Hello, and welcome to the Future of FLYING newsletter, our weekly look at the biggest stories in emerging aviation technology. From low-altitude drones to high-flying rockets at the edge of the atmosphere, we’ll take you on a tour of the modern flying world to help you make sense of it all.

Now for this week’s top story:

Canada’s Helijet Makes History with Beta eVTOL Order

What happened? Helijet is one of North America’s oldest and largest helicopter airlines and one of the few that offers scheduled passenger flights. Now, the company is flying into the future with its order for Beta Technologies’ Alia-250 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi—the first such purchase by a Canadian air carrier.

Old dog, new tricks: Helijet has been around since the ’80s, but that won’t stop it from embracing technologies at aviation’s cutting edge. The firm, Beta’s first Canadian customer, expects to be the country’s first air carrier to offer passenger and cargo eVTOL flights. Beta’s Alia will complement—not replace—its fleet of Eurocopter AS350 B2s, Sikorsky S76s, Learjet 31As, and Pilatus PC-12s.

Alia is more limited than these designs, with a 250 nm range and 100 knot cruise speed. However, it produces zero carbon emissions and is expected to be far quieter than those helicopters—and cheaper, Beta and Helijet claim. Helijet will deploy it for passenger, cargo, and medical transport services.

Why Beta? Per Helijet, Beta makes for an ideal partner due to its plan to certify Alia for IFR operations. The eVTOL manufacturer also has a footprint in Canada, having opened an engineering and research and development hub in Montreal in March. It also partnered with Canadian flight simulator provider CAE to train Alia pilots and maintenance technicians.

The partners estimate that eVTOL aircraft could serve 4.2 million passengers in the Greater Vancouver area over the next 15 to 20 years, generating some $1.5 billion ($2.1 million Canadian dollars) in advanced air mobility (AAM) business activity. But they’ll need to wait for Alia’s certification, which is expected around 2026.

Quick quote: “With its mature air travel market demographic and existing challenges for conventional transportation between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, southern British Columbia provides an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the commercial viability and environmental sustainability of AAM in B.C. and Canada,” said JR Hammond, executive director of Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM), the country’s national AAM consortium.

My take: Could Helijet, one of only two major scheduled passenger helicopter airline services in North America (Blade Urban Air Mobility being the other), become one of the region’s biggest AAM player?

Compared to the massive eVTOL investments made by U.S. airlines such as United and Delta, Canadian air carriers have been slower to warm up to the emerging tech. But Helijet could be set up for early success, with a built-in customer base that already seeks short-hop helicopter flights. Replacing some of those trips with air taxi routes shouldn’t harm demand—especially if Alia can offer a cheaper alternative, as the partners claim.

The new aircraft likely won’t fly until 2026. But when they do, Helijet could provide an important litmus test for AAM operations in Canada.

Deep dive: Canada’s Helijet Makes History with Beta eVTOL Order

In Other News…

SpaceX Starship Nears Return to Flight

What happened? SpaceX’s Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, has been grounded since its April maiden voyage began and ended in flames. But the FAA in September closed its investigation into the explosion, and the agency this week announced it has now completed its safety review—a key portion of the evaluation of SpaceX’s launch license.

Back in action soon? Having completed the safety review, the FAA is now working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on an environmental review, the final step needed to modify SpaceX’s vehicle operator license, which may take up to 135 days. When that modification is approved, Starship will be cleared for a second test flight.

However, keep an eye on the lingering lawsuit the FAA and SpaceX are battling. If they lose the case, the FAA will need to produce an environmental impact statement analyzing the effect of Starship launches on local wildlife. That process could delay things for months—or longer.

Deep dive: SpaceX’s Starship—the Most Powerful Rocket in History—Nears Return to Flight

Zipline and Cleveland Clinic Plan Prescription Drone Delivery

What happened? Zipline, the world’s largest drone delivery provider, added its fourth major U.S. healthcare partner this year in Cleveland Clinic. The hospital system will work with Zipline to launch prescription drone delivery in 2025, using its new partner’s Platform 2 (P2) delivery system.

How it’ll work: Zipline’s P2 does a couple cool things—among them is the installation of drone “drive-thru” windows that will allow Cleveland Clinic technicians to load the aircraft without leaving the lab. Rather than drop prescriptions using a parachute, like Zipline’s Platform 1 does, P2 will lower a small, autonomous droid that steers itself to a landing area the size of a patio table.

The collaboration makes sense for Cleveland Clinic, which has been lauded for its supply chain and innovative use of technology. Eventually, the partners plan to ramp up with deliveries of lab samples, prescription meals, and more.

Deep Dive: Zipline and Cleveland Clinic Partner on Prescription Drone Delivery

And a Few More Headlines:

• Ireland’s Manna Drone Delivery launched commercially in the U.S. with Halloween deliveries for trick-or-treaters.

• Virgin Galactic completed its Galactic 05 mission, the company’s sixth successful spaceflight in as many months.

• Chinese eVTOL manufacturer EHang said it expects to begin delivering its type-certified air taxi to customers in the coming months.

• Germany’s Lilium, another eVTOL maker, appointed ArcosJet as its exclusive Lilium Jet dealer in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Cyprus.

• Tampa International Airport (KTPA) hosted a test flight of Volocopter’s eVTOL for city and state officials.

On the Horizon…

Kicking off things with a pair of developments FLYING covered this week, the FAA and the U.S. Air Force, as well as the state of Utah, have stepped up their AAM efforts.

Starting with the two government entities: The FAA and AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Air Force, are collaborating to share flight data and testing capabilities for eVTOL and autonomous aircraft. AFWERX has awarded millions of dollars worth of contracts to 36 electric aircraft and technology developers, and its learnings could help the FAA meet its Innovate28 goals. The partnership is expected to benefit U.S.-made aircraft in particular.

Regulators in Utah, meanwhile, released an AAM blueprint resembling a smaller, state-level version of Innovate28. The report provides an interesting look at how individual states may initially tackle these new services. While it’s jampacked with guidance, the researchers’ key takeaway was that Utah already has plenty of assets to work with, and it could see fully operational AAM services by 2028.

We’ve got a couple of Congressional updates this week too. The big one is the introduction of the American Security Drone Act of 2023 to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The bill, initially proposed in February by Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), would prevent federal departments and agencies from operating, procuring, or using federal funding to purchase drones made in China and Russia.

Meanwhile, Warner and other legislators this week announced that the Senate passed a measure to limit federal funding for drones made in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba—collectively described as the “New Axis of Evil.” The amendment will withhold funding included in the upcoming FAA appropriations package.

Staying at the federal level, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security could soon lose the ability to down rogue drones, as their counter-drone authority, established in 2018, is set to expire November 18. Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, said failure to reauthorize the two agencies could leave the U.S. “effectively defenseless” against threats to mass gatherings, airports, and other critical infrastructure.

Speaking of critical infrastructure: In New York’s Capital Region, officials have introduced a bill that would prevent drones from flying near schools and other buildings with that label. The legislation appears after a series of incidents involving drones flying over schools.

Mark Your Calendars

Each week, I’ll be running through a list of upcoming industry events. Here are a few conferences to keep an eye on:

• Dubai Air Show—November 13-17 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Aerospace Tech Week Americas 2023—November 14-15 in Atlanta
• Advanced Air Mobility Summit 2023—November 20-21 in Lisbon, Portugal
• ICAO Drone Enable—December 5-7 in Montreal
• 11th Annual eVTOL Symposium—February 6-8 in Silicon Valley, California
• Drone Show Korea 2024—March 6-8 in Busan, South Korea
• World’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Conference—March 17-19 in Jerusalem
• AUVSI Xponential 2024—April 22-25 in San Diego 
• Vertical Flight Society’s Forum 80—May 7-9 in Montreal

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The post Helijet Brings Electric Air Taxis to Canada appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

A few months after the FAA released its Innovate28 plan for scaled advanced air mobility (AAM) operations by 2028, Utah officials have revealed their own plan to integrate delivery drones, electric air taxis, vertiports, and more into the state’s airspace.

At the request of the state legislature, the Utah AAM Working Group, part of the Utah Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division, this week released a legislative report and study on the implementation of AAM services in regions such as the Salt Lake City metro area.

The Utah AAM Infrastructure and Regulatory Study is a 58-page framework—similar to the FAA’s Innovate28 and its previously released AAM blueprint—that identifies the benefits, limitations, assets, timelines, and funding mechanisms associated with the state’s adoption of these emerging services. It does not establish any new rules or regulations but simply provides guidance.

The Utah Legislature also called on researchers to review state laws and identify any changes that could be made to speed the development of the state’s AAM operations. But according to the report, Utah already has plenty of potential to support technologies like drones and air taxis.

“Through leadership foresight, from the legislature to state agencies, Utah has positioned itself to embrace AAM,” the report reads. “The state already has significant assets in place that could be utilized in early implementation of advanced air mobility.”

Researchers identified several positive effects AAM could have on the state, the two biggest being a reduction in carbon emissions—since many drones and air taxi designs are electric—and “clear and compelling” economic benefits.

The report suggests that AAM services would create the potential for thousands of high-paying jobs in vehicle manufacturing, maintenance, and vertiport operations. For example, Zipline—which operates drone delivery in Utah through a partnership with Intermountain Healthcare—hires FAA-certificated drone pilots directly out of high school and helps them to pay for college. Utah is also one of seven states where Walmart and delivery partner DroneUp are flying.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) manufacturers could bring further employment opportunities. Two of the U.S.’s largest, Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, have begun building production plants in Georgia and Ohio, respectively, far from their California headquarters. Both firms expect to produce hundreds of vehicles and thousands of lucrative jobs.

On the other hand, the biggest limitations of AAM may be safety and privacy concerns from Utah residents and impacts on local or migrating animals, according to the report.

Researchers believe that Utah has plenty of readily available assets that could serve the AAM industry with some slight modifications. They note, for example, that the Aeronautics Division is already assisting airports with electrification and vertiport installation. 

The report considers airports, unsurprisingly, to be “prime” locations for AAM operations. It lists South Valley Regional Airport (U42), Skypark Airport (KBTF), and Spanish Fork Airport (KSPK) as potential urban air mobility hubs, adding that local or rural airports could be turned into regional air mobility hubs or drone delivery service centers.

Based on data from the Wasatch Front Regional Council, the report also identifies potential sites for vertiports in communities without airports: underutilized parking garages. Shopping center parking lots, for example, could be transformed into landing pads by rearranging paint and lighting.

Utah’s “excellent” statewide fiber-optic and cellular network coverage should allow drones to easily broadcast data and communicate with remote pilots when flying beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS)—an FAA requirement.

The state’s electric grid, meanwhile, produces around 37,000 MWh of electricity per year to charge eVTOL or other electric aircraft. Utah relies on a shared grid system, which allows it to draw some additional power as demand increases. But its electric substations may require upgrades to support an influx of AAM aircraft. And at first, the state may need to build vertiports selectively based on the capacity of local facilities.

The Roadmap

The report examines what AAM operations in Utah may look like in various phases, zooming in to the next two to three years and zooming out decades from now.

“Everything does not have to be in place on day one,” the report reads. “The prudent approach is to follow a phased implementation plan that allows government and markets to grow one step at a time and adjust as appropriate to shifting market demands.”

Researchers broke down the plan into four segments based on “current industry projections.” The initial phase, which covers the next two to three years, will focus mainly on community outreach and public engagement. It will also involve the initial buildout of infrastructure, such as a statewide unmanned traffic management (UTM) system.

A UTM—and an Aerial Traffic Operations Center for the personnel managing it—is one of the “hard” infrastructure components Utah will need to add to its AAM ecosystem. Its creation, along with the improvement of cellular and internet broadcast receivers, will be one of the more challenging tasks the state faces.

In addition, Utah will require “soft” infrastructure improvements: more personnel, man hours, and expertise to name a few. The designing of aerial corridors, adaptation of land-use planning, and development of AAM policies are also on the agenda.

Phase two of the plan, expected to last three to five years, is primarily aimed at expanding UTM capacity and building the initial vertiport sites, with continued local outreach and engagement. Matt Maass, director of Utah’s aeronautics division, told the Salt Lake Tribune that 2028—which would fall under this stage—could mark the entry of AAM services such as electric air taxis.

The third stage is planned to last seven to 15 years. By this point, Utah hopes to have comprehensive UTM services, including a fully operational Aerial Traffic Operations Center. Vertiport infrastructure and operations should be at a “commercially viable” level, providing capacity for daily commutes.

The final phase, which could stretch from anywhere between 15 and 30 years, will tie everything together. By then, the state should have a fully integrated electric- and hydrogen-hybrid aviation and ground transportation system. This network would connect urban and rural communities statewide, the report predicts.

To get there—or to even advance beyond phase one—Utah will need plenty of funding. As things stand, municipalities looking to add vertiport infrastructure can apply for loans from the state. They can also issue general or revenue-obligated bonds if they expect to make money from those sites. And through a pair of recent House bills, federal financing is now becoming available. More is expected when the FAA is reauthorized.

“Mechanisms to acquire the money needed to pay for the new technologies are already in place, and more funding is anticipated from the federal government,” the report reads. “Most importantly, Utah’s preparation allows the state the flexibility to start at a methodical, yet efficient, pace.”

Researchers suggest the state might consider issuing bonds, appropriating general revenues, or using green revolving funds to help finance AAM projects. Potential funding mechanisms could also include fees (such as for landing, airspace usage, or permitting) and sales or excise taxes (such as on aircraft sales or facility charges).

How Utah Could Get AAM Laws on the Books

Though the report is not meant to create any new AAM rules, the researchers do suggest a few initial steps legislators could take to get the regulatory ball rolling.

For example, they point out that Utah Senate Bill 166, passed last year, defines the term “AAM system” and calls for state preemption of local AAM laws. Legislators could consider adding definitions such as “aerial transit corridor,” “vertiport,” or “UTM” to the rule, the report suggests.

To address property rights concerns, Utah could establish avigation easements, which would essentially give the state the rights to use airspace above private property, with the owner’s permission. The creation of an AAM Program Office and formal processes for licensing vertiports and registering AAM aircraft could also clear up things.

Researchers also say the state should consider requiring all municipalities to add the terms “drone package delivery” and “aerial taxi operations” to their approved conditional use permit lists. This would provide a basis for early AAM entrants to operate legally. Enacting zoning language for takeoff and landing sites and “vertiport overlay zones” could help municipalities further prepare for the birth of a new sector.

“Advanced air mobility is an entirely new transportation system and presents new opportunities and challenges never before encountered by departments of transportation,” the report concludes. “However, national-scale solutions for the entirety of the system do not need to be resolved prior to Utah implementing the first steps and phases toward active operations.”

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The post Utah Provides Blueprint of How AAM Operations Might Look at State Level appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

One of North America’s oldest helicopter airlines plans to add one of aviation’s newest aircraft designs to its fleet.

Helijet International Inc. on Tuesday announced that it placed firm orders for Beta Technologies’ Alia-250 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi, becoming the first Canadian air carrier to purchase such a design. Helijet, Beta’s first commercial customer in Canada, also expects to be the first air carrier to offer eVTOL passenger and cargo services in the country.

The British Columbia-based firm claims to be the largest and longest-standing helicopter airline in North America. As far as scheduled passenger helicopter airlines go, Helijet and New York City-based Blade Urban Air Mobility are the only major regional players. In 2021, Blade partnered with Helijet’s booking platform to expand into Canada.

Once Beta’s Alia is certified and delivered, Helijet plans to add the aircraft to its existing fleet, which is composed of Eurocopter AS350 B2s, Sikorsky S76s, Learjet 31As, and Pilatus PC-12s.

How Helijet Will Deploy Alia

Though there are similarities between helicopters and eVTOL designs—the most obvious being the ability to take off and land vertically—Alia doesn’t quite match the performance of the aforementioned models. Its 50-foot wingspan is similar. But its 250 nm range and 100 knot cruise speed are more restrictive. However, Beta’s design is expected to be 90 percent quieter than comparable helicopters.

Alia will be integrated into Helijet’s passenger transport operations in southwest British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, offering sustainable, quiet flights for a pilot and up to five passengers at a time. Beta and Helijet claim these trips will cost less than current helicopter flights, making them particularly valuable to rural or remote communities lacking convenient air services.

The eVTOL aircraft are also expected to bolster Helijet’s emergency response, air ambulance, and organ transfer services in Canada’s Lower Mainland region.

Over the past two years, the helicopter airline has shortlisted three eVTOL manufacturers building aircraft designed to fit into advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystems. Though Beta will be its first supplier, the company will continue to evaluate orders for other nominated designs.

Helijet selected Alia in part due to Beta’s plan to certify the aircraft for IFR operations. The firm is also interested in growing its industrial base in Canada, where Beta in March opened an engineering and research and development hub at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (CYUL).

Beta also has a partnership with Canada’s CAE, a large training OEM and provider of flight simulators, to develop pilot and maintenance technician training programs for Alia. Rival eVTOL manufacturer Joby Aviation has a similar agreement.

“With its mature air travel market demographic and existing challenges for conventional transportation between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, southern B.C. provides an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the commercial viability and environmental sustainability of AAM in B.C. and Canada,” said JR Hammond, executive director of Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM), the country’s national AAM consortium, of which Helijet is a founding member.

Citing a 2020 white paper from Nexa Advisors, another member of the CAAM consortium, Helijet and Beta estimate that, over the next 15 to 20 years, the Greater Vancouver area has the potential to serve 4.2 million passengers using eVTOL aircraft. That could translate to about $1.5 billion (2.1 million Canadian dollars) in new AAM business activity.

To support those aims, Helijet is leading the development of a commercial vertiport at its downtown Vancouver waterfront heliport. The site is planned to be an intermodal transportation hub, connecting AAM passengers with road, marine, air, and rail access throughout the region.

“This provincial government recognizes the potential of advanced air mobility to decarbonize the aviation sector, improve regional connectivity, improve emergency response times and introduce new manufacturing opportunities in our province,” said British Columbia Premier David Eby, who attended the announcement of the deal at Helijet’s Victoria Harbour Heliport (CBF7).

Alia’s Flight Path

Per Tuesday’s announcement, Alia is in “advanced flight standards development” and on track for commercial certification in 2026, one year after Beta’s eCTOL (electric conventional takeoff and landing) variant is expected to be approved. Shortly after, it will be available for private and commercial service.

Beta so far has conducted eVTOL evaluation flights with the FAA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army. The aircraft has completed multiple thousand-mile-plus jaunts across the U.S., the most recent of which saw it travel more than 1,500 nm across 12 states en route to Duke Field (KEGI), a military airport at Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base. Beta also delivered an electric aircraft charging station to Eglin in September, the first to arrive on an Air Force base.

Alia’s flight from the company’s home field in Plattsburgh, New York, to Eglin represented Beta’s first eVTOL delivery to a contracted partner. Just weeks earlier, the firm’s eCTOL completed a cross-border flight from Plattsburgh to Montreal, marking the first time a battery-utilizing electric aircraft landed in the city.

“Between our growing engineering hub in Montreal, our first cross-border flight to the region earlier this year, and the support we’ve received from the government and regulators across Canada, we look forward to continuing to grow our presence in the country,” said Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta.

In addition to Helijet, Beta has Alia purchase orders from UPS, Blade, Bristow Group, LCI Aviation, United Therapeutics, and Air New Zealand, and the aircraft are expected to fulfill a variety of use cases. However, Beta plans to target cargo and medical delivery and military and defense missions before transporting passengers, per Tuesday’s announcement.

Earlier this month, the company opened a 188,500-square-foot final assembly plant at Vermont’s Burlington International Airport (KBTV), which it says is the first such operational facility for electric aircraft in the U.S. Beta also claims the site is the largest net-zero manufacturing plant east of the Mississippi River.

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The post Canada’s Helijet Makes History with Beta eVTOL Order appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The FAA and the U.S. Air Force are stepping up efforts to integrate advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft into U.S. airspace.

This week, the regulator and the military’s aviation arm agreed to exchange flight test data and combine their capabilities for testing AAM aircraft designs, such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) or autonomous aircraft. The new collaboration is meant to mature—and safely integrate—the emerging technologies with airports, individual pilots, policies, communications, and other aircraft within the nation’s complex national airspace system (NAS).

“A new era of aviation is taking off, and safe and efficient operations require collaboration,” said John Maffei, the FAA’s technology development director. “This data will help inform FAA certification efforts, policies, standards, and future airspace integration requirements.”

On Wednesday, Maffei on behalf of the FAA signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Colonel Elliott Leigh, chief commercial officer for the Air Force and the director of AFWERX, a technology directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory that serves as the department’s innovation arm. AFWERX’s goal is to accelerate new aircraft capabilities by connecting private sector companies with department resources, including airmen.

“We intend to utilize all the various aircraft and traffic management systems we have access to in order to help the FAA gain the data they need to accelerate regulatory changes to enable emerging technology integration,” Darshan “Dash” Divakaran, AFWERX head of airspace innovation and Prime partnerships, told FLYING.

The signing of the MOU took place during an event at Duke Field (KEGI), a military airport at Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base. The airfield houses the 919th Special Operations Wing, an Air Force Reserve unit.

Two manufacturers working with AFWERX, Joby Aviation, and Beta Technologies have already delivered an eVTOL aircraft and an electric aircraft charger, respectively, to Eglin. Beta this week also flew its Alia eCTOL (electric conventional takeoff and landing) on a 1,500 nm journey across 12 states, landing at Duke Field on Thursday. The companies will train Air Force pilots to fly their respective aircraft, which will soon be used to conduct testing and experimentation.

“Even prior to the signing of the MOU, AFWERX Prime and the FAA began exploring ways to integrate efforts and share data,” said Divakaran. “One example is the Prime Logistics team meeting with the Emerging Technology office within the FAA’s Office of Airports to share information and lessons learned through the installation of the first eVTOL charging station on a DOD installation at Duke Field.”

AFWERX and the FAA emphasized that the MOU supports the development of U.S.-built aircraft in particular, as well as the infrastructure and regulations that will enable safe integration.

“We are driving progress in propulsion technology, in manufacturing and materials, and in test and safety for a novel class of air vehicles,” said Leigh. “Keeping this effort rooted in the United States, building our national security and accelerating innovation for our airmen and guardians are all crucial for the Air Force… I am excited about this industry’s direction and the Air Force’s role in shaping it.”

Just in the past three years, AFWERX has awarded more than $345 million in contracts to 36 electric aircraft and technology developers, which supports the country’s developing national AAM strategy, said Leigh. By his estimate, Air Force investments, certifications, partnerships, and testing have helped the program funnel over $11 billion in commercial investment into the AAM sector.

Specifically, the MOU was signed between the FAA and AFWERX Prime, a subdivision seeking to “prime” emerging commercial markets. Prime offers a sort of quid pro quo: The Air Force provides resources for contracted private companies to field their aircraft more quickly, while the military gets to explore use cases for designs not yet on the commercial market.

Joby, for example, had its eVTOL air taxi in the skies above Eglin within a week of delivery—and well ahead of its expected commercial launch in 2025. The Air Force, meanwhile, received a shiny, new aircraft to test unexplored military applications. Everybody wins.

Joby and Beta are far from the only eVTOL manufacturers under contract with AFWERX. Competitor Archer Aviation, for instance, signed a deal worth up to $142 million for the delivery of six Midnight air taxis in July. Another firm, Jump Aero, recently extended its contract, while Pipistrel this week sealed the first AFWERX agreement for its Velis Electro.

Now, the FAA will have access to the data and learnings these firms uncover while flying with the Air Force.

“This MOU is a big step for the future of AAM and provides industry and investors the confidence needed to accelerate forward,” said Divakaran in a press release. “This partnership validates why the DOD created the AFWERX Agility Prime program to focus on AAM and dual-use technology.”

This week’s agreement comes a few months after the FAA released Innovate28, its plan to enable safe, near-term AAM operations using existing infrastructure, regulations, and systems. The agency hopes it will culminate in scaled operations in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where several eVTOL air taxi firms are expected to ferry spectators and athletes around the city.

FAA officials believe the MOU supports Innovate28’s initial entry into service targets. Future phases, as described by the agency’s Urban Air Mobility Concept of Operations (UAM ConOps), released in May, could also be impacted. The UAM ConOps is essentially a blueprint that provides guidance on AAM operations down the line as the industry matures.

“We intend to continue to explore areas for integrated testing by collaborating with the FAA’s Innovate28 team, which is consolidating research and data requirements from across the FAA’s lines of business,” Divakaran told FLYING.

Collaborating with the Air Force could help the FAA make up some ground on U.S. leadership in the eVTOL space. 

To the surprise of many in the industry, the agency last year reversed course on eVTOL classification. Rather than obtaining type certification in the normal class under Part 23 light aircraft regulations—which was the expectation for years—manufacturers were informed they would need to switch to the special class process under FAR 21.17(b), certifying in the newly added “powered lift” category. The change forced the FAA to reissue certification bases to a handful of firms, including Joby and Archer.

Since then, the FAA published a final rule that defined powered-lift operations in regulations covering other commercial operations, such as airlines or charters. It also proposed a rule for training and certifying powered-lift pilots, though the proposal was widely panned by several major industry groups.

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The post New Collaboration Between Air Force and FAA Could Give AAM a Lift appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Beta Technologies said its Alia electric aircraft landed Thursday at Duke Field, a subsidiary of Eglin Air Force Base, to begin a months-long deployment period with the U.S. Air Force. The aircraft, which made a series of flights down the East Coast to reach the base in Florida, is to be used for a series of experiments.

The Alia’s arrival at Duke marks the company’s first delivery of an aircraft to a contracted partner and the Air Force’s receipt of its first manned Beta aircraft. Beta recently worked with the Air Force to arrange the installation and commissioning of one of the company’s chargers at Duke Field earlier this month.

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies Opens Electric-Aircraft Assembly Plant in Vermont

Beta said the aircraft and its main flight testing team will stay at Duke for several months to work with the 413th Squadron to conduct hands-on experimentation and training with the Alia and its related technology. As part of the program, the Air Force will test and validate potential uses for the aircraft, including critical resupply, cargo delivery, and personnel transport.

During the trip from its home field in Plattsburgh, New York (KPBG), the Beta crew flew the Alia more than 1,500 nm across 12 states using a special market research certificate issued by the FAA. The company said it used the series of flights to test the aircraft in many challenging scenarios, such as flying through Boston’s Class B airspace and the Flight Restricted Zone around Washington, D.C. Beta also met with local airport and municipal officials during its many stops along the route and marked the installation of a charging station at Marshfield Municipal Airport (KHGH) in Massachusetts with a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this month.

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies, Shoreline Aviation Partner with Massachusetts Agencies to Promote Electric Aviation

The company also held a groundbreaking event for the first electric aircraft charger in North Carolina at Raleigh Executive Jetport (KTTA), a project conducted in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and AFWERX, an Air Force program that fosters innovation within its ranks.

“For the past several years, AFWERX has provided critical input and support to the Beta programs. Deploying Alia for experimentation and training at Duke Field is the natural next step in our partnership,” said Kyle Clark, Beta’s founder and CEO. “We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Air Force over the next few months as we work together to assess how the economic, sustainability, and energy independence benefits of electric aviation can serve our military.”

To supplement its collaboration, Beta provided a mobile simulator for training Air Force pilots in preparation for operations in the full-size Alia aircraft.

“The Department of the Air Force is constantly searching for the next generation of technology to make our warfighters safer and more efficient,” said Colonel Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force. “As agile innovators, we believe that partnering with American businesses is the key to this goal for delivering disruptive air capabilities.”

Beta said its Alia eCTOL and eVTOL aircraft continue to progress toward FAA certification. The company said it anticipates the eCTOL model will enter service in 2025 followed by the eVTOL in 2026.

The post Beta Technologies’ Alia Electric Aircraft, Crew Arrive at Eglin AFB for Testing Program appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In a significant leap toward sustainable aviation, Pipistrel, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., has announced that the Velis Electro, the world’s first type-certified electric aircraft, has been selected by the U.S. Air Force for its Agility Prime program (AFWERX).

Agility Prime, the service’s cutting-edge, vertical lift initiative, explores the operational and training potential of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for various mission-critical purposes, including training and operations.

• READ MORE: Pipistrel Delivers First Electric Aircraft to Canada

“AFWERX and MTSI’s selection of the Velis Electro is a powerful endorsement of Pipistrel and the growing acceptance by leading organizations of this area of emerging technology,” Kriya Shortt, president and CEO of Textron’s eAviation segment, said in a release. “This marks an important milestone on the journey to sustainable flight, and we are proud to support the Agility Prime program as the Velis enters its fleet.”

Pipistrel, headquartered in Slovenia, said the Velis Electro stands out as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly choice for flight training, with its mature electric engine design developed in-house by Pipistrel. Company president Gabriel Massey emphasizes the aircraft’s remarkable potential.

“The Velis Electro is a cost-effective and sustainable option for flight training,” Massey said. “With its mature electric engine design…the Velis Electro leads the industry in carrying out more sustainable pilot training and other missions.”

Two Velis Electro aircraft will be directly supported by Pipistrel’s distributor, Lincoln Park Aviation, which the company believes marks a stride toward a greener, more sustainable future in aviation.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Plane & Pilot.

The post Pipistrel’s Velis Electro Promises Electric Revolution appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Archer Aviation’s Midnight electric air taxi is finally airborne.

After receiving a special airworthiness certificate from the FAA to begin testing the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) design in August, a noncomforming Midnight prototype has completed its inaugural test flight.

The five-seat aircraft—the first Midnight prototype to be rolled off the manufacturer’s Palo Alto, California, production line in May—made an uncrewed, untethered hover flight on Tuesday, marking the next phase of Archer’s flight test regimen. 

Following uncrewed flights, the firm will move to piloted “for-credit” testing with the FAA, using a type-conforming Midnight model. That campaign is considered one of the final steps in eVTOL type certification. Archer expects for-credit testing to begin in early 2024.

Midnight’s first flight follows four years of testing with earlier prototypes, including two years spent evaluating a pair of Maker aircraft. Maker is the company’s two-seat, 80-percent-scale version of Midnight, which it uses as a technology demonstrator.

“This next phase of Archer’s flight test program is only possible because of the four years of flight testing we’ve done,” said Adam Goldstein, the firm’s founder and CEO. “Midnight is building on the successes of its predecessor aircraft and represents another significant step forward in Archer’s path to commercialization. The next year and a half will be focused on continuing to rapidly advance our flight test program and Archer’s electric air taxi operations.”

Archer said uncrewed Midnight flight testing will “progress rapidly” over the coming months, quickly advancing from simple hover maneuvers to transitions between vertical lift and full wing-borne cruise.

Simultaneously, the manufacturer plans to continue its Maker flight test program, flying simulated commercial routes to prepare for the launch of commercial operations. That’s scheduled for 2025 after Midnight obtains type certification and other FAA-required approvals.

“Having taken seven full-size eVTOL aircraft from design to flight test during my career in the eVTOL industry, [Tuesday’s] milestone with Midnight marks the most significant flight to date, bringing Archer and the eVTOL industry another step closer to bringing a scalable and commercially viable aircraft to market,” said Archer chief operating officer Tom Muniz, who previously served as vice president of engineering for Kitty Hawk and its eVTOL manufacturing spinoff, Wisk Aero.

Archer expects Midnight to fly in U.S. markets such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and the New York City metro area in partnership with United Airlines, which in 2021 invested in the manufacturer. The airline placed an order for 100 aircraft valued at $1 billion, with an option for $500 million worth of additional units. It made an initial $10 million prepayment to Archer in August 2022.

Midnight can carry a pilot and up to four passengers (or 1,000 pounds of cargo) as far as 100 sm (87 nm) at a cruise speed of 130 knots. But the air taxi is optimized for back-to-back, short-hop flights with about 12 minutes of downtime in between, which will be used to charge the aircraft.

By Archer’s estimate, 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) trips that would normally take up to an hour and a half by car will be replaced by 10- to 20-minute flights. Because Midnight will have such little downtime—and will be cheaper to produce than its competitors, the company claims—Archer believes its air taxi routes will be cost-competitive with ground-based rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft.

Midnight’s 12 electric engines run on six lithium-ion battery packs from Taiwanese manufacturer Molicel, powering a dozen propellers. The tiltrotor design positions six of them on each side of the aircraft’s fixed wings—the front props tilt forward during cruise to provide added thrust, while the back props lock in place. Archer says the propulsion system allows Midnight to produce 45 dB less noise than a helicopter while at cruising altitude.

The manufacturer’s agreement with Molicel is one of many it leverages to source parts and systems for Midnight, which allows it to funnel more time and money into aircraft performance, certification, and operational readiness. The design incorporates avionics from Safran and Garmin and actuators from Honeywell.

Archer also has a battery development and sourcing collaboration with automaker Stellantis, with which it signed an exclusive mass production partnership in January.

What It Means

Even with Midnight’s inaugural flight, Archer will need to complete plenty of additional testing before obtaining type certification. But the milestone adds to the manufacturer’s recent momentum and should help it stay on track.

Stellantis is now working with Archer to build what the firm described as the “world’s largest” eVTOL production plant in Covington, Georgia. Construction on the facility began in March. Phase one of the site is expected to be completed by 2024 and will span 350,000 square feet, allowing Archer to churn out 650 aircraft per year.

Earlier this month, Archer closed a financing agreement with Synovus Bank, securing $65 million in fresh capital. The funding will cover the “substantial majority” of phase one construction costs, adding to incentives from the state of Georgia and $150 million worth of equity capital from Stellantis, which the company will be able to draw from as needed throughout this year and next.

In the future, phase two of construction could expand the site to 900,000 square feet, giving it enough juice to produce up to 2,000 Midnight models per year.

Archer’s main U.S. competitor, Joby Aviation, announced the location of its own scaled manufacturing plant last month. The firm’s facility at Dayton International Airport (KDAY) is initially expected to produce 500 air taxis annually, with the potential for more down the line. Recently, Joby began crewed flight testing of its production prototype with a pilot on board.

But neither company will be able to ramp up manufacturing until they obtain FAA production certification, which will follow type approval. Having received the first eVTOL airworthiness criteria from the agency at the end of 2022, Archer and Joby are two of the furthest along in that process among U.S. electric air taxi manufacturers.

Following the start of Midnight flight testing, Archer anticipates it will deliver the first of six aircraft to the U.S. Air Force as early as this year. The shipments are part of its lucrative contracts with AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, which explores defense applications for emerging aircraft designs and seeks to accelerate their commercial deployment.

The agreement, worth up to $142 million, is one of the largest defense contracts for an eVTOL manufacturer. Archer kicked off the execution phase earlier this month after receiving an initial $1 million deposit for a mobile flight simulator, which the Air Force will use to train pilots on Midnight’s systems. 

Once the aircraft arrives, pilots will deploy it for personnel transport, logistics support, rescue operations, and other missions. Other military branches will be able to leverage the contracts for additional projects. Archer has even hinted that it could one day develop a version of Midnight specifically for Air Force applications.

The partnership should give Archer valuable insights on Midnight’s performance, aiding its flight test campaign. Following FAA type, production, and airworthiness approvals, the manufacturer will also need to obtain a Part 135 air carrier certificate for powered-lift operations to begin flying as a commercial operator.

In addition to U.S. cities, the Middle East could launch Midnight’s earliest commercial flights. Archer recently announced a plan to establish air taxi routes across the United Arab Emirates in 2026, working with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.

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The South Korean market is in the crosshairs of plenty of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers not based in the country: Joby Aviation, Vertical Aerospace, Jaunt Air Mobility, Hyundai’s Supernal, Embraer’s Eve Air Mobility…the list goes on and on.

And it just got longer.

Santa Ana, California-based Overair is the latest such firm to put down roots in South Korea. The manufacturer of the Butterfly eVTOL—along with strategic collaborator Hanwha Systems, one of its largest investors—signed a trio of agreements with Korean partners during this week’s International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) in Seoul.

The agreements call for the delivery of 20 aircraft to a local helicopter operator, the creation of a nationwide advanced air mobility (AAM) network, and—perhaps most interestingly—the provision of aircraft and training for the Korean National Police (KNP).

“Overair is a company with global ambitions,” said Overair CEO Ben Tigner. “Announcing these agreements at Seoul ADEX2023 not only shows the importance of these partnerships in Korea but also exemplifies our commitment to supporting all aspects of AAM worldwide.”

What’s Being Delivered?

A letter of intent (LOI) between Overair and helicopter transportation company HeliKorea calls for the purchase of 20 Butterfly eVTOLs. The Korean firm will integrate the aircraft into its business to enable medical, executive, and cargo transport, as well as other use cases such as firefighting and inspections of infrastructure, such as high-voltage power lines. Overair will provide pilot and maintenance training.

The company’s six-seat eVTOL is designed to carry five passengers and a pilot, or 1,100 pounds of cargo. The final production model is expected to have a 100 sm (87 nm) range and a 200 mph (174 knots) top speed. Butterfly’s cabin is adaptable for a variety of use cases. In addition to those listed above, Overair also plans to use it for on-demand ridesharing, critical patient and organ transport, military missions, and other applications.

According to the company, a trip between Santa Ana’s John Wayne Airport (KSNA) and Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX)—a distance of 43 sm (37 nm)—is expected to take just 18 minutes with Butterfly’s 180 mph (156 knots) cruise speed. Driving between the two airfields would take closer to 70 minutes by Overair’s estimate.

The aircraft’s propulsion system was developed with the expertise of Abe Karem, considered to be one of the pioneers of uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) technology. Boasting what may be the coolest nickname in the aviation industry—“the dronefather”—Karem is widely recognized for his contribution in developing the MQ-1 Predator drone for General Atomics, which laid the foundation for the advanced UAVs deployed by the U.S. military today.

After departing General Atomics, Karem spent decades working on U.S. military VTOL programs with his company, Frontier Systems, that was later acquired by Boeing. His team led the development of what became Boeing’s A160 Hummingbird UAV, breaking numerous altitude and endurance records in the process while keeping noise to a minimum. The propulsion systems aboard the Hummingbird represent the early stages of Butterfly’s architecture.

The aviation pioneer founded Karem Aircraft in 2004, spinning out Overair in 2020 and joining the new company as its principal designer. Karem’s largest contribution to Butterfly is the TR-36 Optimum Tilt Speed Rotor, which was evaluated by the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift program as a component for the next generation of rotorcraft that will replace Army helicopters.

Butterfly’s four TR-36 rotors—each with massive, 20-plus-foot propellers—spin slowly during hover and even slower during cruise. Each blade is controlled individually and precisely by a proprietary system. Since the slow-spinning propellers draw from only a fraction of the aircraft;s motor power, Overair says they increase payload capacity and excess power margins.

The company claims its propulsion system gives Butterfly the broadest flight envelope and smallest sound footprint (55 dBA, by its estimate) of any eVTOL under development. It also describes the aircraft as having the “broadest capability of any eVTOL” to fly in weather conditions such as rain and wind, a common limitation of other designs.

Butterfly relies on fly-by-wire envelope protection for safety and can hover on two of its four propellers with the help of its “quad-redundant” architecture.

Korean Police Get an Eye in the Sky

Also this week, Overair signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korean construction company Daewoo E&C. The agreement establishes a plan for the firms to jointly develop a series of AAM networks across Southeast Asian markets. 

The partners will develop and implement an AAM concept of operations, pick out local operators and vertiport sites, create urban air traffic management (UATM) systems, and work with local aviation and government authorities to develop a regulatory framework for commercial service in the region. Daewoo will build the vertiports, while Overair will provide operational and integration expertise.

But the most interesting of Overair’s three announcements is perhaps the MOU it signed with the KNP. As some U.S. law enforcement agencies crack down on their use of drones, the agreement aims to give Korean police access to a much larger UAV.

The KNP’s Human Resources Development Institute will develop training programs for its officers, which will in part be led by Overair. Topics covered will include vertiport development and integration, pilot training, AAM deployment, maintenance, and more.

Should the agreement come to fruition, Korean law enforcement could use Butterfly for rapid response or dispatch, allowing it to bypass the busy streets below. For example, Jump Aero, a U.S. firm developing an eVTOL for first responders, estimates its aircraft could fly anywhere within a 31-mile radius in as little as eight minutes.

Overair partner Hanwha will provide operational support for all three agreements made this week. It will also lend its technology—which includes air travel infrastructure, communication, surveillance, software management, and other systems—to certify UATM services in Korea and ensure safe operations.

“Overair is committed to supporting South Korea’s strong AAM ambitions through partnerships like these that ensure all facets of the ecosystem are considered,” said Tigner. “Local governments, operators, and infrastructure providers alike will play an integral role as we enter this new era of transportation. We look forward to collaborating with our partners at Hanwha Systems on these exciting new projects.”

Other Plans for Butterfly

This week’s trio of partnerships comes on the heels of an MOU between Overair, Hanwha, and Korea’s Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, signed last week, to bring an AAM ecosystem to Jeju Island. The island is South Korea’s largest and a major tourist destination.

The partners will jointly develop AAM infrastructure, manufacturing, training, maintenance and repair organizations (MRO), and other aspects of the network. It will support public, medical, and tourism operations on the island, helping it reach its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Elsewhere, Overair hopes to certify Butterfly with the FAA and is working through its G-1 Stage 3 means of compliance, which will establish the criteria for validating its certification basis. Full-scale Butterfly prototype flight testing will begin next year. A collaboration between the FAA and the Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA), meanwhile, aims to harmonize AAM certification and integration between the two nations, creating a path to certifying Butterfly in South Korea.

Following certification, Overair will launch in Korea as well as the U.S. in partnership with Houston-based Bristow Group. An agreement between the two includes a preorder for 20 to 50 aircraft. The firms will also develop commercialization plans and an operational framework, with an eye on flying commercial air taxi routes in Bristow service areas.

In addition, Overair, among other eVTOL manufacturers, is working with Urban Movement Labs, a Los Angeles government-community transportation partnership, to enable AAM infrastructure and operations in the area. It plans to launch there in the future and will highlight Butterfly during the city’s 2028 Olympic Games, alongside other players.

The L.A. Olympics are viewed by many eVTOL manufacturers as a key deadline for air taxi services at scale, in line with the FAA’s Innovate28 plan for early AAM operations in U.S. cities. Several of them are eyeing the City of Angels as a potential launch market.

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Los Angeles residents over the weekend got the city’s first glimpse of a new kind of aircraft that could soon become a mainstay in the area.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Wisk Aero, a subsidiary of Boeing, on Monday said it became the first in the industry to conduct public demonstration flights of an electric air taxi in Los Angeles County.

Wisk landed in the City of Angels earlier this month, beginning private flight testing out of Long Beach Airport (KLGB) with its fifth-generation eVTOL, also known as Cora. The tests allowed the firm to evaluate autonomous flight operations in a real-world commercial environment, right beside other passenger aircraft.

The flight program was capped off with a public, multitransition demonstration during the airport’s Festival of Flight on Saturday. The one-day event was free and open to the public.

“I am proud to see the future of flight becoming a reality in Long Beach,” said Rex Richardson, the city’s mayor. “Long Beach has been a leader in aviation for decades, and those careers helped build and sustain the middle class here for generations. I am looking forward to working with Wisk and Boeing to create good jobs and integrating a safe, quiet, and environmentally responsible transportation option in Long Beach.”

Unlike its core rivals (with the exception of China’s EHang), Wisk is looking to fly without onboard pilots from the jump, instead relying upon a combination of autonomy and human oversight. It’s also the exclusive provider of autonomy technology for Archer Aviation following the settlement of a prolonged legal battle between the two manufacturers.

As part of that agreement, Boeing contributed to a $215 million investment in Archer, which also included partners Stellantis and United Airlines.

Per Monday’s announcement, Wisk has now completed more than 1,700 test flights. Those include another public demonstration of Cora at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which the company said was the world’s first for an autonomous, fixed-wing eVTOL. EHang in 2020 made a public flight in South Korea, but its EH216-S is not a fixed-wing design.

Wisk also displayed its four-seat Gen 6 design for VIPs on Capitol Hill during the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Aerospace Summit in Washington, D.C., last month. But it did not take flight.

Over the weekend, company representatives met with Mayor Richardson, Los Angeles area officials, and leadership from Boeing—which became Wisk’s sole owner in June—to discuss the future of advanced air mobility (AAM) services in the area.

“Autonomous flight is possible today, and it’s happening now in LA,” said Brian Yutko, CEO of Wisk. “Los Angeles is a target launch city for many in our industry and we are extremely proud to be the first air taxi company to fly in LA—and to have done so with an autonomous aircraft. We are fortunate to have the partnership and support of Boeing throughout the area to help build relationships and advance our mission.”

A Crowded Market?

Though it will not necessarily launch in Los Angeles, Wisk in 2022 formed an alliance with the Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP) to evaluate how autonomous electric air taxis, expected to be part of a broader regional network, might impact the local economy.

The partners are also assessing local residents’ willingness to use eVTOL aircraft for short-hop flights over the city’s congested streets. One of the most traffic-heavy metros in North America, Los Angeles is quickly becoming a hot spot for electric air taxis, with Archer, Germany’s Volocopter, and Hyundai subsidiary Supernal all having worked with Urban Movement Labs—an LA government-community transportation partnership—for several years. A fourth firm, Overair, signed a deal with UML in 2022.

By the time Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympic Games, the FAA hopes to have enabled U.S. AAM operations at scale, as laid out in its Innovate28 plan. The city itself also anticipates robust operations by then—Joby Aviation, in partnership with Delta Airlines, is expected to be one of the early entrants.

Supernal is also eyeing the LA market, and competition could heat up further with the potential entry of Archer and United. A partnership between the two calls for the airline’s acquisition of up to 200 Midnight eVTOLs to fly passengers to United hub airports—Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX) is one of them.

California in general is something of a hub for eVTOL firms, with Wisk (Mountain View), Joby (Santa Cruz), and Archer (San Jose) all setting up headquarters in the Bay Area. Overair is based in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Ana with flight testing facilities in nearby Victorville. Supernal, based in D.C., has a research and development facility in nearby Fremont, as well as an engineering headquarters close to Los Angeles in Irvine. Both Joby and Archer have conducted flight testing in the state for years.

In addition, Joby, Overair and several of the aforementioned manufacturers played a pivotal role in the formation of a dedicated AAM advisory committee for the state with the passage of California SB 800, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month. Many of them expect to fly during the 2028 Olympic Games.

Why Los Angeles?

Wisk recently sponsored research, conducted by California State University at Long Beach, which found that the operation of a 20-vertiport network spanning the Greater Los Angeles-Orange County area could generate $2 million in economic output for every $1 million of initial expenditure. 

More specifically, researchers estimated such a network would create 943 jobs, deliver more than $90 million in labor income, and generate about $173 million in expenditures annually. Construction of the network alone could add more than 2,100 jobs and churn out more than $420 million in economic output, they approximated.

Supernal, meanwhile, is working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory—within the U.S. Department of Energy—to explore the feasibility, challenges, and opportunities for AAM operations in the Los Angeles area, including the necessary infrastructure.

Besides the potential economic impact and the opportunity to eliminate traffic, LA is viewed by many manufacturers as a promising market for eVTOL aircraft for several reasons.

The city regularly scores an “F” in regard to managing air pollution, which zero-emissions vehicles such as eVTOL aircraft could mitigate. Weather conditions—often clear and sunny outside of the “June Gloom” period each summer—are also ideal for initial AAM operations. And historically, California has been a bastion for environmentally friendly tech, which could raise consumer confidence in the novel aircraft.

Los Angeles may also have a leg up on other U.S. cities when it comes to AAM infrastructure. A 2021 Georgia Tech University survey, published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, suggested six local airports (including Long Beach Airport and LAX) as potential waypoints for eVTOL passengers.

Additionally, infrastructure in downtown Los Angeles, such as rooftops, “could potentially be converted to vertiports,” the survey noted. Archer and Joby in 2021 each announced Los Angeles as a launch city for their respective vertiport networks. Both are working with parking garage operator Reef to convert parking garage roofs into eVTOL landing pads.

Wisk, too, will need to construct its own vertiports, enlist a partner to build them, or form agreements with airports or FBOs to allow vertical takeoffs and landings. The Boeing subsidiary does not have a firm commercial launch date but has said its Gen 6 model will enter service before the end of the decade.

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Hello, and welcome to the Future of FLYING newsletter, our weekly look at the biggest stories in emerging aviation technology. From low-altitude drones to high-flying rockets at the edge of the atmosphere, we’ll take you on a tour of the modern flying world to help you make sense of it all.

Now for this week’s top story:

China’s EHang Earns World’s First eVTOL Type Certificate

What happened? The U.S. was beaten to a key AAM milestone…by a familiar foe. China’s civil aviation authority (CAAC) last week awarded Guangzhou-based EHang the world’s first type certificate for an eVTOL aircraft, dealing somewhat of a blow to U.S. companies working toward that goal with the FAA. At the same time, though, the rising tide could raise all boats, so to speak.

EHang’s milestone: The Chinese manufacturer’s EH216-S—designed for passenger air taxi and tourism services—is now type certified and authorized for commercial operations and scaled production. Amazingly, the first type-approved eVTOL flies autonomously, with no pilot on board. Among the major players globally, Boeing’s Wisk Aero is the only other firm that wants to fly autonomous from the jump.

During a 30-month process, the EH216-S was thoroughly scrutinized and tested, completing more than 40,000 preliminary flights—some with passengers on board. Rivals Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation are the closest to beginning “for credit” testing with the FAA in the U.S.

The playing field: Joby recently began testing its eVTOL with a pilot on board, while Archer appears set to reach that stage next year. Wisk, meanwhile, is looking further out, eyeing commercial operations before the end of the decade. But there’s a high likelihood the next eVTOL type certification also comes from abroad.

Germany’s Volocopter expects to type certify its VoloCity air taxi in time for a commercial launch during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, ahead of Joby and Archer’s initial air taxi routes in the U.S. (planned for 2025). Another German manufacturer, Lilium, is the only eVTOL firm with certification bases established from both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Quick quote: “For the industry, the first type certificate for an eVTOL aircraft is a major step forward, as it shows that a player has met the expectations around safety, reliability, etc. that the regulator imposes to protect the public. It opens up the commercial market and allows the start of initial commercial operations, assuming operating regulation is also in place. That is an exciting moment for the industry,” Robin Riedel, who co-leads the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility, told FLYING.

My take: So…what does this all mean? In my mind, there are two ways to view EHang’s milestone: as a blow to its U.S. rivals, or as a boon for the AAM industry as a whole.

Let’s start with that first perspective. Obviously, the U.S. wants to be the first nation with a robust AAM industry, and type certification is a major step. EHang (for now) is only permitted to fly in China, which should allow the U.S. market to develop concurrently. However, the eastern superpower now has a head start, and it could capitalize by growing its AAM services at a faster rate—especially if other firms obtain the approval EHang did.

Now for the counterpoint: Perhaps a rising tide will lift all boats? The FAA has shown to be more methodical when it comes to AAM regulations, opting for a different process than regulators in the EU and elsewhere. But China has now shown the world that it’s possible to quickly certify an eVTOL, albeit with the caveat that certification does not necessarily equate to safe flight. 

Faced with the pressure of beating out its rival—amplified by Chinese dominance in the commercial drone market—maybe the FAA could take a page or two from its playbook.

Deep dive: China’s EHang Earns World’s First eVTOL Type Certificate

In Other News…

Amazon Makes a Flurry of Drone Delivery Announcements

What happened? After months of radio silence, Amazon provided an update on its Prime Air drone delivery service—four updates to be more accurate. The e-commerce giant said it will add prescription drone delivery in Texas, announced an international expansion, unveiled its latest design, and revealed that its drones will soon be integrated into its massive delivery network.

Back on track? It’s hard to describe Prime Air’s current drone delivery offerings as anything other than a disappointment. After a decade of hyping up the service, Amazon in May said it had completed just 100 deliveries in California and Texas, a far cry from its projections. But with the addition of prescription delivery and an expansion into the U.K., Italy, and another unnamed U.S. city, the company clearly has not given up.

The integration of drones into Amazon’s unparalleled delivery network could be huge. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The firm has an unparalleled lattice of thousands of facilities worldwide, all deliberately built to be close to as many customers as possible. Sounds like an ideal hub for short-range delivery drones.

Deep dive: Amazon Adds Texas Prescription Drone Delivery, Announces International Expansion

Archer Lays Groundwork for Service in the UAE

What happened? The Middle East is quickly becoming a hot spot for eVTOL activity, and Archer is the latest to enter the action. The air taxi manufacturer is working with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to set up shop in the United Arab Emirates, with plans to build a new headquarters, add manufacturing capabilities, and launch commercial service in Abu Dhabi in 2026.

AAM in the UAE: Archer’s facilities will be located in Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster, a planned urban community announced last week. The cluster has the backing of Emirati higher-ups and recently inducted Archer rival Joby, which also plans to establish a footprint in the country.

The UAE is pouring millions of dollars into its AAM industry and has also hosted flights from Volocopter, China’s XPeng, and several others. A few firms—including a California-based eVTOL manufacturer—have already set up shop in the country. If all goes according to plan, they and Archer will be some of the first companies to offer AAM services in the Middle East.

Deep Dive: Archer Plans to Launch Electric Air Taxi Flights Across the UAE

And a Few More Headlines:

• Lilium partnered with Houston-based EMCJET to begin selling its Jet Pioneer Edition to wealthy individual customers in the U.S.

• Jetson Aero’s Jetson One personal electric aircraft earned Italy’s first ultralight eVTOL certification.

• NASA unveiled plans for a new 36-acre Berkeley Space Center, located at its Ames Research Center in California.

• The agency also received a lift from SpaceX, which launched the Psyche asteroid mission spacecraft aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket.

• Beta Technologies partnered with FBO and airport management firm Shoreline Aviation to install Massachusetts’ first electric aircraft charging station.

Spotlight on…

Turbulence Solutions

This week, I’m not the only one holding the spotlight. A video posted to X (formerly Twitter) by Austrian startup Turbulence Solutions garnered millions of viewers, who were likely intrigued (as I was) by the firm’s Turbulence Canceling technology.

Turbulence Solutions predicts its tech will reduce the turbulence felt by passengers by as much as 80 percent. In the video, a simulated flight comparison demonstrates how aircraft might behave with and without it. Real-life footage depicting views from an aircraft cockpit and one of the wings shows what the solution will look like in action. The basic idea is to use a combination of sensors, lidar, and flight control software to predict and adjust to turbulence.

Andras Galffy, the firm’s founder, CEO, and head of technology and research, told FLYING the company will first integrate its solution on GA and eVTOL aircraft. Already, the system has been tested on crewed demonstrator aircraft, and Turbulence Solutions recently got its first customer: a manufacturer of 1,300-pound ultralights.

Deep Dive: Startup Looking to Eliminate Turbulence for GA Pilots Goes Viral

On the Horizon…

First, briefly revisiting EHang’s type certification milestone, China’s progress on AAM operations is something to keep an eye on. Electric air taxis are not in the country’s skies just yet. But successful or not, EHang’s commercial flights will give regulators in the U.S. and elsewhere valuable information, which could inform new AAM policies and strategies.

Staying on the topic of AAM, AFWERX, the U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm, is working with the Department of Transportation’s AAM Interagency Working Group to shape regulations for the U.S. market. Already, AFWERX has plenty of expertise with emerging aircraft. And combined with upcoming deliveries of eVTOL aircraft from Joby and Archer, the department could offer a unique perspective on regulations.

Elsewhere, regulators in the U.K. and Australia continue to explore beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations. The U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority has selected six trials—covering innovations from medical drone delivery to “sky highways”—with the hope that they can inform the regulator’s BVLOS policy. 

The Australian aviation authority (CASA), meanwhile, requested public feedback on a survey designed to collect data on BVLOS drone use. It too will use its learnings to develop a regulatory framework for low-risk operations beyond the pilot’s view.

Mark Your Calendars

Each week, I’ll be running through a list of upcoming industry events. Intergeo 2023 and Dronitaly wrapped up last week across the Atlantic, but here are a few conferences to keep an eye on:

• Airtec 2023—Wednesday-October 27 in Augsburg, Germany
• World’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Conference—November 12-14 in Jerusalem
• Dubai Air Show—November 13-17 in Dubai, UAE
• Aerospace Tech Week Americas 2023—November 14-15 in Atlanta
• Advanced Air Mobility Summit 2023—November 20-21 in Lisbon, Portugal
• ICAO Drone Enable—December 5-7 in Montreal
• 11th Annual eVTOL Symposium—February 6-8 in Silicon Valley, California
• Drone Show Korea 2024—March 6-8 in Busan, South Korea
• AUVSI Xponential 2024—April 22-25 in San Diego 
• Vertical Flight Society’s Forum 80—May 7-9 in Montreal

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German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Lilium will eventually begin working with airlines, brokers, and charter operators to launch passenger-ferrying air taxi routes. But first it has another customer in mind: multimillionaires.

Lilium on Wednesday announced a partnership with Houston-based EMCJET, a full-service aircraft brokerage and management firm, to sell its first edition eVTOL—billed at a hefty $10 million—to individuals in the U.S. The company said its Jet Pioneer Edition will be the first aircraft of its kind available for private sale on the U.S. market.

Aimed at wealthy buyers, the Pioneer Edition is the planned launch edition of the firm’s seven-seat Lilium Jet and will be sold to GA and business aviation operators around the world. Only 50 units will be built and delivered, according to a Lilium shareholder presentation in June. In August, the manufacturer unveiled the aircraft’s cabin design, which features a club-four seating configuration.

According to Matthew Broffman, head of Lilium partnerships and network for the Americas, the rollout of the Pioneer Edition is a key part of the company’s long-term path to market.

“Disruptions in products, and specifically transportation, are best done when starting with the premium market,” Broffman told FLYING. “In the 1930s, it cost half the price of a car to purchase a ticket to fly from coast to coast. Tesla didn’t launch with the Model 3, but instead the $100,000 Roadster, and even the first refrigerator cost more than $10,000 in today’s dollars.” 

Broffman continued: “Likewise, Lilium plans to sell our Pioneer Edition to a premium segment, offering an amazing experience for customers to experience the future of regional air mobility. A few years later, we plan to introduce our shuttle (6-passenger) version for airlines to operate across the globe.”

Broffman told FLYING that owners will not fly the aircraft themselves. Rather, EMCJET will provide pilots as part of its management service. Personal pilots who have received the proper FAA training and certification will also be eligible to fly them.

“EMCJET has a proven track record of safely managing privately owned aircraft under Part 91 operations and achieving high customer service levels,” Broffman said. “It has industry-leading expertise and experience selling and acquiring privately owned aircraft.”

Pioneer Edition deliveries to U.S. customers will begin once Lilium receives FAA type certification, which is expected in late 2025 or early 2026.

The Private eVTOL Market

Under the agreement, EMCJET becomes Lilium’s exclusive dealer for private sales to the Texas market through 2030. The partnership also includes a commercial commitment for the brokerage to purchase five Pioneer Edition production slots. Once those models are delivered, EMCJET will sell them nationwide, though the initial focus will be on the Texas metropolises of Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.

“This partnership with Lilium will allow us to serve our well-established network of aviation enthusiasts with the latest technological advancements and continue to provide exceptional service and results that our clients deserve and depend on,” said Memo Montemayor, founder and CEO of EMCJET.

The American firm is Lilium’s fourth global dealer for the Pioneer Edition. The partnership follows agreements with eVolare in the U.K., Air-Dynamic in Switzerland and Italy, and ASL Group in Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and Germany. Combined, the three firms have committed to order 31 aircraft.

Technically, there are a few other eVTOL designs available for private sale in the U.S. Palo Alto, California-based Pivotal, a personal eVTOL manufacturer, has already sold and delivered a half dozen Blackfly preproduction aircraft to U.S. customers. But the model is not yet widely available.

So-called “drive-and-fly” eVTOL manufacturers such as Alef Aeronautics, Aska, and Samson Sky, meanwhile, have each accepted preorder deposits or early reservations for their flying cars. However, these designs are geared more toward short, recreational flights and are intended for only one or two passengers. Lilium’s design, with four seats and a range of about 155 sm (135 nm), could be used for corporate transport, for example.

So, while one could argue that the Pioneer Edition is not the “first” eVTOL design on the U.S. market, it’s the only available model not designed purely for recreational use.

Path to Market

Lilium said the partnership with EMCJET represents the first step in unlocking the U.S. private aviation market, the largest in the world. While competitors such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation look to launch eVTOL air taxi routes from the get go, the German firm’s strategy is instead to focus on “premium” customers before rolling out Lilium Jet commercially in 2026.

“Lilium’s dealership model is part of our progressive and realistic approach to regional air mobility, where Lilium starts in the premium space and then expands to sales for scheduled shuttle service,” said Broffman.

The full-scale model, designed for a pilot and six passengers, will ferry passengers between towns and inner cities, traveling between 25 and 125 miles (21 and 108 nm) at up to 186 mph (161 knots). Its fixed-wing design features 36 small electric ducted fans embedded in the wings, setting it apart from the common tiltrotor thrust architecture used by rivals. 

The use of ducted fans sacrifices some hover efficiency but gives the aircraft significantly more efficiency during cruise, in which it’s expected to spend around 95 percent of its mission time. The fans also reduce noise to a whisper (literally—the aircraft’s projected 20 dba noise level at cruise altitude is equivalent to hushed conversation).

Lilium so far is the only eVTOL manufacturer to have obtained certification bases from both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The firm’s goal is to complete concurrent certification with both regulators so it can produce a single aircraft design for global operations.

The manufacturer received its certification basis from the European regulator in 2020, adding FAA criteria in June. It expects to obtain EASA type certification for Lilium Jet in 2025 and will leverage the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the U.S. and E.U. in hopes of gaining FAA approval by 2026, though the agreement provides no guarantee of approval or timing, even for traditional aircraft. Deliveries will begin soon after.

In the U.S., Lilium is partnered with Tavistock Development Company and the city of Orlando, Florida, to build a 56,000-square-foot vertiport in the Lake Nona Aerotropolis planned community. Columbus, Ohio-based fractional aircraft ownership company NetJets, which in 2022 agreed to purchase 150 Lilium Jets, will operate Florida air taxi routes from the facility, with plans to fly passengers as far as Miami (about 185 sm away).

Houston-based Bristow Group—which could purchase up to 50 air taxis—will provide maintenance services for Lilium in Florida and other markets. The eVTOL manufacturer also has an agreement with FlightSafety International, which will train pilots to fly Lilium Jet in Florida and elsewhere.

“Multiple U.S. operators remain extremely interested in Florida, and we think it makes a great entry market for a Lilium operator,” said Broffman.

Outside the U.S., Lilium’s largest agreement is with Brazil’s Azul. A billion-dollar deal signed in 2021 calls for it to deliver 220 of its Jets to the South American airline, which will operate and maintain the fleet. The company also has 100 aircraft orders apiece from Saudi Arabia national airline Saudia and Chinese helicopter operator Heli-Eastern, with plans to establish a footprint in both countries.

Those services could come online in just a few years, if all goes according to plan. But first Lilium will whet its appetite by selling to wealthy customers in the U.S., U.K., and mainland Europe.

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The post Lilium’s Pioneer Edition Jet Hits U.S. Market with Launch of Private Sales appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

American-made electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are coming to the Middle East.

San Jose, California-based eVTOL manufacturer Archer Aviation on Monday announced its plan to initiate electric air taxi services across the United Arab Emirates, which is expected to be the company’s first international launch market. Partnering with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Archer plans to launch nationwide in 2026.

The agreement was finalized during a signing ceremony this week, where ADIO and regional aviation leaders entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support Archer’s UAE launch. ADIO will provide incentives for the firm to build its first international headquarters and establish manufacturing capabilities in Abu Dhabi.

Archer is partially backed by Mubadala Capital, the asset management subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co.

“Archer plans to partner closely with ADIO and the [UAE’s] Department of Economic Development to bring manufacturing and operations for our air taxis to the region,” said Archer CEO Adam Goldstein. “Together, we are positioned to be a driving force in making all-electric air taxis a reality in the skies of the UAE and beyond in the coming years.”

The Details

The ADIO partnership calls for Archer to build an engineering “Center of Excellence,” which will focus on the development and implementation of advanced air mobility (AAM) technology to support the UAE’s growing AAM industry. The firm will work with Stellantis—with which it signed an exclusive manufacturing partnership in January—and local partners to support its construction, as well as that of its manufacturing plant.

“We are excited to be working with Archer to begin establishing a high-volume manufacturing facility for the Midnight aircraft in the United States over the last couple of years,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. “We hope this first production site will be a blueprint for future Archer manufacturing facilities as it expands operations to serve new regions, starting with the Middle East, where we see extraordinary potential for urban air mobility.”

The facilities will be located within the UAE’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster. Designed to speed the development of new vehicles across air, land, and sea, SAVI is backed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the city’s executive council. The urban hub launched last week and is centered in Masdar City, an urban community within the nation’s capital.

In a separate announcement, ADIO on Sunday revealed that Santa Cruz, California-based Joby Aviation—Archer’s main U.S. rival—will also participate in SAVI. Like Archer, it plans to establish a significant footprint in the region.

Archer also agreed to collaborate with local eVTOL manufacturers and maintenance and repair organization (MRO) providers to spearhead the country’s production and support SAVI’s expansion. In exchange, it will receive support from passenger helicopter operator Falcon Aviation, which agreed to operate its flagship Midnight air taxi across Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

It signed another MOU with Global Aerospace Logistics and the Advanced Military Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Center (GAL-AMMROC) to add eVTOL MRO services to the region.

Next month, Archer will showcase Midnight in the Middle East for the first time at the Dubai Airshow. The following week, the eVTOL will make an appearance at the Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuel (CAAF), hosted by ICAO and the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Archer in a press release said it is in discussions with “numerous other industry participants” and plans to announce more MOUs as Midnight tours the UAE.

“We are thrilled to work with Archer to host their first international operations in Abu Dhabi,” said Badr Al-Olama, acting director general of ADIO. “Bringing electric aviation to the UAE will help unlock congestion with zero emissions and, in turn, bring millions in foreign direct investment and thousands of jobs to the region over the next decade.”

Recently, GCAA leaders—including director general Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi—visited Archer’s California headquarters to inspect Midnight and get an update on its FAA certification progress. Al Suwaidi said the regulator’s goal is to approve Midnight flights in the UAE as soon as the aircraft is type certified in the U.S.

The five-seat eVTOL, designed for four passengers and a pilot, features a pair of fixed wings and 12 propellers—a half dozen on each wing, with the front propellers tilting forward during cruise—powered by lithium-ion batteries. The propulsion system gives it a range of about 52 sm (45 nm) at a cruise speed of 130 knots.

Midnight is meant to replace hour to hour-and-a-half commutes by car with estimated 10- to 20-minute flights. Designed for rapid, back-to-back short hops with as little as 10 minutes of charge time in between, Archer claims it will be cost-competitive with rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft.

In the U.S., the company hopes to launch air taxi routes in 2025, beginning with Chicago and the New York City metro area, in partnership with United Airlines. United is one of Archer’s largest investors and has already paid the firm $10 million as part of a deal to purchase 100 Midnight aircraft.

AAM In the UAE

Archer’s planned entry into the UAE makes it the first U.S. eVTOL manufacturer to commit to operations in the country. But it probably won’t be the only player.

In December, GCAA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub announced a partnership with vertiport firm VPorts to build a 9-acre AAM integrator center, which is expected to begin operating next year. The center will support flight testing and development of eVTOL designs and other emerging aircraft types.

The project received an initial investment of $40 million over three years, and construction is already underway. It’s expected to generate some $7 billion in revenue for Abu Dhabi and Dubai over the next 25 years. 

Also in December, UAE leaders published the country’s first national vertiport regulations. VPorts plans to build the first vertiport at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (OMRK) north of Dubai.

More commitments were made in February at Dubai’s annual World Government Summit, where Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (the city’s crown prince) approved plans to develop a nationwide network of vertiports. Working with the U.K.’s Skyports, the goal is to develop infrastructure in time for widespread eVTOL air taxi services in 2026.

The plan includes a vertiport at Dubai International Airport (OMDB), the concept for which was unveiled in April by Skyports and British architecture firm Foster + Partners. The design is backed by Al Maktoum.

A promotional video posted to X (formerly Twitter) following the announcement featured eVTOL air taxis made by Joby, Archer’s main U.S. competitor. A Joby spokesperson told the Associated Press the manufacturer is “actively exploring the possibility” of flying in the UAE, but did not commit to operations in the region.

However, with the news that Joby will join Archer as an early SAVI participant, the implication is that the company’s air taxi won’t just be used for marketing purposes.

“Autonomous flight has the potential to unlock important benefits for our customers over the long term,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. “We welcome the opportunity to participate in the SAVI cluster and look forward to collaborating with the team at ADIO as we work toward our mission of delivering fast, quiet, and convenient air taxi service in cities around the world.”

Another California-based eVTOL manufacturer, Odys Aviation, is building a headquarters in Abu Dhabi that will include a production facility. China’s EHang, which also plans to build a manufacturing plant in the capital, has conducted flight testing in the country since 2017. Last week, the firm earned the world’s first eVTOL type certificate from China’s aviation authority.

The UAE has also hosted test flights from Germany’s Volocopter, China’s XPeng, and Vermont-based Beta Technologies, which recently partnered with UPS to begin demonstrations.

In June 2022, Falcon Aviation and Embraer subsidiary Eve Air Mobility announced plans to launch eVTOL tourism flights in Dubai starting in 2026. The agreement included a letter of intent for Falcon to purchase 35 Eve air taxis, which will likely join Midnight as some of the first eVTOL designs to fly commercially in the Middle East.

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The post Archer Plans to Launch Electric Air Taxi Flights Across the UAE appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Chinese manufacturers DJI and Autel are dominating the drone market, even within the U.S. But much to the chagrin of American lawmakers—who have proposed and passed several measures to counter China’s drone dominance—a Chinese firm looks set to gobble up early market share for another emerging aviation technology.

EHang, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturer, on Friday obtained Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) type certification for its EH216-S, making it the first eVTOL aircraft in the world with such an approval. Type certification will allow EHang to operate the self-flying, two-passenger aircraft on commercial transportation and tourism routes in China.

The approval is a major milestone for urban air mobility (UAM) providers worldwide, proving that a major player can (in theory) adhere to rigorous safety standards. EHang said the certificate will open up commercial operations and allow it to independently design, develop, and manufacture aircraft.

In the U.S., eVTOL manufacturers must obtain individual production and airworthiness approvals following type certification. If operating the aircraft themselves, they also require a certificate for commercial air carrier operations.

“For the industry, the first type certificate for an eVTOL aircraft is a major step forward, as it shows that a player has met the expectations around safety, reliability, etc. that the regulator imposes to protect the public,” Robin Riedel, who co-leads McKinsey’s Center for Future Mobility, told FLYING. “It opens up the commercial market and allows the start of initial commercial operations, assuming operating regulation is also in place. That is an exciting moment for the industry.”

Similar to electric air taxis from U.S. manufacturers, the EH216-S—which has a 22 sm (19 nm) range, 80 mph (about 70 knots) cruise speed, and 485-pound payload—will be used for passenger transport, as well as tourism, logistics, and medical use cases. 

But unlike its U.S. counterparts (with the exception of Boeing’s Wisk Aero), the aircraft will fly autonomous without a pilot on board.

“Embracing the [type certification] as our springboard, we will launch commercial operations of the EH216-S unmanned eVTOLs, prioritizing safety above all,” said Huazhi Hu, founder, chairman, and CEO of EHang. “This will enable us to steadily progress toward our strategic goal to be a UAM platform operator and commit to our mission to enable safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone.”

What It Means

The Chinese regulator formally accepted EHang’s type certification application for its passenger air taxi in 2021. Since then, the company has worked to complete a set of objectives—tailored to the aircraft’s specific features—laid out by the regulator. In February 2022, CAAC published the “special conditions” for EH216-S, providing a basis of compliance for those objectives.

Over the past 30 months, EHS216-S underwent extensive lab, ground, and flight testing across China—and elsewhere—to test features such as flight performance, structural strength, and system functionality. The process scrutinized the entire aircraft, as well as its components and equipment, to test for faults or defects.

EHang said it has completed more than 40,000 test flights of EH216-S, including public demonstrations with passengers on board. Those efforts culminated in a final type certification flight test campaign for CAAC in August, clearing the runway (or vertiport) for approval.

The company’s Unmanned Aircraft Cloud System (UACS) was also approved by the regulator in August. The UACS will oversee EH216-S flights and support aircraft operations and management.

There is little publicly available information about China’s certification process for eVTOL. But in a 2022 interview with Vertical magazine, an agency official explained that China will first certify autonomous or remotely piloted designs before turning to aircraft with an onboard pilot.

AutoFlight is China’s other major autonomous eVTOL player, while Aerofugia, a subsidiary of Chinese automaker Geely, earned the first type certification basis for a piloted eVTOL in April. In June, Chinese regulators released early rules for uncrewed flight operations in the country.

The official said cargo logistics and “special missions” such as firefighting will be the earliest eVTOL use cases (the latter may be a nod to EHang, which develops the EH216-F specifically for fighting blazes in urban high-rises). Passenger flights would come next. But EHang, which could launch as early as this year, may be an exception.

UAM infrastructure in China is largely being constructed by eVTOL OEMs, with some airports leasing existing space for them to take off and land. Automotive OEMs are exploring solutions such as ground-based battery charging, while digital infrastructure will be built and operated by a Chinese state-owned company, open to public use. CAAC’s Aircraft Airworthiness Certificate Department and Air Traffic Management Bureau, meanwhile, is developing a standard system for eVTOL landing pads.

Regulators in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere could look to CAAC’s certification process, China’s UAM infrastructure strategy, and EHang’s ultimate success or failure as a litmus test. If the country can get those operations humming quickly, other nations could take a page from its playbook.

“CAAC’s experience and expertise in conducting the EH216-S airworthiness certification provides a significant reference for the global aviation industry and plays a pivotal role in shaping regulations, standards, and norms for unmanned eVTOL airworthiness certification, serving as a crucial benchmark for the industry worldwide,” EHang said in a press release.

Hu told CNBC the company will look to expand operations overseas as soon as next year. The EHang boss added that the type certification milestone simplifies the process for commercial operational approvals in regions such as the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia. But the firm will need to wait for foreign authorities to establish a process for mutual regulation of its CAAC approval.

“One interesting question is what standards and requirements different certification agencies apply [for eVTOL operations],” said Riedel. “Not only will that determine the level of reciprocity across agencies in the medium term, but also the level of safety the public can expect from these vehicles…However, the Chinese market is large, and a Chinese player could easily spend the first years growing there without the need to expand into other geographies.”

EHang will now ramp up manufacturing at its Yunfu production facility in China’s Guangdong province. Hu said the company is still settling on its first service location, and he declined to provide an official timeline for entry into service. 

However, the firm is well positioned for success whenever that happens. It has more than 1,200 EH216-S preorders per SMG Consulting’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Reality Index, which tracks eVTOL manufacturers’ progress toward commercial operations. 

Those include customers in Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where Prestige Aviation agreed to buy up to 100 aircraft, EHang’s largest preorder yet. Recently, the firm delivered five aircraft to Shenzhen-based tourism operator Boling, with another 95 deliveries on the books.

In addition to the EH216-S and its firefighting variant, EHang produces Falcon B drones for enterprise customers in industries such as logistics and public safety. It’s also developing the larger, four-passenger VT-30, designed for a 185 sm (about 160 nm) range.

The Playing Field

The EH216-S’s type certification is undoubtedly a major tipping point for the eVTOL industry, which up to this point had yet to produce a design regulators deemed airworthy. But there are several other players in the U.S. and elsewhere playing catch-up.

U.S. manufacturers Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation have each secured certification bases with the FAA and broken ground on scaled manufacturing facilities. Both companies are looking to ferry passengers to and from airports in 2025—beginning with cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles—in partnership with major airlines.

Joby’s most recent milestone was the start of flight tests with a pilot on board, a key step toward “for credit” testing with the FAA and type certification in 2025. For Archer, which expects to obtain the approval in late 2024, it was the launch of its $142 million contract with the U.S. Air Force.

Meanwhile, Wisk—which, like EHang, will fly autonomously from the jump—has no timeline for type certification, though the FAA accepted its application. The firm is working on its G-1 certification basis and G-2 means of compliance paperwork, and it recently reached an agreement with Archer to become its rival’s exclusive autonomy provider.

Volocopter, based in Germany, is expected to launch commercial operations following the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and will likely be the first to market after EHang. Another German competitor, Lilium, began assembly of its seven-seat Lilium Jet in September and is the only eVTOL manufacturer with certification bases from both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), its counterpart across the Atlantic.

Like Wisk, U.S.-based Beta Technologies is looking a bit further out. It appears to be more focused on its conventional takeoff and landing design that it hopes to certify in 2025, a year before its Alia-250 eVTOL. Meanwhile, the U.K.’s Vertical Aerospace has struggled to keep pace, with delays and a recent crash pushing its type certification target back to 2026.

Type certification is certainly not the end-all and be-all for the eVTOL industry. Some players could even benefit from allowing UAM regulations, infrastructure, and demand to catch up with the tech. However, an early launch could give EHang valuable insights from seeing its service in action—an advantage no other firm has.

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The post China’s EHang Earns World’s First eVTOL Type Certificate appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Hello, and welcome to the Future of FLYING newsletter, our weekly look at the biggest stories in emerging aviation technology. From low-altitude drones to high-flying rockets at the edge of the atmosphere, we’ll take you on a tour of the modern flying world to help you make sense of it all.

Now for this week’s top story:

Hamas Used Drone Swarms to Overwhelm Israeli Defenses

What happened? After more than two years of fighting in Russia and Ukraine, the world has seen what drones are capable of on the battlefield. Naturally, it raises alarm bells when the technology ends up in the wrong hands, as was the case on Saturday when Hamas launched a terror attack on Israeli civilians, killing hundreds. Casualties have since risen to the thousands.

What Hamas is working with: In short, the terrorist group deployed a swarm of drones in conjunction with land and sea attacks to catch Israel’s defenses off guard. Drone technology from China’s DJI—and reportedly some developed with the help of Iran—was used to hit strategic targets (such as the country’s central base for counter-drone operations) and civilians.

Some of the technology—including powered hang gliders that were used to transport militants over Israel’s billion-dollar border wall—raised eyebrows for current and former intelligence officials, who claim the attacks would not have been possible without Iran’s support. Hezbollah and the Houthis, two other terrorist groups and Iran proxies, could also enter the conflict.

How Israel could respond: In addition to its border wall, Israel deploys counter-drone systems such as the Iron Dome, which is designed to shoot down projectiles over large, populated areas. But these systems were overwhelmed by thousands of Hamas drones, rendering them ineffective. The aerial distraction also enabled attacks on the ground and by sea.

However, with Hamas’ capabilities now known, some experts believe Israel could defend future assaults more effectively. Support from the U.S. may also move the needle. American officials have no plans to put boots on the ground, but the government will send ships, counter-drone technology, and munitions to assist the Israeli Defense Forces.

Quick quote: “Directly comparing the drones of each side is a bit like comparing rifles on each side. The U.S. M-16 was far superior to the AK-47, yet that did not yield a U.S. victory in the Vietnam War, for example […] What matters here is the accessibility of the technology (even in more primitive forms), and how well it is used,” professor Audrey Kurth Cronin, director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Institute for Security and Technology, told FLYING.

My take: Above all, Hamas’ surprise attack on Israeli civilians validates what we’ve seen in Russia and Ukraine: In the wrong hands, drones can be a force for evil—and an effective one at that.

There are no easy answers here. The drones deployed by Hamas were small, cheap, plentiful, and likely designed or delivered by Iran. The fact that rudimentary technology could be used to such effect (and obtained rather easily from a widely sanctioned country) sets a dangerous precedent. Already, Israel has retaliated against thousands of civilian deaths by deploying its own swarms of drones, which have now killed more than 1,000 Palestinian civilians.

Though Hamas incited the growing conflict, regular people in both Israel and Palestine—through no fault of their own—are now threatened by sudden, deadly drone strikes. And with global superpowers now stockpiling the tiny aircraft, casualties of war may be more severe than ever.

Deep dive: Deadly Siege Marks Hamas’ Most Effective Use of Combat Drone Swarm

In Other News…

Wing Shows Us How It’s Delivered

What happened? If you follow me on X, formerly Twitter (@jack_daleo), you’ve seen me post about Wing and Walmart’s Dallas drone delivery service, which I got the chance to see in action last week at UP.Summit. But for the uninitiated, I posted a deep dive of the operation on FLYING Digital this week—here are the highlights.

How It’s Delivered: One thing that stood out to me—and that a spokesperson made sure to emphasize—was Wing’s ability to fit into Walmart’s workflows. The whole operation is run from a fenced area in the parking lot of a Supercenter, about the size of a tennis court. All Walmart associates need to do is pack orders and walk them over to the Wing staffers.

As for the drone delivery personnel, they didn’t have much to do either. The Wing system takes orders, assigns drones, plots flight plans, performs health checks, and responds to contingencies almost entirely on its own. Soon, the Wing Delivery Network and AutoLoader, which CEO Adam Woodworth detailed at UP.Summit, will add more autonomy to the service.

Deep dive: How It’s Delivered: Wing Gives Us a Glimpse of a Future With Drone Delivery

Archer Nabs Financing for ‘World’s Largest’ eVTOL Production Plant

What happened? Before ferrying passengers to and from airports in Chicago and the New York City metro area in partnership with United, Archer Aviation will first need to produce its eVTOL in numbers. Earlier this year, the firm broke ground on a mass manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia. Now, it’s secured the funding—$65 million from Synovus Bank—to complete it.

Cheap volume: Initially, Archer’s facility is expected to span 350,000 square feet and produce up to 650 aircraft per year. That’s more than any of its competitors are planning to put out. Eventually, the company said the site could grow to 900,000 square feet, churning out over 2,000 Midnight eVTOLs annually.

Interestingly, Archer claims it will be able to do this while keeping production costs lower than those of its competitors. That’s because the firm leverages outside aerospace companies to supply the majority of Midnight’s components. Archer will need an FAA production certificate, which will follow Midnight type certification, to begin using the facility to its full potential.

Deep Dive: Archer Secures $65 Million in Financing for ‘World’s Largest’ eVTOL Production Plant

And a Few More Headlines:

• UP.Summit 2023 in Dallas wrapped up last week, but check out our roundup of the biggest headlines.

• NASA postponed an International Space Station spacewalk after discovering a leak on the orbital complex.

• Personal eVTOL manufacturer Applied eVTOL Concepts will certify its Epiphany Transporter (what a name!) as a light sport aircraft.

• Airspace security provider Dedrone introduced a solution to enable BVLOS drone first responder operations.

• The NFL and other sports leagues are dealing with a new threat: unlicensed drones flying over stadiums.

Spotlight on…

Pivotal

Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Boeing’s Wisk Aero, and other eVTOL air taxi companies are still years away from commercial service. That’s also true for the personal eVTOL space…with the exception of Pivotal, formerly Opener Aero.

Pivotal so far is the only eVTOL manufacturer to actually sell and deliver its aircraft to paying customers in the U.S.—in other words, they own the vehicle outright. For now, a half dozen customers own BlackFly, Pivotal’s preproduction design. But the company last week unveiled Helix, a scalable production model it hopes will become the first personal eVTOL on the market.

I got to fly a BlackFly simulator at UP.Summit in Dallas—the aircraft featured a single seat with joystick controllers on either armrest. That’s it, as far as flight controls go. UP.Summit attendees were also treated to a BlackFly demonstration flight, where the aircraft showed off transitions between vertical flight, hover, and cruise. Helix is expected to include more robust hardware and an upgraded propulsion system that will extend the aircraft’s range of uses.

Deep Dive: Opener Rebrands to Pivotal and Unveils Helix, Its First Scalable Production Aircraft

On the Horizon…

The FAA’s authority was recently extended through December 31, but that doesn’t mean FAA reauthorization is in the rearview mirror. The pressure is still on lawmakers to pass the House reauthorization bill, which calls for measures such as a final BVLOS drone rule and funding for advanced air mobility (AAM)-related activities.

On the topic of AAM, California Governor Gavin Newson signed a bill authored by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Calif.) that would create an AAM and Aviation Electrification Committee for the state. Its job would be to assess current state and federal laws and identify potential changes to ensure safe operations in California. Wisk, Archer, and other manufacturers have facilities in the state; some, such as Joby, plan to fly there.

Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation loosened its drone laws by removing the passport requirement for obtaining a remote pilot certificate. The move lowers the barrier to verification to encompass documents such as a photo ID or driver’s license, which should open the industry to more drone pilots.

Mark Your Calendars

Each week, I’ll be running through a list of upcoming industry events. The FAI World Drone Racing Championship wrapped up Monday in Seoul, South Korea, but here are a few conferences to keep an eye on:

• Intergeo 2023—Tuesday through Thursday in Berlin
• Dronitaly—Wednesday through Friday in Bologna, Italy
• World’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Conference—November 12-14 in Jerusalem
• ICAO Drone Enable—December 5-7 in Montreal
• 11th Annual eVTOL Symposium—February 6-8 in Silicon Valley, California 
• AUVSI Xponential 2024—April 22-25 in San Diego 

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Before electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) manufacturer Archer Aviation flies air taxi routes in partnership with United Airlines, starting in Chicago and the NYC metro area, it will first need to produce aircraft. The good news is the company now has the funding to do it.

Archer on Wednesday closed financing and development agreements with Synovus Bank and Evans General Contractors, respectively, providing an influx of $65 million in fresh capital. Archer said the funding covers a “substantial majority” of costs associated with the construction of its first scaled manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia, which began in March.

Both partnerships were previously announced last November when Archer selected Covington for the plant’s location. The $65 million from Synovus adds to $150 million in equity capital provided by Stellantis, which the eVTOL manufacturer can draw from as needed this year and next. Archer and Stellantis announced an exclusive mass production partnership in January.

Incentives from the state of Georgia, also announced last November, round out Archer’s backing for the site, which it said will be “the world’s highest-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility.”

“We are committed long-term partners to the community in Covington, and we are thrilled to be working with companies who share our vision of having the world’s leading, state-of-the-art eVTOL manufacturing facility right here in the United States,” Archer CEO Adam Goldstein said in a statement.

“Phase 1” of the site’s construction will support the build-out of a 350,000-square-foot facility intended to produce up to 650 aircraft per year. 

EHang—which is expected to launch a commercial eVTOL air taxi service as early as this year and has already set up shop in China’s Guangdong province—is initially producing about 600 aircraft annually. The Chinese firm will likely be first to market, followed by Germany’s Volocopter, which plans to build just 50 VoloCity air taxis per year.

Lilium, another German competitor, is looking to churn out about 400 Lilium Jets per year. And not to be forgotten is Archer’s main U.S. rival, Joby Aviation, which announced the site of its own scaled manufacturing facility in September, settling on Dayton, Ohio. That plant is initially expected to produce 500 aircraft annually, with plans for more down the line.

Archer said Phase 1 of construction is “on target” to wrap up in 2024 ahead of entry into service for Midnight, the company’s production eVTOL design. Following that, “Phase 2” will provide the capacity to expand the facility to about 900,000 square feet, allowing it to churn out over 2,000 aircraft per year.

That figure is consistent with Archer’s 2022 projection. At the time, the company said it aims to produce 250 aircraft in 2025, doubling that in 2026 with the goal of reaching 650 by 2027.

“Consistent with our capital efficient strategy of getting to commercialization, we’ve achieved attractive terms on the project,” said Goldstein. “These agreements, along with our already strong partnership with Stellantis, give us the flexibility to ramp up our capacity and become the leading scale manufacturer of eVTOL aircraft in the world.”

Cheap Volume

While Archer emphasized the scale of its Covington facility, it also said it would be able to keep capital costs lower than those of its competitors.

It expects to do so by leveraging outside aerospace suppliers for the majority of Midnight’s aircraft components to achieve what it called a “capital efficient” process. So far, agreements include a battery development and sourcing collaboration with Stellantis, the delivery of avionics from Safran and Garmin, and the supply of actuators from Honeywell.

The build of the first Midnight aircraft was completed in May at the firm’s Palo Alto, California facility. In a few years, it could be ferrying passengers from the suburbs of Chicago to O’Hare International Airport (KORD) or from Manhattan to New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR).

The five-seat tiltrotor design, built for a pilot and four passengers, utilizes 12 propellers—six on the front wing that tilt forward during cruise and six on the aft wing that remain rigid. Powered by lithium-ion batteries, the aircraft’s propulsion system enables a range of about 52 sm (45 nm) at a cruising speed of 130 knots.

Archer’s vision for Midnight is to replace hour to hour-and-a-half commutes by car with estimated 10- to 20-minute flights. The company claims these will be safe, sustainable, low noise, and cost-competitive with rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft, aided by batteries that can charge in as little as 10 minutes between back-to-back, short-hop flights.

Construction of the mass production plant will be important moving forward. But Archer won’t be able to use the facility to its full potential until it obtains FAA type certification for Midnight, expected in late 2024. Production certification will follow, allowing the company to begin manufacturing its type-approved design at scale.

Aiding Archer’s efforts is a recent Air Force contract worth up to $142 million. The agreement will see AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, deploy up to six Midnight aircraft to an unnamed air force base, where it will use them for personnel transport, logistics support, rescue operations, and more. The collaboration should also allow Archer to test the aircraft’s capabilities and assess the experience of eVTOL pilots.

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This week, around 300 of the most influential figures in transportation gathered in Dallas for the UP.Summit, an annual, three-day event centered on the industry’s cutting edge. Aviation technology, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in particular, turned plenty of heads—literally.

That strange-looking aircraft is the BlackFly, the preproduction model of personal eVTOL manufacturer Pivotal, which on Thursday rebranded from Opener Aero. The company also unveiled Helix, its first scalable production aircraft, which will go on sale for a base price of $190,000 starting in January.

The company said the new design supports “its transition to become a product-delivering entity.” Pivotal is referring to delivering at scale here. But already it has sold and delivered a BlackFly to customer Tim Lum, whom the firm considers to be the first private eVTOL pilot in the world. SkyDrive, a Japanese eVTOL maker, claimed the first private customer for its SB-05 in April but has not delivered the aircraft.

BlackFly has been in development for more than a decade and features a patented “aeroarchitecture,” as Pivotal CEO Ken Karklin refers to the aircraft’s structure and systems. But Helix will help the company take the next step.

“With Helix, we become the leading manufacturer of light eVTOL aircraft,” Karklin said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Helix presents the next iteration of 10-plus years of innovating, testing, and delivering on the promise to give individuals access to small, yet mighty aircraft. Pivotal reflects our mission to transform movement with the power of flight. The new identity shows the versatility of our system architecture and encapsulates both the exhilaration and utility of flight.”

Karklin, a 13-year veteran of AeroVironment—where he was named chief operating officer in 2020 before taking the reins of Pivotal in May 2022—sat down with FLYING to discuss the ins and outs of Helix, as well as the Early Access Program that has allowed customers such as Lum to become personal eVTOL trailblazers.

The Specs

Helix is built on Pivotal’s fourth-generation eVTOL platform and is aimed primarily at recreational flyers and short-hop travelers. Like its predecessor, the new design relies on a tilt-aircraft architecture. In other words, the entire aircraft—not just the rotors and propellers, as is the case with many other manufacturers—tilts when transitioning between hover and cruise.

The Helix includes an integrated display and user interface, providing real-time altitude, location, speed, and other key measurements. Both BlackFly and Helix utilize the same core control system, and the aerodynamics are nearly identical between the two. Both models include a full-aircraft parachute as a backup safety system.

BlackFly and Helix are winged lift-plus-cruise designs, relying fully on propulsion for hover but allowing the aircraft to glide on its wings in cruise. As seen in the video above, the transition happens pretty quickly. And having flown a BlackFly simulator, I can tell you that changing flight modes was as simple as pushing a button and pulling or pushing the joystick.

Helix, however, will offer improved power and propulsion to expand its range of use cases, Karklin told FLYING. For example, greater efficiency at higher revolutions per minute will enable flights at higher altitudes. The new design also features upgraded digital electronics hardware, and its target payload will surpass BlackFly’s 200 pounds (though Karklin couldn’t yet specify by how much).

Helix’s flight deck “won’t be as austere as a race car,” said Karklin, alluding to the BlackFly’s more stark architecture: a carbon fiber frame, basic seat, and two joysticks.

“That’s it,” he said. “If you’re buying an expensive vehicle like [Helix], you’d expect a little bit more.”

So, Pivotal redesigned BlackFly’s canopy and flight deck to give Helix an integrated pilot display, more comfortable seating, and improved safety features. For example, a new and more durable livery will reduce the effects of weather, age, and solar loading, extending the airframe’s lifespan and increasing comfort.

“With the Helix, we now have new composite materials that make up that aerostructure,” Karklin said. “A lot of the weight comes out. That enables us to have the kind of creature comforts and accessories that a premium aircraft buyer would expect. They can select beacon lights. They’ll be able to select an aviation radio, [and] they’ll be able to have a livery that they want.”

Other add-ons will include a transport trailer, fast charging, aviation and ground radios, ADS-B, and a gimbal camera that would allow someone on the ground to watch the flight as if they’re in the air with the pilot. 

Customers will also be able to download a free smartphone app that simplifies preflight checks, captures flight history, and manages charging and aircraft service. And in the future, the company will add support for next-generation, field-replaceable batteries to extend the eVTOL’s range and endurance.

Pivotal has tentatively priced Helix at $190,000, but customers can place their orders starting in January for a deposit of 25 percent of the purchase price. Initial shipments are expected June 10. After 12 months of producing the aircraft, Karklin expects Pivotal to churn out “a couple hundred in the first year.”

Helix was designed to comply with FAA Part 103 ultralight requirements: Pilots must fly it during the daytime in Class G airspace over uncongested areas, but they won’t require certification to do so.

The model is primarily geared toward recreation. But Karklin noted public service and defense as other possible use cases. Part 103, he said, allows some rule bending for these applications, and Pivotal could conceivably build a bigger, faster, rangier design to use as a search and rescue platform, for example. He claimed the company could cross-train an EMT to fly Helix in just a few weeks.

“They could be the first person that arrives on the scene of an accident that takes them an extra 45 minutes or hour to get to via truck, because they can fly point to point,” Karklin said. “And that could save lives.”

Further down the line, whenever the FAA’s MOSAIC proposal is codified, Karklin said Pivotal could certify a future model as light sport aircraft, enabling some commercial operations.

Lessons From BlackFly

Pivotal is unique in the eVTOL space, having already sold its preproduction model to a half dozen customers. By and large, rivals in the space have developed working prototypes and allowed some users to fly simulators (and even preproduction models). But none have actually sold and delivered an aircraft to a private customer outright.

The company required prospective owners to complete initial and recurrent flight training to ensure safety, and customers can select those dates based on delivery timing. Karklin said BlackFly users typically train on a simulator for about a week before being cleared for takeoff.

All this has been facilitated by Pivotal’s Early Access Program. The company selected participants who are at least 18 years of age, live in the U.S., have access to Class G airspace, and are willing to commit time to training and program development. Not only does this allow users to get in on the action early, but it provides the company with valuable customer feedback. 

Karklin said there are six spots left to fill. Readers interested in owning their own BlackFly can apply to join “The 12” by filling out this form.

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The post Opener Rebrands to Pivotal and Unveils Helix, Its First Scalable Production Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Hello, and welcome to the Future of FLYING newsletter…with a twist! This week, I’m on-site in Dallas covering the UP.Summit, an annual, invite-only gathering of 300 of the transportation industry’s most dynamic, groundbreaking, and futuristic technology companies.

Among them are many of the same aircraft you’ve seen me highlight in this column each week, from drones, to electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) designs, to spacecraft that have been to the International Space Station and back.

Among the attendees are former presidents and prime ministers, current state legislators and members of Congress, representatives from the Department of Defense, and CEOs and executives of some of the most disruptive companies in the industry, from Google’s Wing (and partner Walmart) to Volocopter to SpaceX.

Below you’ll find a roundup of the biggest announcements made during the three-day event, including from cutting-edge companies such as Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Sikorsky, Zipline, UP.Labs…and the list goes on and on. Without further ado, here’s what has come out of the event as Day 2 comes to a close:

Jetson Aero got seed funding…from the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am in a move that would come as quite a surprise if you haven’t followed the artist’s evolution over the years. The longtime frontman has invested in many a tech company over the years—and even launched and acquired a few of his own.

Now, will.i.am will attempt to make history by training to fly Jetson’s Jetson One, the firm’s single-seat personal eVTOL aircraft. The artist and entrepreneur would be one of the first on the planet to fly such a vehicle. Read more here.

Joby Aviation put pilots in the cockpit for the first time, advancing to crewed flight testing of its preproduction prototype eVTOL air taxi. Among those considered major eVTOL air taxi players (Archer Aviation, Lilium, Wisk Aero, and Volocopter to name a few), only Volocopter reached that milestone before Joby.

The next step for the manufacturer is “for credit” flight testing with the FAA, using a full-scale production prototype. The hope is for that to take place next year in time for a 2025 commercial launch with Delta Air Lines, beginning with air taxi routes in New York and Los Angeles. For a deeper dive, check out FLYING’s story from earlier this week. Meanwhile…

Archer got the ball rolling with the Air Force after the department paid out $1 million to the eVTOL firm, the first installment of what is expected to be many as part of its freshly signed contracts with AFWERX Agility Prime, worth up to $142 million. The payout was exchanged for a mobile flight simulator, which is now on its way to the Air Force.

The Air Force will train pilots to fly Archer’s Midnight eVTOL using the sim, familiarizing them with the aircraft and providing the company with valuable feedback on the pilot experience. And at an unspecified date, the company is expected to deliver up to six Midnight models to an as yet unnamed air force base. Here’s a deeper dive on that news.

Boeing’s Wisk Aero launched a flight test campaign in Los Angeles, bringing its Gen 5 autonomous air taxi, also known as Cora, to the City of Angels. CEO Brian Yutko said the company is the first eVTOL manufacturer to fly at a commercial airport in Los Angeles. He added that Wisk expects to fly its newer Gen 6 prototype for the first time in 2024.

“We’re flying at a dense urban airport with real-world autonomous operations at work, for the third time within this past year,” Yutko told FLYING at UP.Summit. “This is a step forward not only for our aircraft testing program, but for developing organizational skill at operating autonomous aircraft in complex environments.”

Sikorsky and startup Rain are automating firefighting in a collaboration that saw Rain equip a Sikorsky optionally piloted Black Hawk with its Wildfire Mission Autonomy System, taking the pilot out of the equation. The system automates just about every step of the process, from identification to dispatching to precision targeting of the blazes. Sikorsky’s Matrix autonomy suite beamed commands to the uncrewed Black Hawk.

The partnership hopes to improve response times and lower costs for firefighting companies, which are contending with an unprecedented number of blazes. More on that here.

UP.Labs and Alaska Airlines launched an incubator, with hopes of fostering six startups over the next three years. UP.Labs, a branch of UP.Partners (the host of UP.Summit), will launch the partnership with the airline in 2024.

The project will be called the Airline Venture Lab, and it’ll explore ways to address the greatest areas of friction in aviation, for both Alaska Airlines and the industry at large. Potential use cases include operational efficiency, guest experience, and the business of travel.

Reliable Robotics and the Air Force made a trio of positive findings after completing a large aircraft automation study. The partners found that the airframe they examined (which wasn’t named) could handle system upgrades without impacting remote pilot abilities. 

They also discovered that large, remotely piloted military aircraft can match the efficiency and flexibility of commercial aircraft, without the need to build a new airframe. Finally, Reliable found that its Remotely Operated Aircraft System (ROAS) could achieve the same levels of reliability required by the FAA while flying on larger airframes.

Beta Technologies opened its first electric-aircraft assembly plant in Vermont, which the company said will one day churn out 300 aircraft per year. The facility will build both the company’s eVTOL and its eCTOL (conventional takeoff and landing), which was revealed earlier this year.

The site spans 188,500 square feet and is located on a 40-acre plot of land at Burlington International Airport (KBTV), which will allow it to double in size in the future. FLYING’s Jonathan Welsh has the scoop.

Wing Drone Delivery is now serving customers in the Dallas area through a partnership with Walmart, announced in August. The agreement unites the largest retailer in the world and one of the largest corporations on the planet (Wing parent Alphabet) to deliver a variety of food and convenience items in minutes, straight to customers’ doorsteps, front yards, and more.

I’ll have more on this news Friday when I take a trip to the Dallas suburb of Frisco, where a Walmart Supercenter has been equipped to make Wing drone deliveries.

Personal eVTOL manufacturer Opener rebranded to Pivotal and launched Helix, its first scalable production aircraft. I got the chance to see the firm’s preproduction design, BlackFly, in action during a showcase Thursday morning. The aircraft showed off transitions between three phases of flight: vertical lift, forward cruise, and thrust-borne hover.

Helix will carry over many of the features of BlackFly, but it’s expected to have a more robust propulsion system, greater comfort, and possibly a higher payload capacity. A handful of customers are already flying the eVTOL, making it one of the earliest entries on the market.

Oh, and here’s the company’s BlackFly in action:

Still with me? Here are a few more quick hitters:

Elroy Air now Has 1,000 orders in its backlog for the Chaparral, its heavy-duty cargo delivery drone.

Regent raised $60 Million and partnered with Japan Airlines to develop a system for operations in the country with its all-electric seaglider.

Zipline partnered with Mendocino Farms to deliver sandwiches, salads, and more using its P2 drone delivery system.

And finally, Verge Aero unveiled the X7 Drone, an upgraded design which the company will use to perform drone light shows.

Bonus! Here are a few more photos from my first two days in Dallas:

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The U.S. Air Force has gotten the ball rolling on its recently announced contracts with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Archer Aviation.

Archer on Wednesday received the Air Force’s initial installment of nearly $1 million, the first of what is expected to be many payments under the agreement valued at up to $142 million. In return, Archer sent the Air Force a mobile flight simulator, specified as a deliverable under the contracts.

The transaction marks the beginning of Archer’s relationship with AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, and its vertical lift division, Agility Prime, which also works with advanced air mobility (AAM) rivals Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies. 

The arrangement will eventually culminate in flight testing of Archer’s five-seater Midnight eVTOL with Air Force pilots on board. First, the company will deliver up to six of the aircraft to an unnamed Air Force Base. A time frame has not yet been specified, but the first contracted payment sets things in motion.

Archer hopes to begin ferrying up to four passengers at a time (plus a pilot) to and from airports in partnership with United Airlines in 2025. It will start with air taxi routes near O’Hare International Airport (KORD) in Chicago and between Downtown Manhattan and Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey.

“Archer’s eVTOL technology can help maintain the United States’ position as a global leader in aviation,” said Adam Goldstein, the company’s founder and CEO. “To see our historic contract with the U.S. Air Force move from signature to execution at a rapid pace is a reflection of the strong commitment that the U.S. Department of Defense has made to securing our country’s future by investing in transformational technology.”

Getting the Ball Rolling

Initially, Archer and the Air Force will use the mobile simulator to begin training pilots on Midnight’s flight capabilities. The partners will use it to assess the air taxi’s flight controls and familiarize Air Force personnel with the operational capabilities of Archer’s commercial platform. And down the line, there is potential for the military to develop a Midnight variant for its own use.

Archer will also deploy its mobile simulator to public and industry events to raise awareness of eVTOL designs and encourage more engagement with the novel tech. Other deliverables on the way to the Air Force include wind tunnel testing reports, as well as project specific certification plans (PSCPs) and subject specific certification plans (SSCPs) submitted to the FAA.

Once training in the simulator is complete, Archer will move to piloted flight testing, a milestone rival Joby announced it had reached Wednesday. But first, it will need to deliver the first Midnight aircraft to the Air Force. Joby hit that mark last month with the ahead-of-schedule delivery of its own air taxi to Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Billed as “a safer and quieter alternative to helicopters,” Midnight runs on a proprietary electric powertrain with six independent battery packs, creating a low-noise profile. It combines six rigid propellers for vertical lift with a half dozen tilt props that rotate toward the nose as it transitions to forward flight.

Archer believes the aircraft’s 1,000-pound target payload and 150 mph (130 knots) top speed—combined with its ability to take off vertically like a rotorcraft—could make it ideal for military rapid response, personnel transport, logistics support, or rescue operations. The firm also said Midnight will be more agile and cost-effective to transport, operate, and maintain in the field than the present aircraft deployed for these missions.

While the air taxi will have a maximum range of 100 sm (87 nm), Archer has optimized it for short hops with its planned commercial service in mind. Competing with on-demand rideshare firms, Midnight will primarily make back-to-back 20 sm (17 nm) flights, charging for about 12 minutes between trips. Archer asserts the model will make its air taxi business competitive with ground-based counterparts such as Uber and Lyft.

Where Archer Stands

Midnight’s lightweight carbon fiber composite airframe is developed by automaker Stellantis, which in January announced an exclusive mass production deal with the eVTOL manufacturer. Stellantis also boosted Archer with a $70 million acceleration investment, part of an August funding round.

In June, the partnership advanced from “concept phase” to “execution phase” as the companies ramped up construction on Archer’s high-volume manufacturing plant in Covington, Georgia. The facility at Covington Municipal Airport (KCVC) will initially span 350,000 square feet and produce up to 650 units per year, beginning in 2024. Eventually, though, the plant could more than triple in size and churn out as many as 2,000 aircraft annually.

Joby, however, may have it beat. Last month, it selected Dayton, Ohio—once home to the Wright brothers—as the site for its 200,000-square-foot scaled manufacturing plant. But the company said the 140-acre plot at Dayton International Airport (KDAY) could one day allow the facility to span 2 million square feet.

Short term, Joby’s manufacturing plant is expected to begin full-scale operations in 2025 and produce 500 air taxis per year. The company put down $500 million of its own money and could leverage up to $325 million in state and local incentives to support construction.

Archer and Joby, along with Boeing-owned Wisk Aero, are considered the leaders in the U.S. eVTOL air taxi space. Germany’s Lilium and Volocopter are also key players. All of them are awaiting type certification of their aircraft before they can launch commercial operations, but some are further along than others.

Joby appears to have a slight edge on Archer in terms of flight testing, but both are eyeing entry into service in 2025. Wisk, which plans to fly its air taxi autonomously from the jump, is looking a bit further out to 2028.

Lilium, also targeting a 2025 entry, has made the most progress of the firms when it comes to certification on both sides of the Atlantic. It’s the only eVTOL manufacturer with individual certification bases from both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). However, Joby and Archer appear to be fully focused on the U.S. market before thinking about an international expansion.

While entry into service is not the be-all and end-all, Volocopter looks like the leader on that front. It flew its first crewed tests at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2021, long before its rivals. It’s also done piloted tests in Germany, South Korea, and France, where it expects to launch commercially in Paris following AAM demos at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Notably, Volocopter just signed a deal with Houston-based helicopter operator Bristow Group to deliver two VoloCity eVTOLs to the U.S., with an option for 78 more. The partners are aiming to launch in the U.S. after Volocopter receives EASA type certification in 2024. Unlike Lilium, the company has a concurrent certification path with the FAA, which should allow it to receive approval to fly in the U.S. shortly after EASA gives its greenlight.

Volocopter could hamper Archer and other U.S. eVTOL manufacturers by gobbling up early market share, if it can stick to its timeline. Or, it could assist them by introducing the U.S. market to the novel technology, potentially increasing the base demand for AAM services when they do enter the market. Either way, expect Archer to leverage its relationship with the Air Force to gain the upper hand.

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Joby Aviation’s preproduction prototype electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi has been flying for months since the manufacturer began flight testing in June. Now, the company’s test pilots have joined it in the skies.

On Wednesday, Joby revealed that four test pilots have now completed flights aboard its air taxi, marking the firm’s transition to crewed flight testing. The addition of onboard pilots is a major boon to Joby’s efforts to type certify the aircraft with the FAA. The initial crewed tests, which took place at the company’s pilot production facility in Marina, California, covered free thrustborne hovers and forward transitions to semi-thrustborne flight.

Joby’s tiltrotor eVTOL is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers over a distance up to 100 sm (87 nm), cruising at 200 mph (174 knots). The company says the aircraft’s quiet noise profile will make it barely audible within a city’s soundscape.

The recent flights build on the surprise delivery of the first Joby eVTOL to Edwards Air Force Base in California, originally scheduled for early 2024. There, Joby and Air Force pilots will evaluate the aircraft’s capabilities in settings similar to those it will face when it begins flying air taxi routes with Delta Air Lines. That service is expected to launch in 2025, beginning in New York and Los Angeles.

James “Buddy” Denham, Joby’s chief test pilot, led the pilot-on-board campaign, which was designed to gather data on the air taxi’s handling abilities and pilot control interface. Denham left the Naval Air Systems Command—where he pioneered a concept for aircraft carrier precision landings and led research and development of the Unified Control Concept, which was integrated into F-35B STOVL aircraft—to join Joby in 2019. 

Joby credited Denham as a major influence in the development of its own flight controls. The chief test pilot had some nice things to say about the company as well.

“Having helped design and test flight controls for a wide variety of aircraft, including all three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, nothing compares to the simplicity and grace of the Joby aircraft,” said Denham. “After completing more than 400 vertical takeoffs and landings from the ground, it is a privilege to sit in the cockpit of our aircraft and experience firsthand the ease and intuitive nature of the design that the Joby team has developed.”

During testing, pilots assessed the ease of conducting maneuvers that will become routine when commercial operations begin. These included vertical takeoffs, acceleration and transition to forward flight, runway centerline tracking, and deceleration into vertical landings. 

Joby said appraisals of the flights will aid its progress toward type certification, as well as its activities with the Air Force’s Agility Prime program. Agility Prime is the vertical lift division of AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm. Earlier this year, Joby and Agility Prime extended their research and development contract, bringing its total value to $131 million.

Type Certification: On the Horizon?

Previously, Joby tested its eVTOL with pilots on the ground, using a ground control station equipped with state-of-the-art communications systems to guide it remotely. Those flights gave the company data on the aircraft’s performance in a wide array of operational conditions. But the beginning of crewed testing figures to be more consequential.

After pilot-on-board testing of the preproduction prototype is complete, the stage will be set for Joby to begin “for credit” flight testing with the FAA, using a full-scale production prototype. That model may be built at the company’s scaled manufacturing plant in Dayton, Ohio, which was first announced last month.

Dayton’s claim to fame is that the Wright brothers lived, worked, and opened the nation’s first airplane factory there (hence the Flyers mascot). It’s also home to Dayton International Airport (KDAY), where Joby will build its manufacturing plant on a 140-acre-site. The space is large enough for the company to one day install up to 2 million square feet of facilities. It is expected to produce 500 aircraft per year and create as many as 2,000 jobs.

Construction will begin next year, with full-scale operations scheduled for 2025. In the meantime, Joby will use nearby existing buildings to begin initial manufacturing activities. The goal will be to wheel the first service-ready aircraft off the production line within two years, in time for the company’s commercial launch with Delta.

In addition, Joby has commercial operational deals in place with Japan’s ANA Holdings and South Korea’s TMAP and SK Telecom to launch services in those countries. It also has an agreement with Uber—part of the 2020 acquisition of Uber Elevate—to integrate its ridesharing service into the company’s app.

However, all of this hinges on Joby’s ability to prove to the FAA that its air taxi is airworthy. Luckily, rivals such as Archer Aviation and Lilium are going through the same (lengthy) process. Archer, for its part, also received the FAA greenlight to begin flight testing its preproduction prototype in August. Lilium, meanwhile, is the only eVTOL manufacturer to obtain certification bases from both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The three firms—plus Boeing-owned Wisk Aero and Germany’s Volocopter—are all competing to be top dog in the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry, which is expected to take off soon with the FAA’s announcement of the Innovate28 plan for early eVTOL operations. Whichever firm achieves type certification first will realize a lot of lift.

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The post Joby’s Electric Air Taxi Is Now Flying with Pilots on Board appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor will.i.am is perhaps best known as the frontman of pop-rap supergroup the Black Eyed Peas. What you may not know, however, is that the multitalented artist has a penchant for working with cutting-edge technology companies—and his latest venture will take him to the skies.

On Tuesday, flying car company Jetson Aero, manufacturer of the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) Jetson One personal aircraft, closed a $15 million seed funding round headed by will.i.am and “pioneering angel investors from around the world,” including Jetson board director Luca Spada and senior board adviser Rikard Steiber.

The investment will support Jetson One’s eventual launch and see will.i.am, a Jetson customer, train to become one of the first flying car pilots in the world. As the Black Eyed Peas song goes: “Let’s Get It Started.”

“I’m proud to be a part of the Jetson family and support the company’s mission to democratize flight, opening the skies to all,” the artist said in a statement. “Personal aircraft ideal for short point-to-point flights will soon be a reality.”

Jetson said the seed round is a precursor to the firm’s launch of a Series A financing campaign, which will support its stated mission to democratize flight and “make everyone a pilot.” Stéphan D’haene, CEO of Jetson, said the company’s approach to the urban air mobility (UAM) market leverages Jetson One’s ability to fit into existing regulatory frameworks, akin to the FAA’s Innovate28 plan for early eVTOL operations.

“This may be the biggest opportunity in aviation since the Wright brothers took flight,” said D’haene, who previously spent a decade working in Bombardier’s recreational products division. “Today, there is an existing market that is a profitable business for a single-seat recreational aircraft. We are starting the first shipments already next year and will open our [Series] A round soon to accelerate our growth.”

Jetson One’s design was inspired by race cars, with a lightweight aluminum space frame and a Carbon-Kevlar composite body. The aircraft uses simple joystick controls and relies on a flight computer to stabilize it in the air, which the company claims allows any prospective customer to learn to fly it in a matter of minutes.

The eVTOL is powered by eight electric motors running on high discharge lithium-ion batteries. This configuration gives it a 20-minute flight time and a top speed of 63 mph (55 knots), making it best suited for short hops.

Whether or not it can be considered accessible depends on the customer. In its current form, Jetson One cannot be flown by a pilot weighing more than 210 pounds, limiting taller or heavier users. And with a $98,000 price tag, the model is more expensive than many single-seat ultralight aircraft already on the market, which can cost as little as $8,000. That figure is what around 300 Jetson customers paid down just to reserve their serial numbers.

Jetson builds its aircraft at a production and research and development facility in Arezzo, Italy. About 50 miles to the northwest, just outside Florence, the company operates a private airfield containing an industrial facility and a 2,600-foot airstrip, which it uses for daily flight testing. The airfield is also home to a customer experience center and pilot school.

By 2024, the company hopes to have expanded to the U.S. market. It’s weighing several locations for its future U.S. headquarters. Meanwhile, Tomasz Patan, Jetson co-founder and chief technology officer, is expected to conduct the company’s first U.S. test flights later this month.

“Jetson is on a mission to redefine the future of air mobility and transportation,” Patan told FLYING. “We are enabling new and exciting ways of travel, which will solve many problems, ultimately making our cities a much better place to live. I think the U.S. market is a great opportunity for Jetson.”

Boom Boom Pow

The involvement of will.i.am is arguably the most fascinating piece of Jetson’s investment.

The artist made a name for himself with the Black Eyed Peas. But between the group’s split in 2011 and reunion in 2015, he reinvented himself as a tech entrepreneur and creative consultant.

“Leveraging his early experience in the consumer electronics industry, will.i.am has continued to launch a range of his own tech-based companies focused on software and operating systems incorporating AI, natural language understanding, voice computing, creativity & productivity, customer-service apps, as well as consumer-tech products,” reads a description on the i.am Angel Foundation website. 

The foundation, launched in 2009, supports K-12 science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education programs for more than 12,000 disadvantaged youth in Southern California. The actor and musician is also a board member of FIRST Robotics Competition, an annual international high school robotics contest.

In 2011, will.i.am was named director of creative innovation at Intel, where he advised the development of technologies such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. He has also served as chief creative officer of 3D printing firm 3D Systems since 2014 and has worked as a futurist and creative adviser for companies such as Honeywell, General Electric, and AirAsia.

He is the owner of machine learning company Sensiya and Internet of Things (IoT) platform Wink and is also a member of several World Economic Forum committees focused on technology. The artist has even worked with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with which he partnered in 2012 to become the first artist to stream a song from the surface of Mars. 

Now, will.i.am will look to make history again by becoming one of the world’s first flying car pilots. And while his seed funding contribution to Jetson was a one-time investment, the Black Eyed Peas frontman has made several multimillion-dollar investments and acquisitions over the past decade. Perhaps he’ll continue to give flying cars a lift.

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