FutureFlight

Congressional leaders expect are eying a range of issues for the FAA reauthorization bill that will be in the works next year that includes "clear direction" for the FAA to make sure the proper resources are dedicated to the advanced air mobility industry.

FAA's shift of certification rules for advanced air mobility vehicles opened the door to other concerns, including operational and training requirements as well as international validations. However, the agency is working toward the release of a special federal aviation regulation by 2024.

Kittyhawk was launched in 2010 and has worked on several eVTOL aircraft designs and technologies, including most recently the Heaviside autonomous vehicle. The company jointly owns Wisk Aero with Boeing and has been involved in its plans to bring a four-passenger eVTOL air taxi to market.

The Boeing-backed autonomous eVTOL developer Wisk has released a concept of operations that provides a roadmap for the adoption of an urban air mobility ecosystem with pilotless air taxis. 

The Brazilian on-demand charter flight broker Flapper has entered into an agreement with the hypersonic, hydrogen-powered aircraft developer Destinus to open high-speed cargo delivery flight routes in Latin America and Europe. It may also look into the potential for passenger services.

Under a memorandum of understanding, Chile-based Ecocopter is conducting joint studies with Airbus regarding possible plans to launch eVTOL aircraft services in that country as well as in Peru and Ecuador. The European aerospace group aims to certify its four-passenger CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL aircraft in 2025.

Jetson says it has raised $8 million toward its $10 million seed funding target as it starts flight testing technology demonstration examples of its single-seat eVTOL vehicle at a private airfield in Italy. The start-up says it will now deliver the $92,000 vehicle fully assembled to customers, rather than as self-build kits, and claims to have collected around 500 down payments of $22,000.

Electric propulsion innovator Mako Aerospace is seeking fresh seed funding to support plans to get a prototype of a ducted-fan engine flying as part of a technology demonstration on a regional airliner. The UK-based startup has already bench-tested an early prototype of its Forerunner superconducting propulsion system, running it at just 1 percent of its anticipated power rating.

Miami-based charter and cargo flight provider Global Crossing Airlines Group, or GlobalX, has provisionally agreed to purchase 50 all-electric Alice aircraft from Eviation. Eviation announced on September 15 that GlobalX has signed a letter of intent to buy the commuter aircraft, with the first deliveries expected in 2027.

Heart Aerospace has doubled down on its plans to bring an electric regional airliner to market, unveiling a design for a 30-seat ES-30 model, which will replace the 19-seat ES-19 model the Swedish start-up announced in 2020. During a September 15 event at Heart’s Gothenburg headquarters, Air Canada and Swedish aerospace and defense group Saab each committed to investing $5 million in the venture.