FutureFlight

Airbus has named California-based electric-motor specialist Magicall to provide the complete electric propulsion system for its CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL aircraft. The company is aiming to start flight testing the first full-scale prototype in 2023.

Working with NASA's Mobile Acoustics Facility, the Joby flight test team has measured noise levels with its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft for both takeoffs and landings, and cruise phases of flight. The company says its initial analysis of the data confirms it will meet its objective of achieving noise levels that will be acceptable to residents in cities where air taxi services will operate.

Oil and gas company Shell, which is an investor in hydrogen-electric powertrain developer ZeroAvia, will be providing the start-up with hydrogen refueling equipment for flight testing using Dornier 228 aircraft in California and the UK. These will help ZeroAvia achieve its goal of certifying the new propulsion systems in 2024.

Israeli personal eVTOL aircraft developer Air now has two distributorships ready to market its Air One two-seat vehicle. Aviation retailer Aeroauto joined the company at the Kentucky Derby horse race, where it exhibited the Air One on the first leg of a planned promotional tour with the full-scale prototype. Customers will be able to view the vehicle at the Palm Beach, Florida showroom of Aeroauto, which will also provide flight training and product support.

Rolls-Royce is best known for building large turbofan engines for airliners, but lately, its relatively new Electrical division has been revealing ambitious plans to provide net-zero carbon electric propulsion for a variety of new aircraft. The company is a key partner for eVTOL aircraft developers Vertical Aerospace and Eve and is also working on plans for electric, fixed-wing commuter aircraft.

Helicopter charter group Helinet has joined the Urban Movement Labs project to prepare for possible eVTOL air taxi services in Los Angeles. The California-based company will share its experience with those missions to evaluate their applicability to eVTOLs and the attendant infrastructure requirements, including the addition of electric charging capacity. 

ZeroAvia will soon be flight testing its 600-kW ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrain on a pair of Dornier 228 twin-turboprop aircraft, with one now positioned at its California headquarters and the other in the UK. The company says it will soon announce new partners to evaluate potential applications for converted aircraft.

Avionord says that it plans to add up to 15 of Manta's hybrid-electric ANN eVTOL aircraft to its fleet of business jets and helicopters, beginning in 2026. The Italian operator specializes in emergency medical and organ transplant flights and believes that eVTOL aircraft could improve the efficiency of these operations by avoiding airports and ground transportation.

Hydrogen fuel cell developer Hydroplane has signed its second U.S. Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer contract to demonstrate an engineering-model hydrogen fuel cell-based powerplant in a ground and flight demonstration in partnership with the University of Houston. The company expects to fly its demonstrator aircraft next year.

South Korean mobility platform TMAP has agreed to join Joby Aviation’s aerial ridesharing partnership with SK Telecom. TMAP extensive transportation and mapping data will inform the partners’ design of optimal air taxi routes, infrastructure networks, and an overall mobility service that suits the preferences of Korean consumers.