FutureFlight

SkyDrive is looking to refine the performance of the rotors for its SD-03 flying car based on testing in the extensive wind tunnel facilities of the government-backed Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Under a new agreement with the agency, the company may also conduct testing of the rest of the airframe in the facility.

The privately developed Vertiport Chicago is conveniently located near many of the most popular business districts in the Midwest U.S. city. It is open around the clock, can accommodate eight helicopters on the ramp simultaneously, and has space for new operations, including eVTOL air taxi services. What's more, local politicians support further expansion of activity on the downtown site.

Just under a week after shareholders approved its merger with Reinvent Technology Partners, eVTOL aircraft developer Joby launched its New York Stock Exchange initial public offering on August 11. The flotation will raise the funds needed to bring its four-passenger aircraft into commercial service in 2024, and makes Joby the first of the front-running eVTOL aircraft developers to complete a merger-IPO deal with a special purpose acquisition company.

The recent MAKS air show held near Moscow provided exposure to several Russian programs aimed at bringing hybrid-electric aircraft to market. In some cases, older An-2 and Yak-40 aircraft are being deployed as flying testbeds. Also on display was a new LMS-901 Baikal eSTOL aircraft that is intended to support new regional services in remote parts of the vast country.

AE Industrial Partners, a private equity group focused on the aerospace, defense, government services, power generation, and specialty industrial sectors, is incorporating Boeing's HorizonX venture fund in a combined portfolio. HorizonX has invested in 40 start-ups since it was founded in 2017. It is separate from the Boeing NeXt innovation division, which closed at the end of 2020.

New companies such as electric propulsion retrofit provider Aviathor and hydrogen propulsion pioneer Beyond Aerospace will be among the first cohort of start-ups selected for Starburst Aerospace's new Blast accelerator program for aerospace entrepreneurs. The group is signing up investors for a new fund that from the end of 2021 will provide fresh capital for companies in the advanced air mobility space.

With Archer's merger with Atlas, and resulting share flotation which is expected to be completed later this year, the eVTOL aircraft developer has nominated senior business leaders from NASA, United Airlines, Mitsubishi, and Ernst & Young to join the board of the restructured company. As the former chairman and CEO of United Airlines until May, Oscar Munoz approved the carrier's agreement to buy up to 200 of Archer's four-passenger air taxi vehicles.

At the recent EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Opener demonstrated its BlackFly single-seat eVTOL aircraft in the event's flying display and also exhibited simulators that it will use to train owner-pilots. The secretive U.S. company for the first time disclosed some information about the model's performance and specifications and said that it will open its order book before the end of 2021.

The successful closing of a $40 million Series A funding round will support Elroy Air's efforts to bring the Chaparral autonomous, heavy-lift, long-haul drone into service for commercial freight operations, and a variety of military and logistics applications. The start-up's new backers include defense aerospace group Lockheed Martin and venture capitalists Marlinspike and Prosperity7 Ventures.

The new Hydrogen Aviation Test and Service Center in Washington state will be used to complete development work for plans to convert Dash 8 and ATR42 regional airliners to hydrogen propulsion systems. The new facility is being established by Universal Hydrogen with its partners Plug Power, MagniX and AeroTec.