FutureFlight

Aircraft ground handling chain Jetex will build and operate takeoff and landing infrastructure and services for eVTOLs under a strategic partnership with Volocopter. The company provides ground handling services, mainly in the private and business aviation sectors.

Joby’s receipt of its FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate would allow the company to start on-demand air taxi operations with its Cirrus SR22 and “a small number” of other traditional fixed-wing aircraft. The company submitted more than 850 pages of manuals for approval and its pilots demonstrated mastery of the associated procedures and training under FAA observation.

In a month-long set of flight trials, Brazilian helicopter operator Helisul Aviação helped Eve to gather the data on which its recently published concept of operations for urban air mobility for Rio de Janeiro was based. It proved to be an interesting study of what happens when passengers interact with a new mode of transportation.

As part of the Netherlands’ Power Up initiative to introduce electric-powered commercial passenger flights within five years, France’s VoltAero plans to perform demonstration flights with its first Cassio hybrid-electric aircraft starting June 13.

ZeroAvia has expanded an agreement outlined by an October 2021 memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi’s MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) that calls for the CRJ certificate holder to provide engineering services and aircraft integration to support ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain for retrofit onto regional jet airframes.

Each of Lilium Jet's 30 fan engines fitted in the wings and canard will have its own electric motor. Lilium has chosen Honeywell Aerospace and Japanese automotive group Denso to develop these 100 kW motors, which will each weigh just 4 kg.

Circumstances out of Harbour Air’s control—namely, the Covid pandemic and resulting supply chain constraints—have slowed progress considerably and forced at least a one-year delay in the eBeaver’s expected certification. Meanwhile, testing continues on the first example while the airline awaits delivery of a new motor and battery pack for its next airplane.

The company will accelerate the complex process involved in verifying software systems for Joby's eVTOL aircraft. Its team will work from tandem testing facilities at Joby's headquarters in California and the Avionyx base in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Pratt & Whitney Canada has chosen Switzerland’s H55 to supply battery systems for the regional hybrid-electric flight demonstrator program the engine company established last July. The National Research Council Canada (NRC) and the province of Quebec’s Innovative Vehicle Institute (IVI) have agreed to support the development of the battery component designs and their electrical control systems.

A network of operators will provide flights in a fleet of VoltAero's Cassio hybrid-electric aircraft for customers who will acquire a 20 percent stake to share access to between 800 and 1,000 flight hours per year. VoltAero now says it will start deliveries in 2024 of the four-passenger Cassio 330 model, which will be followed by the larger Cassio 480 and 600 models.