FutureFlight

U.S. airports group Avports says it has joined Jaunt Air Mobility's Access Skyways initiative as part of its wider commitment to making air transport more environmentally sustainable. It will work with the eVTOL aircraft developer and other expert partners to prepare the complex array of infrastructure and service and support provisions needed to support commercial operations with electric aircraft.

In a lawsuit due to go to trial in San Francisco in early 2023, Wisk alleges that its former employee Jing Xue misappropriated trade secrets relating to its sixth-generation eVTOL aircraft design and gave these to its rival Archer. But the U.S. Department of Justice has now said it will not prosecute Jing following a joint investigation with the FBI. Wisk and Archer disagree on how this development may impact the civil case.

Tokyo-based Fuyo says it plans to more than triple the number of aircraft in its leasing portfolio but has not explicitly said these will include Bye Aerospace's eFlyer electric aircraft. The development timeline for Bye's eFlyer 2 and 4 light aircraft appears to have slipped by at least two years, based on the latest projections as to when flight testing for FAA Part 23 type certification will get underway.

A recent initial hover flight in Washington state provided the first glimpse at Zeva's distinctive, disc-shaped wing-body eVTOL design. Now the start-up is seeking at least $50 million in further capital investment to advance its plans to expand flight testing and development work on the Zero vehicle under an FAA experimental license.

A recent initial hover flight in Washington state provided the first glimpse at Zeva's highly-distinctive, disc-shaped wing-body eVTOL design. Now the start-up is seeking at least $50 million in further capital investment to advance its plans to expand flight testing and development work on the Zero vehicle under an FAA experimental license.

Joby's planned test flights in and around San Francisco Bay would represent the first time its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft has been seen flying in public and also in an urban area. The company has confirmed reports that it is seeking clearance for the flights from federal and local authorities.

Both the U.S. Army and Air Force are eager to evaluate the potential for eVTOL aircraft to be deployed in military missions. Under a new contract, Army engineers will be directly involved in further flight testing of Beta's Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft, which already holds military airworthiness approval, as the company works to achieve civilian type certification in 2024.

VoltAero's Cassio family of four- to 10-seat hybrid-electric utility aircraft will use the Epic energy storage system developed by Electric Power Systems. The equipment, which will operate as part of a powertrain that also includes Safran's 60-kW Engineus 45 electric motors and a 370-hp internal combustion engine, supports a combined hybrid-electric power output of 330 kW.

Almost 12 years have passed since Sikorsky announced Project Firefly to explore the potential for electric-powered helicopters, and yet the U.S. group's ambitions in the advanced air mobility sector are no clearer. During a presentation at the Vertical Flight Society's Electric VTOL Symposium, strategy lead Jonathan Hartman spelled out what Sikorsky sees as the priorities for technological advances while avoiding any specific commitment regarding what the rotorcraft giant might deliver.

Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even this week insisted that the European aerospace giant won't be rushed over the timeline for bringing its CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL aircraft to market, arguing that much work needs to be done on the required technology, regulation, and infrastructure to ensure that the new sector of aviation has a viable long-term future. The European company sees the new designs complementing the role of its existing rotorcraft, rather than replacing them.