boeing-backed Wisk.

Goldstein told Insider the goal was to create a new eVTOL out of already certified components from companies like Honeywell and Garmin so it would be easier to get approved by regulators and be quick to build.

During Midnight's debut event in November, Goldstein said the eVTOL can be "up to 100 times quieter than a helicopter."

This makes the eVTOL particularly favorable for places like New York City where residents have long complained of noisy choppers flying overhead.

The US' first Midnight route is expected in 2025 with United Airlines, which placed a $1 billion order for up to 200 eVTOLs in February 2021.

As Archer gears up for a 2024 certification and 2025 commercial launch, it will need a robust production line — especially with the 200-strong order from United.

While Archer will start with just building and selling eVTOLs, its long-term goal is to become almost like an Uber for air taxis where someone could "go to any city and order an Archer plane."

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/united-electric-air-taxi-archer-evtol-2023-6

Dutch aviation startup ELECTRON Aviation has inked an agreement with Twente Airport, in the next step of its plans to launch a zero-emissions short-haul flight service from 2027. 

The startup’s planned fleet of electric air taxis will transport up to four passengers at a time to various European cities within a 500km radius of the airport. 

“To be clear, that gets you to Berlin, London, or Paris, all in under 2 hours,” said Josef Mouris, CEO and co-founder of ELECTRON. 

The startup’s Electron5 plane, which is still in the prototype phase, will fly at around 300km/h with a max range of 750km on a single charge. By aiming for smaller aircraft, the company hopes to build out its fleet at pace. 

To fly meaningful distances within this decade, we had to compromise on the aircraft size, limiting ourselves to five seats. Which, if you think about it, is the perfect size for our on-demand business model,” said Mouris. 

The startup plans to provide a quick, easy service akin to the Uber of planes — offering a faster and greener way to travel between major European centres. The plane needs 800m of airstrip to take off, which means it can launch from most regular airports, the startup said.

Previously, Josef was quoted saying that a 400km trip in one of his air taxis would set you back around €225. However, in a press release yesterday, the CEO said the “low operating costs” of the aircraft (in comparison with other low-emissions alternatives like hydrogen) would eventually enable the startup to “match or beat” the price of an economy-class plane ticket. 

The startup is part of Electric Flying Connection (EFC), a Dutch consortium of companies that recently submitted a funding application to the Dutch Growth Fund to scale battery-electric flying in the country. 

Jan Schuring, CEO of Twente Airport, which joined the consortium this year, said that demand for improved connectivity in the region was high, both within the Netherlands and for cross-border travel to Germany, France, and the UK.  

By bringing in ELECTRON aviation as the second operator, Twente Airport looks to position itself as the airport of choice for electric air taxi startups looking to launch their services in the country. 

ELECTRON also signed a similar agreement with Groningen airport in 2021 and plans to roll out a fleet of battery-electric, zero-emissions aircraft at both airports in 2027. 

Source:https://thenextweb.com/news/dutch-startup-targets-european-intercity-air-taxi-service-from-2027

California-based electric air taxi developer Wisk Aero is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing, which previously had been one of two shareholders of the start-up. 

Wisk chief executive Brian Yutko said on 31 May that pioneering electric aircraft manufacturer Kitty Hawk - which ceased operations last year - has sold its shares in Wisk to Boeing for an undisclosed amount, leaving Boeing as the sole owner. 

Since 2019, Wisk has been “operating hand-in-hand with Boeing” to develop its autonomous and fully electric conceptual aircraft, Yutko says.

In September 2022, Kitty Hawk said it would "wind down" as a company, but its joint venture with Boeing – Wisk – would carry on.

Wisk’s new partnership with Boeing will “combine the best small-company innovative thinking with one of the biggest and deepest aerospace companies in the world”, Yutko says. He adds that Wisk stands to benefit from Boeing’s experience with certifying aircraft and its relationship with airlines around the world. 

Wisk will retain its independence despite becoming wholly owned by Boeing, Yutko says, adding that its strategies for certification and launching operations remain unchanged.

Wisk plans to unveil the production-conforming version of its eVTOL aircraft – the sixth generation of its air taxi – during the Paris Air Show set for 19-25 June, Yutko says. 

The aircraft is designed to cruise at about 120kt (222kmh) with an 87nm (160km) range, and is designed to carry four passengers. 

Operations are envisioned as “autonomous with human oversight”, with a ground-based supervisor monitoring multiple aircraft simultaneously and giving basic commands with a mouse and keyboard, Yutko says. 

"There are very few inputs that a remote supervisor actually gives the aircraft,” he says. “Humans at the supervisory station are providing complementary functions for the aircraft. When the aircraft takes off, it has everything it needs even if loses its path." 

The commands are limited partly due to cybersecurity concerns. "The aircraft is designed in principle to not be able to hurt itself," Yutko says. 

The start-up has not publicly disclosed a target date for achieving certification and launching operations, but Yutko says it is pushing to clear regulatory hurdles “this decade”. Its type certification and Part 135 operations certification programmes are in progress with the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Yutko acknowledges that eVTOL companies betting on piloted rather than autonomous operations – such as fellow California Bay Area start-ups Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation – will “not probably, but certainly” reach market before Wisk. Though he believes that Wisk's pilotless design will prove to be the winning market strategy, he is "rooting really hard for some of those airplanes to get certified. To do that is huge.” 

Source:https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/electric-air-taxi-developer-wisk-becomes-wholly-owned-subsidiary-of-boeing/153506.article

The lift and cruise design is ideal for urban and regional mobility programs.

The CityAirbus NextGen (NG) is an all-electric, four-seat prototype aircraft. It has a cruise speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) and an operational range of 43 NM (80 km). The design is based on a lift and cruise concept, which makes it ideal for urban and regional mobility programs. Lift and cruise designs allow some propulsion units to be used for lift and others for cruise (forward thrust). Lift and cruise output may be combined in some or all of the propulsion units.

In the base configuration, the CityAirbus NG has eight identical propulsion units. The two rear rotors sit at about a 35 degrees angle from the horizontal and work as lift units during hover, combined lift, and forward thrust units during cruise flight. The six-wing propulsion units are located on booms, whereas the two rear units are installed near the wing trailing edge.

Airbus built the CityAirbus NG to enable a sustainable urban and regional mobility program that is more integrated into the existing aviation ecosystem. According to Airbus, The multi-copter has a wing with a V-shaped tail. The tail provides enhanced stability during vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL). Since all rotors rotate during forward flight, the wing’s boundary layer is barely formed. Therefore, the attached flow over the wing at cruise speeds of 65 knots (120 kph) is expected.

Similarly, all rotors are used during hover. The rear rotors go from 35° to 45° tilt, contributing to forward speed with more than 70% of the thrust. Due to the absence of control surfaces, the aircraft is controlled by varying the RPM on the eight rotors using the fly-by-wire system. Airbus takes advantage of this technology to provide control inputs to the aircraft.

The lift and cruise design has more speed and range than a conventional multi-copter. The tilt transition is simple in that rotor loads do not change significantly during the transition. With the aircraft control performed using the rotor RPM, better control of the rotor speed (and overspeed) is achieved. The energy consumption is significantly lowered because the wing contributes nearly half the lift in forward flight.

The CityAirbus NG has a larger airframe than a conventional four-passenger multi-copter with a comparable speed and range. A larger structure generated more parasite drag (drag due to size) and induced drag (drag due to weight). Greater mass requires higher hovering energy, resulting in a reduced operational range.

Source: https://simpleflying.com/cityairbus-nextgen-evtol-prototype-guide/

Efforts to prepare for urban air mobility (UAM) services in South Korea will be accelerating this year, as officials in Seoul plan the launch of a two-phase series of air taxi trails in and around the capital.

According to information reported in the English-language Korean Times, the municipal government of Seoul is readying a two-step approach to testing UAM vehicles and facilities in the city ahead of the expected introduction of air taxi services in 2025.

The initial round will focus on an envisioned route for regular short-hop flights between the capital’s main financial district of Yeouido on the Han river, and the popular Jamsil district about 10 kilometers to the west. A series of wider-ranging paths will be examined after that.

South Korea’s national government has repeatedly  stated its intention to incorporate battery-powered craft as both air taxis and longer-distance UAM service providers in an effort to modernize its transport system and unclog the road networks in Seoul and around the nation. 

Reflecting that broader ambition, the latter stage of trials will be broadened to areas outside the capital.

The first round of activity will commence in the second half of this year, and will select UAM aircraft business partners who will help with ground work for operational trials slated for early 2024. Those will designate exact flight routes, communication networks, and noise pollution and safety criteria for actual test air taxi activity.

At least a couple of those corridors have already been designated as obvious for future air taxi runs. They include UAM flights from spots within Seoul to and from Gimpo International Airport, and aerial transport even farther west linking the city of Incheon and its airport to the capital.

Also under exploration will be location and designation of future vertiports, either using existing structures or new facilities built exclusively for air taxi activity.

South Korea has been dynamic in preparing for the arrival of next-generation UAM aircraft, and has worked closely with sector companies including Joby, Volocopter, EHang, and homegrown air taxi developer Plana. 

UK-based vertiport designer and builder Skyports Infrastructure has also been active readying the peninsula for looming service launches.

Source: https://dronedj.com/2023/05/19/seoul-to-trial-air-taxi-flights-amid-south-koreas-uam-push/

AAM aircraft startup Plana announced on the 8th that it has signed a contract to supply 50 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to Japanese air taxi company Sky Taxi.

On the 3rd, Plana signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Sky Taxi for the hybrid eVTOL 'CP-01' currently under development and a business agreement related to the development and operation of AAM aircraft. Plana will first supply 10 aircraft to Sky Taxi from 2030, and then supply an additional 40 aircraft sequentially by 2040.

Sky Taxi is a new company established last year to advance into the 'air taxi' business by the Taiho Taxi Group, which has operated taxi companies in Osaka, Japan for nearly 100 years. Currently, pilot training, aircraft introduction and flight tests are in progress. In line with the 2025 Osaka Expo, it is preparing to launch air routes connecting downtown Osaka, such as Umeda and Namba, world cultural heritage sites and tourist destinations throughout Japan, and Kansai and Kobe airports.

Sky Taxi is planning long-distance operation focusing on the tourism industry using eVTOL in the future. Sky Taxi revealed that it can operate long distances by adopting a hybrid method as the background for winning the Plana CP-01 order.

Plana and Sky Taxi plan to carry out various cooperation, such as AAM aircraft development, operation concept reflecting the demand of 'air taxi' operators, interior design concept, market analysis, and demonstration, according to the purchase intent and business agreement. In addition, it plans to proceed with the development of AAM air routes between countries using CP-01, which Plana will supply in the future.

Takuto Hojo, CEO of Sky Taxi, said, "This collaboration will have a great impact on the global AAM industry starting from Asia."

Kim Jae-hyeong, CEO of Plana, said, "By pioneering a huge potential market called Japan, we have laid the foundation for the world's first cross-border movement." We will continue to develop optimized utilization models.”

Source: https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20230508085542

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, a 'flying taxi' will be piloted. The cost is expected to be around 110 euros (about 160,000 won), twice as much as a regular Paris taxi.

Augustin de Romanée, CEO of the Paris Airport Group (ADP), appeared on French radio France Inpo on the 16th and said, “The biggest attraction of the Paris Olympics will undoubtedly be the pilot operation of flying taxis.” revealed He introduced that the fare would be around 110 euros, saying, “I will sell thousands of (ride) tickets at a very reasonable price.”

The small 'air taxi' to be operated by ADP will be operated from July 26 to August 11 next year, when the Paris Olympics will be held, between Saint-Cyr-L'Ecole in the southwest of Paris and Le Bourget in the northeastern outskirts, and between Le Bourget and the Seine River in Austerlitz in the southeast of Paris. is going to go to One pilot and one passenger appear to be on board.

CEO De Romane said that the global vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) market is expected to grow explosively in 2028-2029, predicting that the Paris Olympics would be a good opportunity to examine the economic feasibility of air taxis. "When people's lives are at stake, air taxis can save lives at high speed," he said.

The air taxi model was 'Volocity' developed by Volocopter, a German urban air mobility company. “(Air taxis) are subject to European Union (EU) aviation regulations, but the problem is not so big in terms of regulation,” the British daily Guardian reported.

Source: https://www.donga.com/news/Inter/article/all/20230517/119341291/1

Drone taxis may be flying around Korea as early as 2025, with the Gimpo-Yeouido and Jamsil-Suseo air routes to be the first to see the aerial vehicles.

The city of Seoul and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will announce a demonstration operation plan for the urban air mobility (UAM) project around mid-May, the metropolitan government announced Wednesday. The plan will lay out practical steps for the “K-UAM Grand Challenge” project that seeks to use small aircraft for future public transportation.

The city and the ministry have a two-step private-public joint demonstration project scheduled prior to commercializing the UAM service in 2025.

The first round of demonstrations will be held at the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology in Goheung, South Jeolla from this August to December next year. The second round will begin in July next year, starting with routes in Incheon and Gyeonggi and phasing into routes in Seoul.

Through the demonstrations, authorities will test the stability of the aircraft’s frame and the interoperability of the UAM ecosystem, including traffic control and vertiport management.

The air route between Gimpo International Airport and Yeouido, along with the route between the southern Seoul regions of Suseo and Jamsil, will be the first to operate the UAM.

A one-way, 12-kilometer (7.5 miles) trip between Gimpo and Yeouido will last about three minutes.

The metropolitan government will also announce a commercialization plan which involves UAM and vertiport installation goals in the second half of the year. Vertiports will first be set up in open lots such as Hangang Park and then installed in urban areas.

“The plan is to commercialize the UAM as a means of transportation,” said an official of the Seoul city government. People may be able to ride the UAM aircraft from the pilot operation phase, but not during the demonstration period, the official added.

Source: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/05/03/business/industry/drone-taxi-flying-taxi-UAM/20230503154413919.html

Leading developer of battery-powered air taxis, Joby, is finishing April with a pair of major business accords, including a deal worth $55 million to provide its electric vertical takeoff and landing planes (eVTOL) and flight training to the US Air Force.

Joby said its commitment to deliver and operate up to nine of its five-seat eVTOL air taxis to the US Air Force and other agencies was valued at $55 million. That extended the total amount of its provisional deals with the Air Force to as much as $131 million. 

On Thursday, meanwhile, Joby announced a separate agreement under which its longtime investor Toyota Motor Corporation Inc. will supply key powertrain and actuation components for the next- generation aircraft.

Its accord with the US Air Force marks the first revenue generating activity in Joby’s eVTOL development efforts, yet promises to be even more valuable in providing insights applicable to the company’s aircraft certification and launch of commercial air taxi operations.

Under the agreement, Joby will retain ownership of the eVTOLs it will train US Air Force pilots to operate, with the first of those air taxis expected to be delivered to Edwards Air Force base in early 2024. Those will be used for cargo and passenger transport and other purposes, and provide emissions-free flights that won’t require the usual and expensive stockpiling of fuel.

In offering those eVTOL services under the US Air Force’s Agility Prime program, meanwhile, Joby will also gain deeper experience – and in a much shorter period of time – into its pilot training, maintenance, and charging methods and capabilities than it would have in testing them on an exclusively in-house trial basis.

“The Agility Prime program is a remarkably successful example of how public-private partnerships can deliver trailblazing technology at speed,” said Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt. “We’re grateful for the support of the program and for the US government’s wider commitment to global leadership in this important new sector. As well as allowing us to explore the wide range of potential use cases across the US government, our defense partners have also provided us with high-impact support as we prepare for commercial operations in 2025.” 

In its deal with Toyota, Joby transforms what had largely been a financial relationship into an industrial partnership, with the Japanese automotive giant providing air taxi powertrain and electronics components that will be mounted on eVTOL at assembly facilities in California.

“We are very pleased to have reached this milestone with our key partner,” said Toyota president Keiji Yamamoto. “Our mutual goal is mass production of eVTOL and helping Joby apply the best practices of the Toyota Production System in meeting high quality, reliability, safety, and strict cost standards… as we seek to realize Mobility for All with a seamlessly integrated air-to-ground mobility network.”

Source: https://dronedj.com/2023/04/28/air-taxi-maker-joby-bags-two-major-evtol-deals-as-april-ends/

In a market environment where few startup unicorns have raised funding at higher valuations, drone delivery startup Zipline is an exception.

The South San Francisco-based company is raising $330 million in a new funding round, according to two sources and a filing obtained by Forbes. The funding values Zipline at about $4.2 billion, a 55% increase from its $2.7 billion valuation reached two years ago.

In an April 10 filing in Delaware, the company revealed a Series F funding round of that size that priced Zipline at $40.20 per share. The filing also included a Series F-1 extension of up to $20 million that could still be rolled into the round, meaning the exact total raised by Zipline could still fluctuate, according to one of the sources. The filing made no mention of a lead investor, nor could one be identified as of publication.

The cash infusion comes as Zipline announced a new autonomous drone, the Platform 2, that it said could carry eight pounds of cargo at a range of 10 miles. Most ecommerce packages weigh five pounds or less, cofounder and CEO Keller Rinaudo Cliffton said in an interview last month. The aircraft, also known as a P2 Zip, is capable of charging on a docking station that resembles a lamppost. The company announced fast-casual food chain Sweetgreen, Michigan Medicine and several other health systems as partners.

Zipline’s success to date has come in part from pursuing its technology in the developing world, pending further U.S. regulatory approval. The company began deploying its autonomous delivery drones in Rwanda in 2016, then expanded to Ghana; in the early months of the pandemic, business surged as it delivered blood and Covid-19 vaccines in those African nations. 

According to a recent report, the company now operates in Cote d’Ivoire, Japan, Kenya and Nigeria, too. Zipline is active in Arkansas, North Carolina and Utah in the U.S. That slower expansion stateside was boosted after Zipline received a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to use its drones to deliver Covid-19 relief supplies in 2020. It began piloting commercial deliveries in partnership with Walmart the following year. But wide-scale U.S. operations remain contingent on FAA clearance. 

Pactolus Ventures, Intercorp, Emerging Capital Partners and Reinvent Capital had led its previous funding round in 2021. With the new funding, Zipline has raised more than $900 million to date, per data from startup tracker PitchBook.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2023/04/28/drone-delivery-startup-zipline-boosts-valuation-to-4-billion/?sh=53825aa25846

The largest commercial cargo drone ever created has arrived. The cargo drone concept being developed by Natilus.

California, USA   adopts a BWB (mixed wing body) design. This implies that there is little visual separation between the aircraft body and the wing, which means that it is possible to transport a lot of cargo at once at a low cost.

Natilus  is developing four types of drones,  from the 3.8-ton entry-level mid-range Kona to the 130-ton  intercontinental long-range model. No actual product has been released yet, but the recent successful first test flight of a small prototype on a private runway in California is getting us one step closer to launch.  

Another reason this drone draws our attention is that it uses the name 'Kona', which is the same as the model name of Hyundai Motor Company.

During this test flight, the Kona prototype drone reached a speed of about 113 kph and, among other things,  attracted  attention by demonstrating that the drone does not require  a complex autopilot system to remain stable .

After confirming that the concept model was working smoothly,  Natilus  began production of a full-size model for actual flight next year. At 26 meters in length, it is the largest commercial air cargo drone currently available, and the twin-engine setup  rotates Hartzell propellers to launch the aircraft.

It is estimated that the Kona can carry about 4.3 tons of cargo at a time. Take-off is also possible from a small runway of 800 m, and it can fly about 1,666 km at a maximum speed of 407 kph. Cargo transport is expected to be able to carry 60% more than comparable conventional aircraft, while requiring 60% less operating costs. According to Natilus,  it has already received orders to build 460 drones worth $6.8 billion.

Source: https://m.thedrive.co.kr/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065577574066143

Amazon Prime Air has ambitious delivery targets for 2023, but the company has yet to clear regulatory hurdles necessary to grow the business.

To get approval from the FAA, Prime Air must complete several hundred hours of flying without any incidents, and then submit the data to the agency.

At one of its two test locations, in Lockeford, California, Amazon incentivizes its two existing customers by offering them gift cards, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bezos predicted a decade ago that a fleet of Amazon drones would take to the skies in about five years. But as of now, drone delivery is restricted to two test markets — College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California, a town of about 3,500 people located south of Sacramento.

Even in those hand-picked areas, operations have been hamstrung by FAA restrictions that prohibit the service from flying over people or roads, according to government records. That comes after years of challenges with crashes, missed deadlines and high turnover.

So, while Prime Air has signed up about 1,400 customers for the service between the two sites, it can only deliver to a handful of homes.

Amazon told CNBC that thousands of residents have expressed interest in its drone-delivery service. The company said it’s making deliveries to a limited number of customers, with plans to expand over time.

In January, a significant number of Prime Air workers were let go as part of the largest round of layoffs in Amazon’s history, totaling more than 18,000 people, CNBC previously reported. Prime Air sites in Lockeford, College Station and Pendleton, Oregon, were all hit by the job cuts, further straining operations.

Cassidy said in the letter that Amazon’s new MK27-2 drone had several safety upgrades from the earlier model, the MK27, that rendered many of the “conditions and limitations” set by the FAA obsolete. Among the restrictions Amazon sought to remove was a provision prohibiting Prime Air from flying its drones nearby or over people, roads and structures. 

A year later, in November 2022, the FAA declined Amazon’s request. The agency said Amazon did not provide sufficient data to show that the MK27-2 could operate safely under those circumstances.

Some staffers viewed the launch as a rushed effort and questioned how the service would be able to operate fully without the ability to fly over roads or cars, former employees said.

Meanwhile, Amazon is working on development of its next-generation Prime Air drone called the MK30, and known internally as CX-3. At an event in Boston in November, Carbon unveiled a mockup of the unmanned aircraft, which is supposed to be lighter and quieter than the MK27-2.

The MK30, expected to launch in 2024, will have to go through the same regulatory process, including a separate D&R campaign, as well as so-called type certification, an even more rigorous FAA benchmark that allows a company to produce drones at scale.

It’s not a distinction the FAA is quick to hand out. Of all drone makers vying to deliver commercially, only one has received type certification — a startup called Matternet.

Source:https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/11/amazon-prime-air-drone-business-stymied-by-regulations-weak-demand.html

The 2024 Paris Olympics are expected to be a preview of commercialization. German air taxi developer Volocopter plans to pilot air taxis during the Paris Olympics. To prepare for this, the company recently attracted an additional investment of 170 million dollars (220 billion won).

United Airlines, one of the four largest airlines in the United States, recently announced that it would operate air taxis in Chicago starting in 2025 in partnership with Archer, a maker of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

The boarding fee is set at a level similar to that of a luxury taxi. United Airlines has already signed an agreement to purchase 100 units, and Archer is building a production facility for 650 units per year. The two companies will also operate air taxis connecting Manhattan and Newark Liberty Airport in New York in 2025.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is in charge of certifying vertical take-off and landing aircraft, said, “We will be able to see this aircraft in the sky in 2024-2025.”

American Airlines has placed a pre-order for 250 air taxis from British vertical take-off and landing aircraft manufacturer Vertical Aerospace. This air taxi, named VX4, also seats five people including the pilot. Vertical Aerospace said it has received orders for 1,400 units from major airlines including Virgin Atlantic, AirAsia and Japan Airlines.

Automakers are also trying to preoccupy the market by seeing air taxis as a promising future means of transportation. The advantage of automakers is that they have mass production and supply chains.

Stellantis, which owns Peugeot, Citroen and Chrysler brands, is investing $225 million in Archer and passing on its engineering know-how.

Japan's Toyota has teamed up with Archer's competitor Jobi. Toyota is also participating in Joby as a major investor.

In Germany, Porsche is partnering with Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer's Eve Air Mobility, and Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler is partnering with Volocopter.

Hyundai announced that "50% of Hyundai Motor Group's future business will be in charge of automobiles, 30% will be urban air mobility, and 20% will be robotics."

Accordingly, in November 2021, Hyundai Motor Company created Supernal, an air mobility subsidiary in the United States. The goal is to start an air taxi service based on autonomous navigation in Miami, USA in 2028. Hyundai Motor Company also recently started building a future air mobility (AAM) research center in Yongsan, Seoul, with the goal of completion in 2026.

UK-based Urban-Airport, which Hyundai Motor has a stake in, announced plans to build 200 air taxi-only airfields in 65 cities around the world, including the UK, US, France, Germany, Australia and South Korea, by 2027.

Airbus established a subsidiary in 2018 to develop air taxis directly. The four-seater air taxi, named CityAirbus NextGen, aims to be certified in 2025.

Boeing, on the other hand, has chosen to partner with startup Whisk Aero. Whisk's air taxi is also a 4-seater, and even the 6th generation prototype has been released. Boeing invested $450 million in the company in January of last year. 

There are about 350 companies around the world that have jumped into the development of vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and they are developing about 750 vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

Source:https://m.hani.co.kr/arti/science/future/1086235.html#cb

Advanced air mobility company Vertical Aerospace has announced several significant developments in its work advancing its VX4 aircraft toward air taxi service, including reception of what it says is the first Design Organization Approval issued by UK regulators for a passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL).

Vertical said the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently granted its first-ever eVTOL Design Organization Approval for the VX4, a requisite for its certification and eventual launch in air taxi activity. The authorization permits the company to analyze and accept various aspects of aircraft design and related component proposals without needing additional approval from the regulator. 

In being allowed to act as its own supervisor in that way, Vertical will be able to move faster and with more flexibility in continuing to develop the craft.

The move came just weeks after the CAA confirmed it will be adopting the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s Means of Compliance to SC-VTOL ­­– something it initially indicated it would do in the stormy wake of Brexit. 

Officialization of that harmonization will further facilitate the work Vertical launched last year to seek concurrent type certification of the VX4 eVTOL from UK and EU regulators, and begin air taxi operations in both airspaces around the same time.

Rounding out its trifecta of announcements, Vertical said it had formally initiated its eVTOL certification campaign in Japan, following the acceptance of the VX4 air taxi’s validation proposal by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB).

Vertical has signed a deal with Japan Airlines for up to 100 VX4 pre-orders, and earlier this year penned accords with the country’s Marubeni Corporation for up to 200 aircraft.

The move makes the JCAB the fourth regulator Vertical is working with on type certification, along with the CAA, EASA, and US Federal Aviation Agency, which have all accepted proposed authorization procedures for the VX4. 

Vertical CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick cheered all three milestones, but singled out the unprecedented design approval in the company’s domestic market as particularly rewarding.

“I am immensely proud that Vertical is the first British electric aircraft company in history to receive a DOA from the UK aviation regulator,” he said. “This approval is a critical step forward in our mission to decarbonize air travel and bring the UK’s first electric aircraft to market. We are grateful for the CAA’s commitment to advancing sustainable aviation, which allows us to build on the UK’s proud aerospace tradition.”

Source:https://dronedj.com/2023/03/31/vertical-reports-milestone-trifecta-for-its-vx4-evtol-air-taxi/

Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs K-Urban Air Transportation (UAM) project, 46 companies are expected to emerge in the future

Early in the morning of 20XX, Mr. A, who lives in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, rushes to work in the Yongsan International Business District where he works. After leaving home, the place he headed was not a subway station or bus stop, but a UAM terminal. At the 'vertiport' where UAM takes off and lands, Mr. A gets into a UAM taxi that he has reserved in advance. Shortly thereafter, the UAM taxi took off at an altitude of 300m and flew to Yongsan at 300km/h. It takes 40 to 50 minutes by car or public transportation, but it takes about 3 minutes to fly 15 km by UAM taxi. Arriving at his office, Mr. A also pre-books a UAM taxi to Gimpo Airport UAM terminal around 2 pm with a dedicated application (app). He transfers to a passenger plane at the airport to go on a business trip to Busan.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on February 22 with 46 companies that have voted to participate in the 'K-UAM Grand Challenge', a Korean-style urban air transportation demonstration project. The K-UAM Grand Challenge is a public-private joint UAM project with the goal of domestic commercialization of UAM in 2025. The framework is to verify the safety of the UAM aircraft through actual flight and prepare operational concepts and technical standards as future mobility. The demonstration project consists of two main stages. 

1st stage verification at the National Comprehensive Flight Performance Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do from August this year to December next year 

2nd stage verification in the downtown area of ​​​​the metropolitan area from July 2024 to June 2025. Based on the results of the K-UAM Grand Challenge, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs plans to commercialize UAM 'air taxis' to and from major cities in Seoul in 2025.

Looking at the faces of the companies that have signed the MOU this time, there are large companies, big techs, and public companies in various industries such as domestic aviation, automobiles, telecommunications, and construction. Seven consortiums, including the 'Hyundai Motor, KT, and Hyundai Construction Consortium', the 'K-UAM Dream Team' composed of SK Telecom, Hanwha Systems, and Korea Airports Corporation, and the 'UAM Future Team' formed by Kakao Mobility, LG Uplus, and GS E&C Started a UAM integrated operation demonstration project. UAM demonstration is largely conducted in the fields of navigation, traffic management, and vertiport. The key is to operate each actual UAM aircraft and build a traffic management system and takeoff and landing platform for safe flight.

In the midst of this, rival countries that will compete with Korea in the UAM industry are moving fast. Japan is accelerating the introduction of 'air taxi' using UAM. German UAM company Volocopter has received UAM type certification from the Civil Aviation Authority of Japan and plans to operate air taxis during the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. All Nippon Airways, a Japanese airline, and Joby Aviation, an American UAM company, are also planning to introduce air taxis at the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

Source:https://www.donga.com/news/Economy/article/all/20230304/118168156/1

150 billion won invested in a 78,620 sqm site, construction to begin in 2026.

In 2029, a futuristic transfer center (MaaS Station) will be built in the Daejeon Station railway site and the west plaza area.

It is expected to speed up the commercialization of future mobility such as urban air transportation (UAM) and increase the convenience of transfers between existing transportation means such as railways, buses, and express bus systems (BRT).

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Daejeon City on the 28th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Metropolitan Area Transportation Committee (Daegwangwi) finally selected Daejeon Station, Pyeongtaek Jije Station, Gangneung Station, and Masan Station as targets for the 'future transfer center pilot project'. 

The future transfer center is a space that connects the existing transfer center that connects railways and buses to future mobility such as urban air transportation (UAM), self-driving cars, electric and hydrogen vehicles, and personal transportation (PM). 

Daejeon Station has an average of 37,000 passengers per day, the third most used among railway stations in the country after Seoul Station and Dongdaegu Station. 

With the selection of this contest, the city plans to create a future transfer center by 2029 on 78,620 sqm of railway site including the onboard parking lot and west plaza. 

A total project cost of 150 billion won is invested, and the goal is to start the process of establishing a basic plan this year, discuss the detailed design and related organizations in 2025, start construction in 2026, and complete construction in 2029. 

Considering the route of UAM, a vertical take-off and landing pad (vertiport) and charging facilities will be built in the space on the railway line north of Daejeon Station in the direction of Seoul, and a 15,000㎡ onboard culture park will also be created. 

The city will introduce the UAM vertical take-off and landing pad (vertiport) installed at Daejeon Station as a UAM pilot route in connection with Daedeok Special Zone and Kyochon National Industrial Complex (5.3 million sqm).

Lee Jang-woo, mayor of Daejeon, said, "Since UAM is the core of future transportation, we plan to preemptively promote related projects in preparation for commercialization of UAM in the future and maximize government expenditure." "he said.

Source: http://www.daejonilbo.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2055214

This week, Archer Aviation and United Airlines (UA) announced plans to launch the first air taxi route in Chicago, between O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Vertiport Chicago.

Archer Aviations first customer, UA purchased 100 eVTOL aircraft in 2021 at a cost of US$1bn. The airline will launch an air taxi service between downtown Chicago and ORD in 2025, using its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The aircraft will complete the Chicago route in about 10 minutes.

The Midnight eVTOL is designed to be capable of flying distances of up to 100 miles, but optimized to conduct back-to-back flights of ~ 20 miles with ~12 minutes of charge time in between, at a cost that Archer believes will be competitive with ground-based ride-share services like Uber Black.

Both Archer and United are committed to decarbonizing air travel and leveraging innovative technologies to deliver on the promise of the electrification of the aviation industry,” said Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures.

Archer states that Midnight is aiming to redefine what air travel can be: low cost, low noise, with the safety of commercial airlines.

The company states on its website, The early go-to-market strategy is to launch “trunk” routes from airport to city center with partners like United as there is known demand and strong willingness.

Archer and UAs goal is to facilitate the large-scale adoption of electric aircraft for the future advanced air mobility (AAM) market by implementing systems and processes that can improve eVTOL operations. In the long term, the focus will be on the widespread adoption of UAM and eVTOL aircraft.

In October 2022, Archer announced plans to produce approximately 250 battery-electric air taxis in 2025, with production ramping up in subsequent years after achieving certification by the end of 2024.

According to Reuters, Archer aims to certify its pilot-plus-four-passenger Midnight aircraft by the end of 2024 while the FAA develops certification requirements for the novel aircraft.

The UA Chicago air shuttle, if approved by the FAA, would be the first commercial eVTOL service to launch in North America.

Source: https://airwaysmag.com/archer-united-first-evtol-air-shuttle/

The Vertiia and its unique box-wing design is intended to operate on hydrogen from the get-go.

The uniquely box-winged five-seat vehicle performed a hover test in the first week of February, and AMSL then brought its long-range 'air taxi' to the Avalon Air Show in the past week.

Long range, high speed

Another eVTOL developer to keep track of, you may be thinking. Yes, the sense is growing that surely, with 500 different projects worldwide, the market must reach saturation at some point. And indeed, far from all urban air mobility (UAM) hopefuls are expected to make it into service. Some are most likely set, such as Joby Aviation and Vertical Aerospace, with major orders from airlines and other operators.

However, AMSL's Vertiia has a few characteristics that sets it apart. This includes a unique box-wing configuration, making the vehicle the most compact one to be developed to date, as well as a planned range that leaves competitors in the outback dust. The company is promising a range of 1,000 km (620 miles), with speeds up to 300 km/h (180 mph) and a refueling time of just ten minutes.

This can be compared to, for example, Archer Aviation's Midnight (backed by, among others, United Airlines) or Vertical's VX4, which both have initial planned range of 161 km (100 miles). Of course, the Australian rural market is quite different from the densely populated urban sprawl of much of North America, and so the long range may be a necessity for the vehicle to make sense across the vast landscape.

Aeromedical mission

Its mission profile is also quite different from ferrying commuters downtown or hopping on a rideshare from downtown Manhattan to Newark Airport. The Vertiia will initially be targeted toward medical services, removing the often necessary step for injured or sick persons to have to be transferred first to an airstrip before being transported to a medical facility. Indeed, just earlier this month, ASML partnered with NSW-headquartered CareFlight for aeromedical fit-outs of the Vertiia.

Hydrogen-electric propulsion with storage outside the cabin

The reason for the Vertiia's extended range is not that ASML has found some new secret to battery capacity. Rather, it has been designed from the start to be able to run on hydrogen fuel-cells. And this might come to serve the company well in other markets beyond its home turf and the enormous distances. 

AMSL is aiming for the Vertiia to enter service in 2026, which is a relatively ambitious timeline. Not so much compared to other eVTOL developers, but specifically because of the hydrogen-propulsion system and additional regulatory hurdles that battery-driven 'air taxi' makers may not face. However, it is by no means impossible, given the large strides taken in hydrogen-powered commercial aviation over the past couple of months.

Source: https://simpleflying.com/australia-long-range-evtol-high-speed-first-flight/

Pilots and flight engineers with NASA’s AAM National Campaign are collaborating with Joby Aviation on a series of flight test simulations in Joby’s vehicle simulator. The reference data they gather will provide insight into how these vehicles will fly in the airspace and help develop potential departures, approaches, missed approaches, and mid-flight waypoints.  

Integrating these in-flight maneuvers – which are used by aircraft to take off, land, and avoid hazards and each other – into AAM operations is one of several developmental efforts necessary to allow these vehicles to safely enter the airspace. 

Four NASA research pilots have flown the Joby simulator, which includes joystick controls, avionics, and performance modeling that duplicate the feel of flying Joby’s S4 air taxi. The tests involve flying the simulator along designated route waypoints, collecting data to analyze which maneuvers are best for obstacle avoidance, route efficiency, passenger comfort, and noise. 

The simulations also experiment with a new flight path concept NASA research pilots call a deproach, in which a vehicle can fly in multiple directions as it travels to and from its starting point and adapt beyond its designated flight path if it needs to respond to air restrictions. 

In this way, the deproach could address the need for AAM vehicles to be able to operate flexibly at low altitudes while conserving airspace.

“You can think of a deproach as a circular traffic profile which consolidates departure, approach, and missed procedures in a way current airspace models don’t account for,” said David Zahn, a NASA pilot leading the project’s Joby simulator work. “The ability to explore this new model and help streamline the process of reaching specific vertiports is an example of the value of these simulations.”   

Alongside fine-tuning this procedure, the simulation test data will establish basepoints of altitude, maneuverability, and ride quality for future tests and ultimately help identify the most successful operating practices for these vehicles.  

NASA’s research pilots and engineers are also using the data to produce autopilot code and navigation information specific to air taxis for airborne navigation system databases. This code has been built in collaboration with the FAA, whose representatives were present at the tests as part of the two agencies’ broader partnership on AAM.  

NASA is bringing its aeronautical expertise to this new industry, combining these simulations with other research tools like virtual airspace tabletop exercises and surrogate vehicle test flights. Data and results from these efforts will be released to the public in the form of a series of technical papers, assisting the industry in moving forward.

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/on-the-fly-nasa-researchers-map-air-taxi-maneuvers-in-simulator

A company whose “mission is to unlock the skies” has begun construction on its new Covington facility that will produce hundreds of vertical takeoff aircraft annually. 

Archer Aviation Inc. announced it began construction March 2 on a site adjacent to Covington Municipal Airport for the facility to manufacture electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL ) aircraft, the company said in a news release. 

“This achievement will be marked with a ceremonial event in April,” the release stated.

Santa Clara, California-based Archer is planning a $118 million complex on 96 acres of city-owned land on the western edge of the airport between Williams and Airport roads.

The planned 350,000-square-foot facility will be capable of producing up to 650 aircraft per year. It also will be designed for possible expansion by 800,000 square feet, which is estimated to support long-term production targets of up to 2,300 aircraft per year, the company said.

“This type of high-volume manufacturing facility is believed to be a first for the eVTOL industry,” Archer officials said.

Georgia was chosen over Texas and others competing for the company’s first manufacturing facility, according to sources.

Archer announced in January a partnership with Stellantis to make the automaker the exclusive contract manufacturer for mass production of Archer’s eVTOL aircraft.

Company founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said, “The key to unlocking the promise of what the eVTOL aircraft industry can bring is scale, and we are thrilled by the support of the state of Georgia and Newton County are providing to this first of its kind facility in such an exciting new industry.

“We are thrilled to be taking this next important step as we work closely with Stellantis to ramp up our high-volume manufacturing capabilities at this new facility in Covington, Georgia,” Goldstein said. 

The partnership with Stellantis will leverage each company’s respective strengths and competencies to bring the Midnight aircraft to market, the release stated. Stellantis produces such vehicle brands as Jeep, Ram and Maserati.

“Archer brings its team of eVTOL, electric powertrain and certification experts while Stellantis will contribute advanced manufacturing technology and expertise, experienced personnel and capital to the partnership,” officials said. 

“The combination is intended to enable the rapid scaling of aircraft production to meet Archer’s commercialization plans, while allowing Archer to strengthen its path to commercialization by helping it avoid hundreds of millions of dollars of spending during the manufacturing ramp-up phase.” 

Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. 

“Archer’s mission is to unlock the skies, freeing everyone to reimagine how they move and spend time,” the release stated.

Source: https://www.covnews.com/news/business/archer-begins-construction-covington-vertical-takeoff-aircraft-facility/

Australia is on a roll when it comes to future electric air taxi services. After presenting the first eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) designed and built domestically, a new collaboration is now paving the way for the country’s first network of dedicated airports for eVTOLs, known as vertiports. Skyportz plans to set up the first vertiports in Australia

It’s said that when a door closes, another one opens. This could turn out to be true, and not just wishful thinking, for Australia’s automotive industry. If building cars is no longer successful here, why not switch to building flying cars? Commonly known as air taxis, these small-capacity aircraft that are entirely electric are on the verge of revolutionizing air mobility. And Australia is free to seize the opportunity.

A large property developer who also happens to own the former Ford and Holden manufacturing plants in South Australia and Victoria, has big plans. What if these old assembly factories started making flying cars instead of conventional ones?

Pelligra seems to believe that there’s a great opportunity for the country to play an important role in the emerging eVTOL sector. Perhaps it’s time to move on from the local car manufacturing industry to a new mobility segment, and a new vision.

In addition to this ambitious plan of “repurposing” its manufacturing plants, the property developer has also initiated a collaboration with a domestic eVTOL infrastructure expert, Skyportz. Together, they plan to set up an entire network of vertiports, which would be the first of its kind in the country.

The UAM (urban air mobility) race is in full swing – no vertiport has been officially launched anywhere. Yet, certain places in the U.S. and in Europe are already far ahead, compared to Australia. But even if it came late to the party, Australia has the potential to become an eVTOL industry hub for the entire Asia Pacific market.

The upcoming network will start with existing airports and helipads, and then extend to various locations in urban areas, from shopping centers and business parks to industrial sites. Skyportz has even partnered with operators such as Secure Parking, which will provide access to hundreds of car parking garages. It’s best to work with what’s already in place and try to make room for air taxis.

Until recently, the only eVTOLs that could be considered for operating at these future vertiports were foreign ones. Luckily, things changed this year, with the successful maiden flight of the first electric VTOL made domestically.

There’s no date set up for the official debut of the country’s first vertiport, but the first Vertiia eVTOL is expected to be delivered in 2026. By the end of the decade, Australia could be well on its way to establishing a successful UAM industry.

Source: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/australia-is-getting-its-first-vertiport-network-for-electric-air-taxi-operations-211364.html#

South Korean aircraft developer Plana doesn’t plan to introduce its first air taxi  for a few years yet, but it’s already initiating work to create what it says will be Asia’s first international corridor for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flights between its domestic market and Japan.

Plana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Osaka-based vertiport development and management company SkyScape Japan to prepare eVTOL flights between the archipelago and South Korea. In addition to what would be very long trips between cities in the two countries – 718-plus miles between their capitals, for starters – the accord also foresees developing a range of shorter-distance advanced air mobility (AAM) services within both nations.

Though the partners say the resulting international corridor would be the first in Asia for eVTOL operation, the claim may be somewhat of a misnomer given the use of hydrogen power in Plana’s six-passenger-and-pilot aircraft designs. Those currently involve a hybrid powertrain system to fuel the six-rotor craft to cruising speeds of 190 mph over a range of more than 310 miles. That distance is expected to expand to 500 miles through increased reliance on the greater flight capacities afforded by hydrogen compared to lithium batteries.

Using that base to build on, the partners also hope to extend their network to other Asia-Pacific nations.

“We are glad to sign an MoU with SkyScape, which is enthusiastically creating an AAM ecosystem in the APAC region,” said Plana chief operating officer Minyoung Ahn. 

If created in time to claim the title of Asia’s first eVTOL corridor, however, Plana’s South Korea-Japan operation isn’t likely to be the first international route in the world. 

Work toward establishing that precedent began last year through a partnership between the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) and the Vports vertiport in Mirabel, Quebec. Those plans call for the creation of an operational zone dedicated to drone and AAM flights between New York and the Canadian province.

Source: https://dronedj.com/2023/03/06/plana-looks-to-create-asias-first-evtol-corridor-between-south-korea-and-japan/

Some believers in emerging aviation technology have a futuristic vision of a highly connected fleet of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles in the sky above Southern California within five years. 

The vision is shared not just by aviation entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley executives. Among its promoters is Billy Nolen, acting administrator of the US Federal Aviation Administration, who has publicly identified the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as a potential opportunity to showcase the USA as a leader in eVTOL technology.

Two developers that have made notable progress in developing eVTOL prototypes – Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation – are aiming to launch operations in 2025.

Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of California-based Archer, told FlightGlobal in January that he has taken the FAA’s message to heart. 

“Billy Nolen has stated he wants these vehicles certified in 2024 and to get them operational in 2025,” he says. “I think there is a really big motivation to see the next great aerospace company built in America, so you have a big policy backing where it’s become one of the FAA’s priorities to do this.”

Archer envisions a ride-sharing service using eVTOLs to fly passengers less than 50 miles (80km). In November, the company unveiled its second airframe, a four-passenger-plus-pilot vehicle called Midnight. 

Delta Air Lines, long skeptical of the AAM space, disclosed last year a plan to invest up to $200 million in Joby. Archer, on the other hand, has backing from United Airlines. Both companies plan to roll out operations with routes connecting airports to city downtowns.

Many other start-ups are working to develop and certify eVTOLs in coming years. Players include Germany’s Lilium Air Mobility, the UK’s Vertical Aerospace and US-based Wisk Aero, which has funding from Boeing, and Eve, backed by Embraer.

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/will-electric-air-taxis-really-soar-over-la-during-the-2028-olympics-industry-players-bank-on-it/152017.article

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday unveiled a slew of long-term plans to establish smart logistics infrastructure across the country, which will enable one-hour delivery services using drones and artificial intelligence.

The government said it first plans on commercializing robot deliveries by 2026 and drone deliveries by 2027. 

"We will support the development of technologies to commercialize unmanned deliveries, and create a test bed made exclusively for the practice of robot and drone parcel deliveries (for private companies)," an official from the Land Ministry said in a press release.

The official added that in a bid to realistically carry out unmanned deliveries, it will incrementally lay out legislative foundations such as establishing safety standards for drone deliveries.

Micro-fulfillment centers, or MFCs, will also be given construction permits at key locations in major cities across the country, with the goal of dramatically reducing delivery times.

The government aims to open an era where deliveries can be made within 30 minutes to 1 hour with the MFCs, the ministry said.

MFCs are facilities that predict order demand and manage inventory with the use of artificial intelligence and big data, to initiate deliveries as soon as an order is made.

The Smart Logistics Development Council, a tentatively titled public-private consultation body, will comprise of companies from various fields, such as logistics, platforms and IT.

The consultation body will be formed in the first half of this year in order to accelerate the discovery of optimal commercialization models for unmanned deliveries.

Furthermore, pilot zones where self-driving trucks can navigate will be designated this year.

With the recent advancement of innovative technologies such as ICT and AI, digital transformation is also accelerating in the logistics industry, and the government aims to greatly increase Koreans' quality of life by implementing a futuristic logistics service early on, according to the ministry.

The new plan will help Korean companies lead the new global logistics market by supporting the private sector's technology developments and implementing drastic regulatory relaxations for Korean logistics businesses, the ministry added.

Source: https://m.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20230221000132

SpaceX Starlink broadband satellite internet service is rapidly expanding around the world. To date, the company operates approximately 3,580 Starlink satellites in Low Earth Orbit that provide high-speed internet to over one million subscribers globally.

Japan became the first country in Asia to have access to Starlink in October 2022. This past week, telecommunications company KDDI announced it partnered with map-maker Zenrin and other companies in Japan to launch a drone delivery service that uses SpaceX Starlink satellite internet. 

The drone delivery service is currently delivering emergency supplies to residents in the snowy mountainous city of Chichibu after a landslide. Chichibu previously did not have reliable internet service, Starlink now provides a stable connection to allow emergency responders to communicate with residents, as well as operate the drones. The drones are delivering food and medicines to people who need it the most, according to The Japan Times. The drones will deliver supplies once a week until the end of March. 

The drone carrying a cardboard box loaded with around 11 pounds of supplies and the Starlink antenna is installed nearby to use internet connection that guides the drone to the people’s homes.

Source: https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/drone-japan-starlink

The experimental airplane X-57, developed by NASA, is due to fly for the first time this year. It has an impressive 14 propellers along its wings and is powered entirely by electricity. The X-57 uses lithium batteries to run electric motors for its propellers. But the energy you get from batteries, relative to their weight, is 50 times less than you can get from aviation fuel.

The X-57 is a modified, four-seater, Italian-built Tecnam P2006T aircraft. It relies on a combination of lots of propellers, small motors and many batteries spread out across an aircraft, known as "distributed propulsion".

What's different about the X-57 is that the wings are completely redesigned with propellers positioned to optimize airflow around them. When a propeller is not needed, its blades can be folded back to reduce drag.

Propeller technology generally is having a rebirth. Designs are becoming not just more efficient, but also less noisy and more affordable. The speed and pitch angle of propellers can even be changed during flight to adapt to the different aircraft speeds required for takeoff, landing and cruising.

Some aircraft even use "vectored thrust" by allowing the motors and propellers to rotate, which gives the option of vertical takeoff and landing. These aircraft might more resemble helicopters than planes, and might mean conventional airports with long runways and large terminals will be a thing of the past.

Battery technology

The X-57 uses off-the-shelf lithium-ion batteries. This is because the project is primarily addressing the potential for new propeller and wing configurations rather than developing the perfect battery.

Lithium batteries are pretty much the best we've got so far, but they are still heavy. Lithium metal is also hazardous as it catches fire easily.

Is X-57 the future?

With a range of about 160km and a flight time of about one hour, the X-57 is not expected to lead to a replacement technology for long-haul flying. At least not straight away. Instead, short-hop flights with ten or so passengers are a good and potentially possible target for early, battery-powered flights.

Hydrogen-powered planes are also of great interest because the energy density of hydrogen is nearly three times greater than that of conventional aviation fuel. But hydrogen is a gas and it needs to be stored in pressurized fuel tanks to reduce its volume.

This would require a complete rethink of aircraft design. Some work has been done with hydrogen stored as a liquid at -253°C. Hydrogen for aviation is therefore exciting, but probably impractical.

Source: https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-x-nasa-electric-plane-flyhere.html

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Business Agency held a future vision proclamation ceremony at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023, which opened in Las Vegas on the 5th. Smart mobility was chosen as a means of realizing the key goal of the Seoul Vision 2030 announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 'Smart Transportation City Seoul, Seoul, a City where you can breathe'.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is planning to test-operate 2-5 seater air taxis with the goal of creating a foundation for Seoul-type urban air transportation (UAM). UAM is a new concept air transportation system that uses aircraft to transport passengers and cargo in the city center. The high-tech air taxi, which is scheduled to operate in 2025, is a means of transportation that can travel from Incheon International Airport to Yongsan in just 15 minutes.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to first operate the Gimpo Airport ↔ Yongsan International Business District pilot route and then extend the UAM route to major hubs in Seoul such as Yeouido, Jamsil, and Suseo. In this way, passengers who get off at Incheon or Gimpo International Airport by plane can take the UAM to Yongsan and transfer to the GTX or subway.

There was also an analysis that air taxi fares could be cheaper than deluxe taxis. Eo Seong-cheol, CEO of Hanwha Systems, said at the Korea Investment Festival last year, “If you use an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), you will own an air taxi between Incheon International Airport and Yeouido in 13 minutes and the fare will be 110,000 won, which will be cheaper than a deluxe taxi.”

However, the regulation of the no-fly zone is the key. As the presidential office moved from Blue House to Yongsan last year, it is known that part of the waters of the Han River were designated as a no-fly zone (P-73A) in the metropolitan area. If this zone is maintained, it may not be possible to fly the aircraft in the UAM route candidate area. Regarding this, a Seoul city official said, “We plan to promote deregulation in consultation with the government and the presidential office.”

Source: https://news.nate.com/view/20230106n22902

Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday its US-based urban air mobility unit Supernal is collaborating with Microsoft to develop advanced air mobility (AMM) solutions.

The South Korean automotive company said it will use Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, Microsoft Azure, to develop and operate AMM solutions for autonomous flight and virtual manufacturing.

The cloud platform will allow Supernal to run simulations at scale and accelerate the commercialization of its solutions, Hyundai added.

Under the agreement, Microsoft will provide Supernal with early access to its artificial intelligence-based high-performance flight simulation platform Project AirSim. According to Microsoft, the machine-learning platform uses Azure to collect sensory data on the environment and simulate UAM flights under various weather conditions.

Supernal said Project AirSim provides pre-trained AI models as well, and generates key synthetic data which would help expedite the development of an innovative future aviation ecosystem.

The mobility firm will also look to incorporate the US software company's mixed-reality headset HoloLens2 in its UAM aircraft manufacturing, quality control, customer experience and aircraft maintenance processes.

Meanwhile, Supernal plans on launching UAM services in the US by 2028. It participated in the Farnborough International Airshow last year, and showcased the interior design of its eVTOL aircraft.

As part of its development plans, the company has been building a network with global mobility firms. It recently made business agreements with Rolls Royce, Urban Airport, and Safran.

Source: https://m.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20230105000105

In what is most likely the first real word test for survivability in AAM, the vehicle's destruction was "beyond expectations."

Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL) are set to change the urban and regional transportation landscape - the question is, by when? Many developers are looking for certification by the end of 2024 or possibly 2025.

Earlier this month, NASA announced it had completed a full-scale crash test of an eVTOL at the Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) facility at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

NASA put crash test dummies in the vehicle, then hoisted it up in the air before releasing it with pyrotechnic cutters, letting it swing before crashing heavily on the ground. The ‘Lift+Cruise’ test vehicle, was "destroyed beyond expectation," which NASA says provides researchers with valuable data when planning to make Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) safe for the public.

Read more: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-crash-tests-evtol-concept

For the first time, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has delivered cargo from a base on shore to a US Navy (USN) ship at sea.

The USN said on 21 December the service’s Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) successfully employed multiple unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to transport cargo weighing less than 22.5kg (50lb) to a vessel underway. The project is known as the Blue Water Logistics Maritime UAS.

Two aircraft were used in the demonstration. One was the Skyways V2.6B - a hybrid-electric, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) autonomous system powered by eight propellers.

The other craft was Martin UAV’s V-Bat 128 – another VTOL UAS that uses a proprietary ducted fan single propeller mounted underneath the type’s fuselage to take off in an upright orientation, before transitioning to horizontal flight.

While 22.5kg may seem insignificant when it comes to resupplying ships with hundreds or even thousands of crew members, the USN says 90% of its cargo shipments fall under that weight threshold. The USN says transitioning to smaller, cheaper UAS platforms for its low-weight resupply missions will save money and increase efficiency.

During the recent demonstration, the Skyways and Martin UAVs, completed long-range flights from ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, and shore-to-ship situations, carrying a variety of objects to mimic critical supplies, the USN says.

Both systems successfully delivered cargo over 200 nautical miles onto a moving ship underway, and were able to operate without dedicated launch and recovery equipment.

Read more: https://www.flightglobal.com/military-uavs/uavs-deliver-cargo-to-us-navy-ship-at-sea-for-first-time/151492.article

The government has drawn up new growth strategies to secure future technology such as aerospace and artificial intelligence and to accelerate digital transformation.

By 2030, infrastructure for autonomous driving will be completed, including Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems that allow road users and traffic managers to share information.

Private urban air mobility service is planned to be commercialized by 2025.

It plans to carry out 6G commercialization technology development and establish a pilot network for low-Earth satellite communication, a solution for internet connectivity in rural areas.

Read more: http://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20221221000631

The government and local governments are also working hard to create a 'K-UAM (Korean Urban Air Traffic)' ecosystem. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the responsible ministry, is promoting a demonstration project where companies can demonstrate and verify technologies to support the development of flying air taxis, the construction of take-off and landing pads, and the establishment of safety systems. In 2025, three years from now, K-UAM's goal is to travel by air taxi from Gangnam, Seoul to Yeouido in just 5 minutes. 

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is an area in which large companies in the top 10 of the domestic business world are forming a huge alliance. Last April, a total of 51 domestic and foreign companies challenged the contest for the 'K-UAM Grand Challenge Demonstration Project'. Companies in various fields, such as Hyundai Motor Company, Korean Air, Hanwha Systems, GS Caltex, and Lotte E&C, as well as the three major mobile carriers in Korea, formed a 'one team' and submitted a demonstration project proposal to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The challenges of these companies are expected to start in earnest starting with safety verification (test phase 1-2) in the first half of next year. 

The size of the global UAM market is also expected to grow from 550 trillion won in 2030 to 1621 trillion won in 2040. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, companies have set the goal of going from Seoul to Incheon in 20 minutes and from Gangnam to Yeouido in just 5 minutes by 2025, when air taxis are first commercialized.

There is another reason why companies are betting on the UAM industry. It is 'social value'. Companies expect air taxis to create a virtuous cycle of reducing travel time → improving traffic congestion → reducing traffic congestion costs.

By 2025, the target for commercialization, the speed of air taxis is expected to reach 150 km/h. The problem is that the air taxi's transfer route is likely to be longer and more complicated than existing means of transportation such as subways and buses.

Read more: https://v.daum.net/v/tMvmJxPlRh

Kit helicopter manufacturer RotorX has stepped into the personal eVTOL fray with its own take on the manned multicopter. The Dragon promises to zip you around at up to 63 mph (101 km/h), with joystick control, auto-landing, and a ballistic parachute.

This is very much in the bare-bones mold of the Jetson One and Ryse Recon; a big drone with the lightest possible seat/cabin in the middle. RotorX has gone with an eight-prop coaxial octacopter layout for some redundancy, running 16-kW electric motors for each prop. The company claims a max flight time around 20 minutes, which is pretty much in the ballpark, and it'll carry pilots that weigh 250 lb (113 kg) or less.

Safety-wise, RotorX is including a ballistic parachute in case you've got the cojones to fly high enough to make that kind of thing relevant – although I suspect most people will be more interested operating closer to the ground rather than a few hundred feet up. Much of the dream of flying these things seems to be about zooming through the treetops rather than way above them.

The Dragon runs simple joystick-style control, through redundant flight computers, and offers a "sensor-drive auto-landing system" as well as hands-free hover in place. The company says it qualifies as an ultralight, meaning you won't need a pilot's license to fly it.

Price-wise, they'll sell for US$99,000 once deliveries begin in August 2023. RotorX is knocking that down to US$85,000 for anyone who's willing to slap down a US$19,500 deposit now for a pre-order.

Read more: https://newatlas.com/aircraft/rotorx-dragon-personal-evtol-kit/

There are two types of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft that Archer has developed: a full-size test model, the Maker, and a commercial model, the Midnight. Midnight is pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.  In less than a year after securing a huge upfront payment from United Airlines, Archer has achieved incredible speed and rapid growth from the first levitation phase of the Maker model to its full flight completion.

This monumental flight took place at the end of last month, and in the flight, the maker model flew for the first time at a top speed of 169 km/h using an inclined propeller fixed in a 'cruise position'. The maker has 12 propellers mounted on six branches, and during takeoff, the six propellers tilt slightly forward to take a 'cruise position'. Through this, it gains momentum when going straight in the air. 

Archer said that this shape, in which six of the 12 propellers tilt, is a special feature of the Archer vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The achievements achieved through recent flights are significant in that they have verified the same system applied to the commercial model Midnight. The Midnight model, a commercial electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, is expected to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2024 and commercially available around 2025.

Read more: https://m.thedrive.co.kr/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065593921235407

Joby Aviation, a company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, announced the completion of its second of four system reviews required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as part of the company’s aircraft type certification program.

The successful completion of the in-person, multiday audit by the FAA last week at Joby’s facilities in Marina, California, demonstrates the company’s continued leadership on the path to certifying its revolutionary eVTOL aircraft.

In September, Joby announced during its third quarter results call that 84% of its means of compliance had been accepted by the FAA, with four area-specific certification plans submitted for approval. Earlier this year, Joby announced the completion of its first systems and compliance reviews and carried out its first for-credit FAA conformity tests.

In May, Joby received its Part 135 air carrier certificate from the FAA, enabling the company to operate a commercial air taxi service in the U.S. Joby intends to certify its aircraft in time to commence commercial passenger service in 2025.

Read more: https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/joby-completes-second-faa-system-review-for-its-evtol-aircraft/

German aircraft company’s Q3 update includes new round of fundraising. Lilium said a fundraising round totaled $119 million, and that it is making “significant progress” toward type certification of its aircraft. Demonstrator aircraft continue to improve, and have recorded a new top speed of 120 knots.

Having successfully completed the latest fundraiser, our teams are now fully focused on achieving the development and certification of the Lilium Jet and building our manufacturing and supply chain capabilities. We are confident we have the right technology and the right team to bring this transformational product to market,” Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe said.

The Lilium Jet's design contrasts sharply with those of many competing eVTOLs. 

Among the third-quarter highlights were Lilium’s agreement with the airline Saudia, which said it intends to buy up to 100 aircraft as part of a plan to build an eVTOL network across Saudi Arabia, and a deal with the United Kingdom company eVolare, a unit of Volare Aviation, an operator of helicopters and private jets. Together with previous orders, the two recent announcements reflect an increase in total orders to 603, Lilium said.

Read more: https://www.flyingmag.com/lilium-says-evtol-on-track-for-certification/

Aura Aerospace has proposed a crazy new take on advanced air mobility. The five-seat Ranger promises to fly further than any normal airliner, with roof-to-roof vertical takeoff and landing.

With full tanks of sustainable aviation fuel, Aura says the Ranger is capable of an 18,000-km (11,185-mile) range, or a brutal 22 hours of non-stop flight. The Ranger promises to take you from the top of a building in New York City all the way to the middle of Adelaide, Australia, with juice to spare.  And if the juice does run out, the thing will still glide, Aura claims, and can happily land or take off on a runway where it suits.

Vertical takeoff and landing are achieved using a coaxial octacopter system, with eight 70-inch (178-cm) two-blade props hanging fore and aft of the large main wing. This system gets you on and off the vertipad, and once you're airborne and the wing has folded out to its full 23-meter (75-ft) width, a pair of turbofan jet engines kick in to provide forward thrust.

The Ranger uses eVTOL technology, but it's otherwise much closer to an ultra-long range business jet in conception than an air taxi. Five seats are probably enough for a lot of business trips, and the ultra-rich might be happy to pay for a shuttle to take them on a private, intercontinental rooftop-to-rooftop hop.

Read more: https://aura.aero/

As eVTOL companies develop their aircraft with the declared goal of achieving FAA certification within the next two years or so, the agency appears to be clearing the path somewhat.

The regulator released a draft notice of proposed rulemaking, or NPRM, that would update the definition of air carriers to include powered-lift aircraft under the regulations covering commercial operations including airlines, charters, and air tours.

“This rule lays the foundation that will allow operators to use powered-lift aircraft,” the FAA said in the announcement. The proposed changes also could ease the certification process for eVTOLs and other powered-lift aircraft. It is unclear how long the full integration of powered-lift aircraft into the airspace system might take, the FAA said it would allow the aircraft to operate under certain temporary provisions.

Read more: https://www.flyingmag.com/faa-proposes-regulations-to-ease-evtol-certification/

Bumble Bee Flights Pvt Ltd, a company that has designed and developed India’s first autonomous air mobility solution with multiple use-case scenarios such as air ambulance, air taxi, logistics, recreational use, and defence applications, has raised Rs 300 crore ($37 million) in investment from UK-based technology conglomerate SRAM & MRAM Technologies and  Resources Limited.

The Bengaluru-based startup, founded by serial entrepreneur and air mobility solutions expert Arjun Das in early 2022, said it will use the funds to set up an assembly plant in Odisha for manufacturing the air taxis. The company plans to launch the first prototype by April 2023.

Bee Flights' air taxis would run on solar-charged swappable batteries and would weigh around 300 kg, as compared to helicopters that weigh about 1,000 kg and more. They will have the capacity to carry one person along with a suitcase and can land on apartment rooftops. They will be able to fly for 20 minutes for a distance of 20 km.

Morgan Stanley, a US investment company, predicted that the global UAM market will grow 30% annually between 2021 and 2040, reaching $1.5 trillion by 2040.

Read more: https://yourstory.com/2022/12/bumble-bee-flights-gets-rs-300-cr-autonomous-air-mobility-solutions

Eve is developing its future eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing). Bluenest will be supporting Eve’s future air taxi operations by providing an urban air traffic management (UATM) solution. This is essential for the safe integration of electric aircraft and for efficient air traffic management.

Eve claims to have already secured hundreds of orders for its future air taxis. In the U.S., the regional airline Republic Airlines will start operating Eve eVTOLs in places like Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. One of the major partners in developing Eve’s air taxi is Thales, which will provide the avionics, flight control, navigation, and electrical systems for the eVTOL.

Read more: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/bluenest-and-eve-to-start-working-on-vertiport-operations-for-unmanned-air-taxis-205154.html#

The UAM (Urban Air Mobility) sector is buzzing, and not just in the U.S. or in Europe. SkyDrive, the Japanese eVTOL manufacturer, and the renewable energy company Pacific Group, with international funds in Vietnam, have agreed to evaluate all the aspects involved in air taxi operations in Vietnam. First of all, through the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) agreed to pre-order 10 of the SkyDrive SD-05 aircraft, with an option for 90 more, adding up to a total of 100 flying vehicles. The SD-05 was recently unveiled by the Japanese manufacturer as a two-seater, mainly designed for air taxi operations. 

Following the previous SD-03, which made headlines as the world’s smallest eVTOL (only 13-foot/4-meter-long and 6.5 feet/2-meter-tall) the second version is, of course, bigger and more capable. Fitted with 12 motor-propellers, the SD-05 boasts a 6-mile (10 km) range on a single charge, at 62 mph (100 kph) which makes it a short-range aircraft. Once certified (it’s currently in the process of that) it will become the first of its kind in Japan, according to SkyDrive.

Read more : https://www.autoevolution.com/news/japanese-air-taxis-gearing-up-for-commercial-operations-in-vietnam-205057.html#

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday proposed new rules that would help pave the way for commercial air taxi operations by around the middle of the decade.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) have been touted as flying taxis that could be the future of urban air mobility. The low-altitude urban air mobility aircraft has drawn intense interest around the world as numerous eVTOL companies have gone public.

Airlines and others are looking at developing transport services using battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically to ferry travelers to airports or on short trips between cities, allowing them to beat traffic.

Nolen said during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics air taxis will be in high demand. "We may see some of them in the years leading up, but nowhere near the scale in 2028," he said.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-proposes-rules-advance-flying-taxi-operations-2022-11-21/

Lift and Charm have signed an initial deal for 100 aircraft and multiple vertiports around the NYC area 

The Hexa is a super-simple and lightweight airframe; a manned multi-copter with 18 smallish vertical lift props for massive redundancy, Weighing only 432 lb (196 kg), it qualifies as a powered ultralight aircraft under FAA standards – and that means you don't need a pilot's license to fly it, provided you stick to uncontrolled airspace and uncongested flyover areas. 

The eVTOL itself is ridiculously easy to fly with a simple joystick, with fully automated takeoff and landing taking care of the riskiest parts of the endeavor. According to Lift, using a VR simulator in the ground office, you'll learn to fly the Hexa in less than an hour. You're free to muck about however you choose for the next eight to 15 minutes, within the geofenced garden of your flight area, and with the aircraft automatically ensuring you stay clear of other aircraft.

"These are like Segway tours, but in the air – with a much better view and much more fun. These small, electric aircraft are "geo-fenced," to keep them confined to pre-defined flight areas and corridors, have zero direct emissions and are much quieter than helicopters" says Caitlyn Ephraim, President of Charm Aviation

Read more : https://newatlas.com/aircraft/lift-hexa-nyc-2023/

Korea is also one of the leading countries in establishing the AAM ecosystem.  Automobile companies are entering the AAM market, such as Toyota investing in Jobi and Fiat investing in Archer.

The APAC region will account for more than half of all eVTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft in operation and more than 40% of global revenue by 2050. It is estimated that countries in APAC will implement AAM services before 2030 and operate more than 1000 aircraft by 2030.

Read more: https://v.daum.net/v/BCmUEFKwCK

NASA’s Glenn Research Center will begin flying a new Pilatus PC-12 aircraft around Cleveland to test new communication technologies.

NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission is to map out new air transportation systems alongside industry and community partners and the Federal Aviation Administration. These new capabilities would allow passengers and cargo to travel on-demand in automated aircraft across town, between neighboring cities, or to locations underserved by aviation today.

Experts are planning for a future where people will be soaring over traffic in air taxis; products will be delivered faster by remotely operated vehicles, and medical and emergency vehicles will be able to respond rapidly.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2022/11/nasa-envisions-highways-in-the-sky-with-air-taxis-and-drone-deliveries-and-will-test-new-technologies-in-northeast-ohio.html

Archer Reveals Its Electric Air Taxi for 10-Minute Flights to the Airport

Direct to Phone service, providing messages and calling facility to handphones will be available through 2nd generation starlink satellites

While spacex internet services are already available, it is time to bring telematics to smartphones and autonomous vehicles around the world via LEO satellites.

Read more: https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/162507-satellite-communication-smartphones-ntn-availability-specs-details

Hyundai Motor Group on Monday unveiled a new ambitious plan to build an ecosystem for advanced air mobility (AAM), including flying cars and related infrastructure, in Indonesia’s new capital city of Nusantara which is currently under construction.

The Korean auto giant signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nusantara National Capital Authority for the new project on the sidelines of the B-20 Summit Indonesia 2022, which is taking place in Bali this week.

By 2028, it aims to begin the commercial service of UAM vehicles in the US via its aviation affiliate Supernal.

Read more: https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20221114000716

World’s first self-flying, all-electric, four-passenger eVTOL air taxi by Wisk Aero.

It features autonomous flight with human oversight with capability of manual intervention if needed. Wisk claims it is one of the only autonomous air mobility (AAM) companies to pursue a self-flying first approach. 

AeroHT is Low-Altitude Air Mobility Explorer company. The XPENG X2 is a two-seater flying car. It will be suitable for future low-altitude city flights and is perfect for short-distance city journeys such as sightseeing and medical transportation.

Read more: https://lnkd.in/gjVGnN6p

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