FutureFlight

Just over 20 years since the AW609 tiltrotor aircraft flew for the first time in March 2003, the FAA is issuing proposals for completing a protracted type certification process that Leonardo began back in 2012. The proposed certification criteria are based on FAR 21.17 (b) rules that the U.S. regulator intends to apply for new powered-lift aircraft such as the multiple eVTOL vehicles now in development. The consultation process will run through July 10.

VoltAero is receiving a grant worth around $6 million under the French government's France 2030 regeneration investment fund, which was set up partly in response to the Covid crisis. The French start-up is gathering provisional sales commitments for its Cassio family of hybrid-electric aircraft as it prepares to exhibit at the Paris Air Show later this month.

Several technology start-ups, as well as aerospace giant Airbus, are working on plans to power aircraft with liquid or gaseous hydrogen, either through direct combustion or using fuel cells to generate electrical power. But at the recent European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, some observers made the case that hydrogen can more effectively be used to manufacture sustainable aviation fuels for existing aircraft propulsion systems.

The FAA's eagerly awaited proposals for the requirements for training pilots of new powered-lift aircraft, such as eVTOL vehicles, are viewed as an important step in preparing for advanced air mobility operations. Operators of air taxi services, in particular, face a challenge to recruit and train the many pilots they anticipate will be required for the new mode of air transportation.

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Brazil's Moya Aero says it is developing Latin America's first high-capacity autonomous aircraft for applications such as crop spraying and freight deliveries. The company is close to completing the construction of a 70 percent scale technology demonstrator of the all-electric vehicle as it prepares to start flight testing in September.

TruWeather says its V360° software-as-a-service weather data analytics and forecasting technology can provide operators of piloted eVTOL aircraft and uncrewed aircraft systems with vital real-time information and forecasting about highly localized, low-altitude meteorological conditions. This has prompted eVTOL vehicle developer Supernal to invest in the company so that it can integrate the technology into its plans to build and operate a four-passenger vehicle in urban areas where high buildings can distort wind patterns.

Aviation propulsion pioneer H55 is joining forces with Vmo Aircraft Leasing to incentivize the adoption of electric aircraft and their associated batteries and energy management systems by offering financing packages. The companies, which launched their partnership in April, say they plan to offer leasing options to aircraft operators and manufacturers that will boost the operational and capital case for switching to zero-carbon technology.

It’s been three years since Honeywell Aerospace took a leap into the advanced air mobility (AAM) market with the launch of a new division dedicated entirely to uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and what it and some others still refer to as urban air mobility (UAM). Since its inception, the new division has won in more than $7 billion in contracts from aircraft manufacturers looking to incorporate Honeywell's technologies into their new products. 

Eve Air Mobility is now selecting “main equipment” suppliers and during the second half of this year will begin assembling the first full-scale prototype of its eVTOL aircraft, according to Eve co-CEO Andre Stein. Speaking to reporters during a briefing held by parent company Embraer in Portugal on May 26, he said that recent ground tests of propulsion systems and wind tunnel testing have also helped move the program forward.