FutureFlight

A letter of intent between Eviation and Cape Air covering the purchase of 75 fixed-wing Alice electric aircraft comes amid questions about the timing of the new design’s first flight. Last scheduled for January, the first flight would support certification in 2024.

Volocopter is one of five eVTOL aircraft developers among the 30 partners involved in the Re.Invent Air Mobility Challenge that is preparing to launch air taxi services when the French capital hosts the 2024 Olympic Games. The exercise could be a key test of public acceptance of eVTOL aircraft in urban areas, and noise levels will be a big part of that equation.

Embraer's eVTOL aircraft subsidiary Eve is set to complete its merger with special purpose acquisition company Zanite on May 9, leading to a New York Stock Exchange listing. The deal is expected to raise well over $500 million in new capital to support Eve's plans to bring its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft into service in 2026.

New advanced air mobility challengers must assume a significant regulatory challenge and establish operating credentials under FAA Part 135 rules or equivalent legal structures in other countries. Some startups have found the process so onerous that they’ve opted to effectively buy approval with the acquisition of a company with an existing certificate. Others, such as eVTOL developer Joby Aviation, have taken the direct route.

Under a newly signed agreement between Airbus and Kawasaki, the European airframer will provide aircraft characteristics, fleet energy usage, and insight on hydrogen-powered aircraft for ground operations, while Kawasaki performs a cost outlook, works on technology drivers on the various elements of the supply chain, and builds infrastructure deployment scenarios for the supply of targeted airports.

EASA is considering whether to accept Lilium's proposed means of compliance for the type certification of its seven-seat eVTOL aircraft. The manufacturer intends to build the first production-conforming example of the Lilium Jet in 2023, and this will have 30 ducted fans fitted in its wings. Type certification is now anticipated in 2025.

While Wisk has yet to unveil the full-scale eVTOL aircraft it has in development, it has logged more than 1,500 flights with vehicles such as its two-seat Cora. It is committed to fully autonomous operations when its aircraft enter service, and this has prompted it to partner with ground infrastructure specialist and drone operator Skyports to develop a concept of operations to map out how this would work.

At least some of the 100 EHang EH216 eVTOL aircraft that Prestige Aviation has agreed to purchase could be deployed on flights serving Indonesia's new capital city, Nusantara. The company also sees potential for the two-seat autonomous vehicle to provide air taxi services connecting communities across Indonesia's dispersed chain of islands.

Companies like Aviation Safety Resources and Ballistic Recovery Systems are convinced that their whole-aircraft parachutes can be a critical last resort to ensure a safe landing in the event of major system failures. But developers of eVTOL aircraft insist they are building in more than adequate safety redundancy and that parachutes bring their own problems.

Switzerland-based Dufour Aerospace will conduct some of the development work for its Aero family of hybrid-electric tilt-wing eVTOL aircraft in Montreal. The company is now recruiting software engineers to assist in multiple IT-related aspects of the program.