FutureFlight

XTI maintains that its TriFan 600 VTOL aircraft will outperform current business jets and helicopters, as well as new eVTOL vehicles. The company, which is looking to raise more funds through a planned merger with the Xeriant group, has determined that it will enter the advanced air mobility market with currently available engines and give electric propulsion technology longer to mature.

Jetoptera, a Washington state-based company developing innovative new VTOL and STOL aircraft concepts using bladeless fan technology, says it is on track to deliver a new prototype to the U.S. Air Force (USAF).  In a letter to investors published last week, it reported that it will be ready to begin demonstration flights in 2025.

Vancouver’s Harbour Air flew its eBeaver prototype on a point-to-point test mission for the first time since its maiden flight in December 2019. Supply-chain delays, however, continue to hinder the program’s progress, as Harbour Air awaits a new motor and battery system to install on the first eBeaver production example.

Innovators like Xwing are focusing on air freight services to gain regulators' approval for flights controlled by ground-based operators rather than pilots on board. Earl Lawrence, the FAA's former executive director of aircraft certification and now Xwing's chief compliance and quality officer, told the recent Electric Aircraft Symposium that passengers are a long way from being ready to accept autonomous operations.

EHang says that second-quarter revenues from preorders and early deliveries of its EH216-S Autonomous Aerial Vehicle have helped to sustain cash flow as it works to complete Chinese type certification for the all-electric vehicle. The company says it has resolved 13 of the means-of-compliance requirements and is preparing to demonstrate compliance to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Eviation is still on track to perform the first test flight of its all-electric Alice aircraft this summer, company officials told FutureFlight. This would imply an anticipated target date for the Washington state-based company of no later than September 22.

American Airlines this week placed a non-refundable deposit as part of an agreement to buy up to 20 Boom Supersonic Overture aircraft. The deal, announced on August 16, includes options on another 40 of the planned supersonic transports, designed to carry between 65 and 85 passengers  to a range of 4,250 nm. The sides did not reveal the dollar amount of the down payment.

Airo Group, which includes eVTOL aircraft developer Jaunt Air Mobility, has filed a confidential S-1 registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to seek approval for an initial public offering. In addition to focusing on eVTOL technology, the company is involved with avionics, drones, and training.

Archer Aviation has completed the preliminary design review for the initial production version of its eVTOL air taxi and revealed the name of the new aircraft. Dubbed “Midnight,” the company says it is on track to enter service by 2025, Archer officials told investors in a quarterly earnings call on August 11.

The UK’s Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) has seen its current investment round increase to £14.4 million with a fresh funding injection by the Tawazun Economic Council of the UAE and California-based Motus Ventures.