FutureFlight

In response to an anticipated need for many eVTOL aircraft pilots, Future Aviation Simulation Technologies is working with EvFly and other operators to provide mixed-reality training devices and full-flight simulators. The German company says it already has a demonstration example of its latest equipment but is waiting on air safety regulators to finalize training requirements before it can be deployed.

As part of the White House’s Investing in America Tour, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited eVTOL aircraft developer Beta Technologies in Vermont this week to see how the electric aviation company is prioritizing educational opportunities and workforce development to create jobs in the clean-energy industry.

Plana has revealed a new design for its five-seat hybrid-electric aircraft and is seeking partners to supply all key systems, including propulsion and avionics. As it prepares to launch a Series A funding round to support its plans, the Korean company has announced the signing of a letter of intent with a prospective U.S. launch customer called Ghenus Air.

Fuel cell developer H2Fly has completed initial ground tests to refuel its hydrogen-electric HY4 aircraft with liquid hydrogen. On April 5, the German company conducted the test in Grenoble in France at a facility operated by its partner, the industrial gas group Air Liquide as part of preparations for the start of a new round of flight testing this summer.

Volocopter has opened the purpose-built hangar in which it is preparing to start manufacturing its two-seat VoloCity eVTOL vehicle in time for commercial air taxi services to begin in 2024. At the company's Bruchsal headquarters in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, Volocopter is also working on the VoloDrone freighter and a larger, longer-range eVTOL vehicle called the VoloConnect.

Newly released video from Horizon Aircraft shows the company’s half-scale Cavorite X5 eVTOL technology demonstrator conducting its first transition flight tests at the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel in Oshawa, Ontario. 

Hanwha Aerospace is joining forces with advanced engineering company Stirling Dynamics to produce a key component of Vertical Aerospace’s four-seat eVTOL air taxi. The South Korean aerospace company, which last year agreed to build the electromechanical actuators for Vertical's VX4 aircraft, recently signed a strategic alliance agreement with Stirling Dynamics in support of their mutual actuator development work.

The agenda for the latest Revolution.Aero event, to be held in Dublin on April 25-26, promises to deliver a reality check about prospects for the much-hyped advanced air mobility industry. Speakers from leading companies in the field will discuss the latest technology, infrastructure, and financing for a sector now facing fresh pressures as it races to meet investors' expectations fueled by aggressive service-entry pledges for new aircraft and business models.

Flying Whales this week selected Honeywell’s one-megawatt generator to power its planned giant hybrid-electric airship. The start-up, which is based in France and has a Canadian subsidiary, has been developing its hybrid-electric airship since 2012.

CargoTron is entering the contest to bring medium-capacity freight drones to market with plans for a remotely piloted PD250 model that it says will be able to carry a 250-kilogram (550-pound) payload over distances of up to 600 kilometers (375 miles).