FutureFlight

State and city legislation in New York is set to ban many helicopter flights deemed to be "non-essential" and make it easier for civil lawsuits against rotorcraft operators to succeed. The bills appear to apply to existing rotorcraft but may raise concerns about the attitudes of local officials toward eVTOL flights.

Ampaire maintains that connecting islands in regions such as the Caribbean is an ideal application for hybrid-electric aircraft such as its Eco Caravan conversion of the Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprop. At the Caribavia conference in St. Maarten this week, the U.S. company provided case studies with local airlines to demonstrate how fuel burn could be significantly reduced.

UK companies should find it easier to achieve concurrent type certification for eVTOL aircraft now that the country's Civil Aviation Authority has adopted EASA’s Special Conditions (SC) VTOL standards. The move follows an announcement earlier this year signaling the CAA's intention to also work closely with the FAA on the U.S. agency's different approach to type certification.

Cranfield Aerospace Solutions is working with Bremen-based Evia Aero to convert nine-seat Islander aircraft to hydrogen power to enable zero-emission subregional airline services. The UK company's longer-term goal is to develop its fuel-cell-based powertrain for use with larger airliners seating up to 100 passengers.

ZeroAvia is to provide its 600-kW ZA600 hydrogen powertrain for a stretched version of Otto Aviation's diesel-powered Celera 500L. The planned Celera 750L model could have a range of up to 1,000 nm and may be ready to enter service in 2027, two years after the six-seater 500L, which promises a range of 4,500 nm.

French seat manufacturer Expliseat will develop cabin and cockpit seats for the Lilium Jet, with the aim of achieving a 35 percent weight reduction compared with existing aircraft seats. These will feature smaller composite and titanium frames, as well as completely recycled materials to reduce the eVTOL vehicles' overall carbon footprint.

Regional carrier Air Nostrum is set to be the launch customer for Hybrid Air Vehicles' 100-seat airship, called the Airlander 10, with plans to take deliveries of 10 aircraft beginning in 2026. The aircraft, based on a large fabric hull filled with helium to provide lift, is expected to operate on routes of up to around 265 miles and at speeds of 86 mph. It is intended to be able to operate from city-center locations.

South Korea's Hanwha Systems is investing a further $145 million in Overair to increase funds available to bring the six-seat Butterfly eVTOL into commercial service in 2026. The California-based start-up says it is on track to achieve the key program milestone of starting flight tests with a conforming prototype in the second half of 2023.

Air transport information technology specialist SITA is equipping a vertiport testbed set up by Skyports at Cergy-Pontoise Airport near Paris to evaluate how eVTOL air taxi services can be smoothly operated. The partners want to demonstrate how biometric technology could effectively interface with flight booking apps to make boarding aircraft quick and easy.

Ampaire is developing hybrid-electric propulsion systems with which to convert existing aircraft. As part of its wider business goal to expand electrification in aviation, the company is partnering with sustainable infrastructure specialist Black & Veatch to identify airports worldwide that are willing and able to establish green recharging capability using solar power and new energy storage techniques.