FutureFlight

Kakao, which has 30 million registered users for its mobility app, wants to add eVTOL air taxi services to its portfolio in South Korean. With government backing, the country is one of several prospective early adopters of urban air mobility in Asia, and one of several locations where Volocopter has publicly demonstrated its aircraft.

Prior to raising $100 million in new investment, China's AutoFlight was mainly focused on developing cargo-carrying, autonomous eVTOLs with payloads of between only 20 and 100 kg. However, its focus appears to be shifting to the passenger-carrying aircraft, such as the V1500M, for which it flew a proof-of-concept model for the first time in October.

A recent Joby briefing on progress with its plans to bring its eVTOL aircraft into commercial service in 2024 provided useful insights into what the process entails and why changes to rules covering the certification of general aviation aircraft are so significant. Beyond type certification, the company is also working to be approved as a commercial aircraft operator under Part 135 rules and is preparing to hire and train pilots.

Intended for personal mobility on medium-distance trips, the Tensor 600X uses Fraundorfer’s R01 high-performance rotor system, a new generation of autorotation rotors developed with computer simulation.

Rolls-Royce has asked the Fédération Aéronautique International to validate three world speed records set in its Spirit of Innovation technology demonstrator, which it now says is the world's fastest all-electric aircraft. The company claims the aircraft far exceeded previous records set in an electric-powered Extra 330LE aircraft, achieving a top speed of 387 mph in one flight. The company says data from the UK government-backed Accelerating the Electrification of Flight program will support further development of aircraft electric propulsion.

Xwing is seeking FAA clearance to operate its converted Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft with technology that allows for remote piloting under an experimental license with its Part 135 operating subsidiary. With aviation industry veteran Fred Cromer appointed as CFO, the start-up will be pursuing further fundraising while also accelerating plans to bring its autonomous flight technology into commercial service with air freight operators.

For many companies in the urban air mobility new wave, designing and building eVTOL aircraft is just the start. During a seminar this week, leaders from Joby, Archer, and United Airlines sought to demystify the buzzwords and business school theory behind their plans to transform the way people move around in a way that is more economically and environmentally sustainable.

Thales and Diehl Aerospace will combine their respective primary and secondary flight control computers in a way that complies with the EASA special conditions under which the CityAirbus NextGen is to be certified. The European companies will receive funding from the French and German governments for the project, which marks the first of several key system supply partnerships that Airbus will establish for the eVTOL aircraft's development work.

Eve's four-passenger eVTOL aircraft will be brought to market under the name Eve-Senna in an announcement made close to the first anniversary of Embraer founding the company as its urban air mobility subsidiary. The company also has a new partnership with business aviation services group Jetex.

As it presented its first quarterly financial results since its New York Stock Exchange flotation in September, analysts quizzed Lilium about how it is keeping up with an ambitious timeline to bring the Lilium Jet into commercial service in 2024.