FutureFlight

Wisk Aero is expanding its operations into Canada as the pilotless eVTOL air taxi developer steps up work on the sixth-generation eVTOL aircraft that it intends to be flown autonomously from ground-based operations centers.  The company announced on August 9 new plans to launch an engineering hub in Montreal.

Helicopter operator Bristow is continuing to expand into the advanced air mobility market with plans to add as many as 55 Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft from Beta Technologies to its fleet. The company announced on August 9 that it has placed a firm order for five of Beta’s electrically-powered aircraft with the option to purchase an additional 50 units.

NASA is partnering with the San Francisco-based drone operator Zipline to help shape the future of advanced air mobility in the United States. The U.S. space agency wants to harness Zipline’s experience with autonomous drone deliveries to “pursue a future vision of U.S. aviation that includes delivery drones and air taxis.”

Vertical Aerospace has finished building the first full-scale prototype of its VX4 eVTOL and will begin flight testing the aircraft this summer, the company announced in its first half-year earnings report for 2022. It also confirmed arrangements to raise up to $100 million in further capital through an equity subscription line.

Horizon Aircraft's founders recently bought themselves out of ownership by Astro Aerospace and are seeking Series A funding round backers to bring their five-passenger Cavorite X5 eVTOL aircraft to market. The company has built a half-scale prototype of the hybrid-electric vehicle and plans to start hover testing soon.

In its high-density vertiplex project, NASA engineers and pilots have employed simulations and live flight trials in their efforts to mature automation technology. Using the agency's Langley and Ames facilities, the research team has developed a prototype urban air mobility ecosystem covering aircraft operations, airspace, and fleet management.

Eve is on track to have its eVTOL aircraft in service by 2026, company officials told shareholders on August 4 as they revealed Eve’s first set of quarterly earnings since its initial public offering in May. 

Xeriant and XTI Aircraft say they still intend to complete a merger announced back in mid-2021 and also raise further funds through an uplisting to the Nasdaq stock market. In an August 3 press conference, XTI's new CEO, Michael Hinderberger, acknowledged that the timeline for starting production and deliveries for the six-passenger TriFan 600 VTOL aircraft has slipped from 2024 into 2027.

American Airlines has provisionally agreed to take as many as 100 of ZeroAvia's ZA2000 hydrogen propulsion systems, which could be used to convert up to 50 as-yet-unspecified regional jets. The agreement is part of an investment in the start-up, which says it has now raised more than $150 million in a Series B funding round that is also backed by International Airlines Group and Alaska Airlines.

Experts gathered at the Vertical Flight Society's recent Electric Aircraft Symposium pointed to numerous roadblocks to putting the proper infrastructure in place for advanced air mobility, such as raising sufficient capital, finding acceptable locations, and completing the appropriate studies.