Advanced Air Mobility Sector Debuts at NBAA-BACE

Developments in the new advanced air mobility (AAM) sector are accelerating, aided by new sources of funding, raising the question of how traditional business aviation and AAM will fit together.

At NBAA-BACE, October 12-14 in Las Vegas, exhibitors will be seeking answers to these questions at the show's dedicated AAM & Emerging Technologies Zone. Despite the proliferation of AAM start-ups, just five eVTOL aircraft developers will be present, touting their varying designs.

Although Airbus appears to have shifted its future propulsion priorities to plans for hydrogen-powered airliners through its ZeroE program, it may also bring an eVTOL to market, possibly through its Airbus Helicopters division.

Last year, Boeing closed its Boeing NeXt advanced technology incubator, which had been the fulcrum for its work on eVTOL aircraft. However, the company still is committed to the AAM sector and is a shareholder in eVTOL developer Wisk, along with Kitty Hawk, which is exhibiting at the show.

XTI Aircraft has previously exhibited at NBAA shows and clearly views the business aviation sector as part of the target market for its hybrid-electric TriFan 600 VTOL aircraft. In June, the Colorado-based company announced a joint venture with Xeriant Aerospace through which it aims to bring the model to market by the end of 2024.

Jaunt Air Mobility is developing a family of VTOL aircraft and expects to start test flights with a full-scale prototype in 2023 and achieve production in 2026.

Samad Aerospace recently completed hover tests with the second subscale prototype of its hybrid-electric eStarling eVTOL aircraft.

Noticeable by their absence from the NBAA show are apparent eVTOL aircraft front runners (in terms of funding and progress with development work) such as Joby, Archer, Vertical Aerospace, Volocopter, and Lilium.