FutureFlight

The Butterfly eVTOL uses the Optimum Speed Propulsion rotor technology developed by Karem Aircraft, from which Overair was established. With support from South Korea's Hanwha Systems, the company has expanded its headquarters in Santa Ana, California, as it prepares the aircraft for service entry by 2026.

Skyroads is the new name for air traffic management innovator D3 Technologies, which is gearing up for a Series A funding round. The German company is developing a traffic management system that operates on cellular networks to connect airborne and ground units for drone and eVTOL aircraft operations. It can handle tasks such as automatically assigning a landing area in the event of an emergency during a flight.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ MHI RJ Aviation Group has created the Aerospace Engineering Center to provide expertise in production and certification work to partners seeking to convert existing airliners to new propulsion systems, such as hydrogen fuel cells. The company, which acquired the CRJ program from Bombardier, is part of a trend trying to repurpose legacy aircraft for a more carbon-neutral green future.

In a bid to get a 100-seat regional airliner to market quickly, Wright Electric intends to convert legacy BAe 146 aircraft to electric propulsion and have them certified for commercial service in 2026. The 30-year-old design's four turbofans will be replaced by a quartet of two-MW electric motors, able to support flights of up to around one hour, providing a carbon-free alternative to existing narrowbody airliners on busy routes.

Dufour Aerospace says it has seen sufficient commercial interest in its Aero2 autonomous eVTOL model to support a decision to certify what has been used as a technology demonstrator for the larger Aero3 model. The hybrid-electric Aero2 will have a payload of almost 90 pounds and a flight duration of up to three hours at a cruise speed of just over 100 mph. A prototype of the piloted Aero3 eVTOL model is expected to start flight testing in late 2022 as it heads for entry into service by early 2026.

The new Airbus Scale innovation hub will seek to nurture new technology initiatives both from among its own employees and with external start-ups. It will complement the roles already played by the aerospace group's Acubed, Airbus China Innovation Centre, and Airbus UpNext business units, promoting both "intrapreneurship" and possible new spin-off ventures.

MTU Aero Engines is working with the government-backed DLR German Aerospace Center to develop a fuel cell powertrain technology demonstrator using a 19-seat Dorner 228. Now, EASA has asked the company to collaborate in developing standards, requirements, and processes for achieving type certification for the equipment, which is expected to form the basis for hydrogen-powered airliners.

Concerns over type certification complexity as well as input from prospective customers were behind Eviation's decision to move the propellers of its all-electric Alice aircraft from the wingtips to the tail. The company, which is targeting passenger and freight applications for the all-electric aircraft from 2024, says the new configuration will result in greater stability and enhanced fly-by-wire performance, while also delivering more power from its larger propellers.

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, which includes the country's Civil Aviation Bureau, formally accepted SkyDrive's type certification application for the SD-03. The company, which has raised more than $50 million in funding from multiple investors, has now acknowledged that it could take up to two years longer than originally planned to get approval for deliveries of the single-seat eVTOL to begin.

ZeroAvia and its Dutch partners are in talks with airlines that might be prepared to start operating a hydrogen-powered 19-seat regional airliner on scheduled services connecting Rotterdam and London. The propulsion pioneer expects to start test flights with a converted Dornier 228 aircraft before the end of 2021.