FutureFlight

NASA’s first all-electric experimental aircraft, the X-57 Maxwell, recently notched another milestone on the path to its first flight. Engineers at the agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, have successfully completed thermal testing of its cruise motor controllers. 

Access to engineering expertise based within the European Union could provide a boost for UK-based VRCO's efforts to bring its XP4 personal eVTOL vehicle to market. The company expects the four-seater to prove popular with affluent private pilots who might use it for trips such as hopping on and off yachts.

Grand Flight, Kunlun Capital, and KIP Capital are among the new ventures backing a pre-Series A funding round for Chinese eVTOL aircraft developer TCab Tech. The company, whose name stands for Time Taxi, says that the all-electric E20 vehicle will have a range of up to around 125 miles.

The eVTOL air taxi flight was halfway between Newport Beach and Los Angeles International Airport when one of its passengers started feeling seriously unwell. The single pilot at the controls thought to herself, “Now what do I do?” That was quickly followed by another thought: “Gee, how would this play out when these things are operating autonomously?”

A new partnership between eVTOL aircraft developer Horizon and CertCenterCanada is intended to reduce technical and business risks associated with completing the complex type certification process. The Canadian companies will now collaborate in work that includes flight testing, design, gap analysis, and airworthiness approval.

The U.S. Air Force has commissioned Reliable Robotics to look into how flight automation technology might allow large military transport aircraft to be remotely piloted for cargo operations. Under a contract announced on February 8, the company will prepare a feasibility study for the application of full and limited automation features on multiple aircraft.

Joby Aviation says it has notched another major milestone on the path to type certification for its five-seat eVTOL aircraft. The company today announced it has completed the second of five stages in the FAA type certification process by completing its means of compliance, a document that outlines all the ways in which the company plans to comply with the safety rules that were defined in its certification basis.

From 2030, Air New Zealand wants to start replacing its De Havilland Dash 8-300 twin turboprop regional aircraft with zero-emissions equipment. Through its Mission Next Generation Aircraft program, it is now making preparations and considering options with aircraft manufacturers Embraer, Heart Aerospace, ATR and Airbus, as well as with Universal Hydrogen, which is working to convert Dash 8s and ATR twin turboprops to zero emissions propulsion systems.

During this week's meeting of the UK's Jet Zero Council, the country's business and transport departments announced new funding for research and development work to achieve net zero carbon emissions from air transport by 2050. The government also announced a new consultation on plans to achieve this goal for airports in England by 2040.

The FAA has granted Universal Hydrogen an experimental airworthiness certificate, giving the start-up the green light to proceed with the first test flight of its hydrogen-powered De Havilland Dash 8-300 testbed. Announcing the approval on February 7, the California-based company also said it has already conducted taxi tests with the technology demonstrator aircraft.