FutureFlight

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).

Limosa has joined forces with BAC Aerospace to begin a campaign leading to type certification from Transport Canada for its planned LimoConnect eight-seat eVTOL aircraft. The Montreal-based start-up is aiming to complete the approval process and launch series production of the aircraft by 2028.

Heart Aerospace has enlisted BAE Systems to help it define the battery system for its planned ES-30 hybrid-electric regional airliner. The Swedish start-up says it is targeting a power density of 330 Wh/kg as part of a propulsion system that will combine four battery-driven electric motors with a pair of as-yet-unspecified turbogenerators.