FutureFlight

Having flown its hydrogen-powered Dornier 228 testbed airplane 10 times over the past six months, ZeroAvia says it has wrapped up its initial flight test campaign and is now preparing for its first cross-country flights. ZeroAvia retrofitted the 19-seat twin turboprop with a prototype of its 600-kilowatt ZA600 powertrain, which uses hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity. 

Through a partnership with hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft developer Lyte Aviation, Uniwastec is exploring how it could deploy its process for converting wastewater or saltwater into hydrogen, using compact production units close to airports or landing sites. Lyte Aviation's plans to develop the SkyBus and SkyTruck tandem tilt-wing vehicles are now being supported by technical help from fleet-management specialist Amros Global.

Vietnam's CT UAV group and South Carolina-based Part 135 charter operator Austin Aviation this week signed agreements covering preorders for up to 105 of SkyDrive's SD-05 three-seat eVTOL aircraft, which is expected to enter service in 2026. The Japanese manufacturer is establishing a U.S. base in South Carolina and views export markets like Vietnam as promising early adopters of advanced air mobility services.

Eve Air Mobility will locate its first eVTOL aircraft production facility in the city of Taubaté, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Ampaire, a California-based tech start-up working to retrofit airplanes with hybrid-electric powertrains, is expanding into eVTOL aircraft manufacturing with the acquisition of drone developer Talyn Air. Announcing the acquisition on July 20, Ampaire said the move will boost revenues and accelerate growth as it ventures beyond hybrid-electric propulsion systems to explore drone and eVTOL applications for both the commercial and defense sectors. 

Reliable Robotics says the FAA has accepted its certification plans for a fully autonomous flight control system, which the company plans to install on aircraft to enable remotely piloted operations under a supplemental type certificate (STC). The technology is intended to support fully autonomous gate-to-gate trips, including taxi, takeoff, and landing.

Textron Starts Wind Tunnel Tests for Nexus eVTOL Aircraft

Textron eAviation this week confirmed that it has started wind tunnel testing with a 23 percent scale model of its planned Nexus eVTOL aircraft. The company's engineers are looking to validate the vehicle's performance, stability, and control to ensure the accuracy of their preliminary configuration, range, and speed estimates. 

Vertical Aerospace has started untethered flight testing with the first full-scale prototype of its VX4 eVTOL aircraft. On July 19, the UK company released images and video showing the aircraft in flight at Cotswold Airport and confirmed that flight testing has been progressing for several weeks.

South Korean regional airline Hi-Air is the latest prospective operator for Plana's CP-01 hybrid-electric aircraft. The manufacturer is also joining forces with Gloria Aviation, a Seoul-based company that trains aviation professionals, to cultivate the workforce for the rapidly growing advanced air mobility (AAM) industry. Via a memorandum of understanding signed on July 11, Plana and Gloria Aviation committed to forming a joint business dedicated to training the maintenance technicians and pilots that will fly new aircraft such as eVTOL air taxis.

Through a mix of public and private placement of stock, Nasdaq-listed Lilium has raised $292 million in new funding, including a just-concluded $192 million capital raise and an earlier $100 million commitment in May. Its backers include existing shareholder Tencent (through its Aceville affiliate), plus other venture capital groups and Lilium board members and senior executives.