FutureFlight

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommended several improvements to the flight and maintenance manuals for Pipistrel's Alpha Electro electric light aircraft after a power failure caused by overheating of the power controller. Its report said it needs to be clearer to the pilot how to restart the motor after an inflight loss of power and how to deploy the emergency parachute.

Uber Elevate identified Melbourne, Australia, as an early-adopter location for its planned ride-hailing eVTOL aircraft operations, but these plans appear to have evaporated since Uber sold the platform to Joby Aviation. Ground infrastructure specialist Clem Newton-Brown and his company Skyportz want to help aircraft developers and prospective operators to revive these plans.

Engineering professor Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy founded ePlane with one of his students at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He sees the market for operating multiple short-hop rides around congested cities as being the primary opportunity for eVTOL aircraft developers. With the first flight of a full prototype set for around March 2022, details of the company's design are still very limited.

Automation specialist Airio is the latest partner to sign up to help Varon Vehicles to develop urban air mobility networks planned for various South American cities. Its Intelligent Flightpath Navigation system uses algorithms to define safe flight paths for eVTOL aircraft.

Tecnam's P-Volt aircraft will be powered by a new electric propulsion system being developed by Rolls-Royce. The new model is based on the Italian manufacturer's existing piston-powered P2012 aircraft and will support the Norwegian air transport industry's goal of going carbon-neutral by 2040.

The open-architecture software and hardware used by Windhover Labs for its flight computer should make it easy to integrate with a variety of new aircraft applications. The company believes that this will provide a more cost-effective approach for eVTOL programs that are still in the early stages of development.

In an emergency, a parachute can be deployed to allow the eFlyer 2 aircraft to safely glide down to the ground. Aviation Safety Resources will test the system at higher-than-required weights and speeds to meet the requirements of standards body ASTM and the FAA.

According to Jump Aero, its eVTOL aircraft is better suited to calibration tasks than either drones or larger, fixed-wing aircraft. Under an Agility Prime research contract, it is working with Oklahoma State University while it continues to conduct initial design work on a full-scale version of the aircraft being developed for emergency medical support operations.

Research engineers from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been investigating the projected power requirements of new electric aircraft and how these could be met. Options include alternative power sources, such as hydrogen, but there are also wider questions as to how the required infrastructure will be financed by the emerging advanced air mobility sector.

The Chinese eVTOL aircraft developer has reaffirmed its commitment to developing a longer-range model than its existing EH216, which is limited to flights of just 22 miles. Some prospective customers are reportedly hoping for an aircraft that could fly almost 290 miles, but this would require a significantly different approach from that taken with the development of EHang's existing eVTOL.