FutureFlight

Following breakthroughs in trials involving beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations, autonomous flight technology group Neuron and blockchain specialist Hedera say they have a plan for digitizing all categories of airspace. The partners claim this approach could help to deliver a long-overdue modernization of air traffic management and would be especially valuable in enabling a rapid scale-up in eVTOL aircraft commercial services.

The stand-out design feature of Overair's planned Butterfly eVTOL aircraft is its patented Optimum Speed Propulsion system, based on four large tiliting propellers that spin more slowly than other designs to reduce noise and consume less energy than those used by comparable vehicles. The company has now started ground testing the propulsion system and is in the early stages of building a full-scale prototype of the five-seater model that could fly in 2023.

Advanced air mobility ground infrastructure group Skyports has bought one of only two public heliports in London for its planned vertiport network for eVTOL aircraft operations. The company has plans for other vertiport developments in the UK and several other countries and will continue to welcome helicopters at the facility.

AirX has agreed to add EHang's EH216 autonomous eVTOL aircraft to its flight booking platform in Japan, placing preorders for 50 of the electric two-seaters. The Chinese manufacturer says the agreement is its largest yet with a Japanese customer, as it continues to build an order backlog ahead of type certification by Chinese authorities.

Fresh funding from Lockheed Martin Ventures will support Electra's efforts to start flight testing a full-scale technology demonstrator of its planned eSTOL aircraft during 2022. The hybrid-electric aircraft is expected to be able to carry seven to nine passengers, or a 1,800-pound freight payload, up to 500 miles.

Propulsion technology start-up Blainjett Aviation claims that its patented Dynamic Variable Pitch technology gives eVTOL aircraft developers a compelling alternative to tilt-rotor and ducted fan systems. Company founder Cary Zachary says that the concept avoids the need to change the angle of attack of an aircraft’s rotors to support the forward thrust required for cruise flight and can be configured for various aircraft architectures.

AutoFlight says its newly rebranded Prosperity I eVTOL aircraft will complete EASA type certification by 2025, and to support that objective the China-based group has established a subsidiary company in Germany. The aircraft, which will carry three passengers and a pilot on trips of up to around 155 miles, is expected to step up its flight test program during 2022.

Smart Megawatt Stack Fuel Cell Systems is a new offshoot from hydrogen-powered aircraft developer Electric Aviation Group. The megawatt-class powertrain it is tasked with producing is intended for EAG's proposed 90-seat hybrid-electric airliner, but could also find other transportation uses such as powering trucks, ships, and trains.

Airflow considers blown-wing technology—which accelerates the movement of air over the wing to generate more lift at lower airspeeds—a game-changer in efforts to bring to market electric aircraft like its planned eSTOL models. The company has already logged multiple provisional orders and expects to achieve its first deliveries in 2025.

Secure Parking has signed an agreement with advanced air mobility infrastructure group Skyportz to release access to up to 400 parking lots across Australia that could be used as landing sites for eVTOL aircraft. The sites are in city-center and suburban locations and mainly entail the use of parking lot rooftops, once Australian authorities have agreed on all the necessary safety standards and regulations.