FutureFlight

Manfred Hader, from Roland Berger's aerospace consultancy team, says that fever pitch excitement around advanced air mobility 2021's deluge of investment might now have subsided. He and other experts speaking at this week's Global Urban & Advanced Air Summit feel that it could now take until around 2025 or 2026 for the true commercial potential of the sector to be visible.

The latest advanced air mobility agreement with the city of Miami involves eVTOL developer Supernal. The subsidiary of Korean carmaker Hyundai says it creates a mechanism for the city to work with industry and community stakeholders to develop “inclusive and forward-thinking policies” to promote the establishment of a sophisticated network of eVTOL aircraft operations.

Recent legislation in the U.S., such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, has established funding and regulatory paths to support the rollout and adoption of new forms of air transportation, such as those promised by eVTOL aircraft. According to Diana Cooper, global head of policy and regulations at Hyundai’s eVTOL division, Supernal, regulators are at last starting to deal with transportation needs at a multimodal level that could see advanced air mobility become a valued addition to national infrastructure.

Luxaviation says that its 60-plus-year pedigree in operating and supporting business jets and helicopters makes it well placed to take a leading role in bringing eVTOL and eSTOL aircraft into commercial service. Through a new partnership with Rolls-Royce—which will provide key infrastructure, such as fast-charging capability and maintenance capability for electric propulsion systems—the companies intend to support the expansion of services by working with new aircraft operators and vertiports.

Prospective early customers for Electra's hybrid-electric nine-seat eSTOL aircraft told the company they want helicopter-like operations with better than fixed-wing operating costs. This has meant altering the blown-lift design and emphasizing the ability to operate from landing strips no bigger than a football field in prime city-center real estate and also from distribution centers and shopping malls.

UK Research & Innovation's Future Flight Challenge is about to announce further government-backed funding for the third phase of projects aimed at preparing for the launch of advanced air mobility services. Meanwhile, GKN Aerospace and its partners—Swanson Aviation Consultancy, Pascall and Watson, and Connected Places Catapult—have just completed their Skybus project to explore the potential for shuttle flights in a 30-passenger eVTOL aircraft.

Natilus is working on a family of uncrewed freight aircraft that it says will offer an intercontinental range of up to 5,400 nm and payloads as high as 144 tonnes. It says that five prospective operators have made commitments worth $6 billion for the aircraft, but it has so far not provided any details of the propulsion system to be used for the blended wing design.

The four-seat Aska aircraft is billed as a flying SUV intended for personal transportation. Unlike smaller "flying car" concepts, it will have to be certified under Part 23 rules due to its size and weight, and its developer NFT has enlisted the aerospace and automotive engineering expertise of India's Tech Mahindra to advance development work. The hybrid-electric vehicle will be able to operate in eVTOL or eSTOL mode and is expected to have a range of around 250 miles.

Over the next two years, a working group led by Wisk will perform an analysis of the economic effect and workforce development, community acceptance and outreach, integration of autonomous eVTOL aircraft into transportation plans, and federal and state government funding opportunities in Long Beach, California.

Airbus and aircraft engine maker CFM International will convert an A380 airliner to run on a hydrogen propulsion system that the companies are developing for the planned ZeroE aircraft that could be ready to enter commercial service in 2035. The flying testbed aircraft could be airborne in 2026 under a plan that will see the A380 fitted with a GE Passport business aircraft turbofan and run on hydrogen combustion.