FutureFlight

Ryse Aerospace Technologies expects to have its Recon single-seat eVTOL aircraft in production during the first quarter of 2023. The vehicle can be operated under the FAA's Part 103 rules for ultralight aircraft, which require no formal flight training for operators such as ranchers, winemakers, and park rangers.

Amazon won't say how much it has now invested in Beta Technologies from its $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund or whether it will add the company's Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft to its fleet. The retail group has, however, seen the Alia fly between two of its Air Hub facilities in Ohio as part of a busy flight test program.

Munich Airport and Airbus this week expanded their Advanced Air Mobility Initiative to offer support services to other cities and regions wanting to establish eVTOL aircraft operations. The companies will assist with infrastructure requirements and other aspects of the ecosystem needed for the new mode of public transportation. Airbus is also working with gas supplier Linde to develop hydrogen fuel infrastructure at airports worldwide.

Simulated wind tunnel testing using computational fluid dynamics will help H2 Clipper's engineering team to complete design work on the long-range, high-capacity airship it now intends to have flying in 2028. The company says that compared with trucks and ships, the airship will be able to move cargo, such as renewable fuels, between 7 and 10 times faster.

Tier 1 Engineering has integrated the MagniX 350 electric propulsion system with its own batteries to convert a Robinson piston-powered R44 helicopter. With the support of Lung Biotechnology, which wants to use the aircraft for human organ transplant flights, it is aiming to secure an FAA supplementary type certificate for the conversion program.

Rolls-Royce has committed to bringing hybrid-electric propulsion systems that use new turbogenerator technology to the aviation sector in the second half of the 2020s. The aircraft engines group wants to increase the payload and range of aircraft that need more power than battery-electric systems provide.

Kenya Airways subsidiary Fahari Aviation is set to buy up to 40 of Eve's four-passenger eVTOL aircraft under a letter of intent signed as part of an expanded partnership agreement. The companies will develop a business model for possible passenger and cargo flights.

Chinese tourism group Tianxingjian plans to use EHang’s EH216 autonomous eVTOL aircraft for sightseeing tours. On June 21, the company said it has signed an “initial purchase order” for five of the two-seat vehicles, with options to take another 25 as it expands flights from the Aizhai Wonder Tourist Area at Jishou in Hunan province, where Tianxingjian is based.

Archer has resumed test flights with its Maker subscale eVTOL technology demonstrator six months after its first takeoff. The company has started testing the tilt propeller system that adjusts the angle of the forward propellers to control the transition from hover to cruise flight. It says it remains on track to complete type certification of the full-scale, four-passenger aircraft by the end of 2024, even though the first example now won't be built until 2023.

To make it easier for its ES-19 electric regional airliner to enter commercial service in the U.S., Sweden's Heart Aerospace will now seek type certification under Part 25 rules that are more closely aligned between the FAA and EASA. It has a provisional sales agreement for up to 300 of the 19-seaters with United Airlines and regional affiliate Mesa.