FutureFlight

Honeywell's October 5 introduction of the Anthem flight deck system means the seven-seat Lilium Jet and Vertical Aerospace’s four-passenger VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft will become the first advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles to benefit from cloud-connected avionics.

The Accelerating the Electrification of Flight team led by aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is attempting to exceed a flight speed of 300 mph in the Spirit of Innovation aircraft. The team also consists of electric motor and controller manufacturer Yasa, which has experience in the automotive sector, and battery specialist Electroflight. Rolls-Royce says the lessons learned from the research and development project will expand the scope of its existing plans to provide electric propulsion for new eVTOL and fixed-wing aircraft.

Surf Air Mobility's efforts to stimulate the adoption of hybrid-electric propulsion in aviation are mainly focused on its prospective Ampaire subsidiary and a new alliance with Textron Aviation to convert its ubiquitous Cessna Grand Caravan fleet of turboprop utility aircraft.

The Skai will be powered by liquid hydrogen, generating electricity via fuel cells to drive six sets of motors and rotors. Alaka'i Technologies claims this approach makes the vehicle far more operationally flexible than battery-powered eVTOL models.

Bell first unveiled the Nexus eVTOL mockup at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2019, but since then the company has not provided any substantial updates on how the program is progressing. The helicopter manufacturer will be exhibiting the design in the Smithsonian Institution’s Arts and Industries Building's Futures show this fall, along with other examples of its technological achievements.

The California-based start-up is working to convert turboprop regional airliners to hydrogen propulsion using its proprietary technology, which includes delivering the fuel directly to the aircraft in capsules that are fitted in the rear of the fuselage. It is opening an engineering and design center at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France, close to the headquarters of European aerospace group Airbus.

Bye Aerospace's eFlyer family of all-electric light aircraft are proving popular with flight training schools as they promise to reduce the cost and environmental impact of preparing new pilots. KLM Flight Academy in the Netherlands this week ordered six of the eFlyer 2 aircraft and eight of the larger eFlyer 4s.

The vertiport being developed by Skyports for the new London community of Brent Cross Town will be connected to a new train station, as well as to other existing transportation links. It will be used to support planned eVTOL air taxi services across the UK capital, with Skyports now laying plans for a network of vertiports at multiple locations.

Germany's D3 Technologies is developing an air traffic management solution to support advanced air mobility operations in which multiple eVTOL aircraft would operate within and between cities. Its latest partner is Walle Mobility, which plans to deploy aircraft such as the Jaunt Journey eVTOL in air taxi services across Italy beginning in 2026.

As part of a concerted strategy to diversify its business model away from heavy reliance on offshore oil and gas industry support flights, Bristow has forged three agreements with electric aircraft developers over the past month. Between Electra Aero, Vertical Aerospace, and now Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, it is set to add up to 200 eSTOL and eVTOL models to its fleet.