FutureFlight

SMG Consulting has been closely tracking and supporting advanced air mobility since the new sector’s earliest days when there were certainly more doubters than backers. Sergio Cecutta and his California-based team have never shied away from making bold predictions, and its recently published latest outlook is no exception.

EASA this week issued the fourth version of its proposed means of compliance (MOC) for aircraft developers to achieve type certification under its Special Condition VTOL rules that were issued in July 2019. The new MOC-4 SC-VTOL document includes proposals for additional means of compliance, as well as supplements and amendments to those published in three earlier consultation documents. The changes are based, in part, on input received from earlier rounds of consultation which are now closed.

UK air navigation service provider NATS and multiple partners recently concluded a series of simulation exercises to assess how eVTOL aircraft can best be integrated into the country’s public airspace. In a report published this week, members of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium summarized how they are preparing for planned demonstration flights in late 2024.

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has launched an advocacy initiative for the advanced air mobility sector. The AAM Prepared campaign, which got underway on December 6, will bring together industry stakeholders to educate state, tribal, and local lawmakers in the U.S. in the hope of influencing legislative decisions the drone industry group anticipates in 2024.

As the aviation industry looks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, new battery-electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft could be the most effective solutions for reducing its dependence on fossil fuels in the long term. But in the short term, the market for hybrid-electric aircraft could prove to be more fruitful. 

German eVTOL developer Volocopter has jumped to the number-one ranking on SMG Consulting’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Reality Index, overtaking long-time front-runner Joby Aviation.

California State University has released a study spelling out what it views as the potential benefits of urban air mobility services to Long Beach and the wider Los Angeles-Orange County region.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published initial findings from a study about the effects on eVTOL aircraft operations of downwash, which is the column of downward-accelerated air generated by rotors or other propulsors. The agency noted that it intends for its CAP2576 report to prompt discussions with aircraft manufacturers and operators and that the study does not necessarily constitute the basis for any future legislation.

Even in a week when the UK government is backtracking on its earlier commitments to take a leadership role in net zero decarbonization efforts, the country is viewed as a potential early adopter of electric aviation. It is in this spirit that advanced air mobility consultant EA Maven recently released a study looking at how public transportation links between communities could be transformed by new aircraft, including eVTOL vehicles and subregional airplanes.

Developers of new eVTOL aircraft insist their multirotor designs will be safer than any helicopter or airplane flying today, thanks to their highly redundant distributed electric propulsion systems. However, the lithium-ion battery technology that will power most of these aircraft has earned a bad reputation in recent years, with media outlets reporting instances of battery fires in electric cars, bikes, and scooters, as well as laptops and smartphones.