FutureFlight

A week after meeting with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, eVTOL aircraft developer Archer Aviation has announced plans to launch an urban air mobility network in the South Florida city. The company recently raised around $1.1 billion through a merger with special purpose acquisition company Atlas Crest Investment Corp.

Vertical Aerospace has chosen Rolls-Royce as a key partner for its renamed VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft. Ground and tethered flight testing is due to get underway in the UK by September 2021, followed by full flight testing in 2022 and projected type certification by the end of 2024. The program has already attracted other key backers, including Honeywell Aerospace, Solvay, and TE Connectivity.

By combining a new one-megawatt generator with an auxiliary power unit, Honeywell aims to deliver a turbogenerator that will support multiple hybrid-electric aircraft. The initiative is part of the U.S. aerospace group's effort to provide a wide array of technologies to aircraft developers in the advanced air mobility sector.

Perhaps because of its origin as a driver of key defense research projects, Aurora Flight Sciences seems to instinctively prefer to keep its work under wraps. Almost two years have passed since the Boeing subsidiary stopped test flights on its Passenger Air Vehicle eVTOL, but it sounds as if the Aurora team still has more surprises to spring on the world of advanced air mobility.

Several eVTOL aircraft developers, including Archer, Joby, and Lilium have signaled intentions to operate their services in Florida. Miami—one of the state's most populous cities and one with a congested road network—would seem to be a prime candidate to be an early adopter of advanced air mobility technology and business models.

Horizon's Cavorite eVTOL aircraft features a distinctive wing with an integrated propulsion system that the company says delivers a winning combination of range, operational flexibility, and safety. Its merger with Astro Aerospace should boost the new group's engineering capacity, perhaps accelerating three new aircraft programs that have been in stealth mode until now.

AeroMobil's first flying car is the two-seat 4.0 model, which it says will have the feel of a luxury sports car and be able to fly up to 460 miles at speeds of up to 160 mph. The company also has plans for a larger 5.0 model with four seats and intends to subsequently develop an eVTOL aircraft called the 6.0.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson told members of the U.S. National Business Aviation Association that the agency is establishing a dedicated executive council to address a wide array of tasks associated with the development of advanced air mobility technology and services. Dickson announced the move a day after the U.S. Senate joined the House of Representatives in considering a new Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act.

Varon Vehicles maintains that for the sort of eVTOL aircraft operations it plans to launch, there is no need to use traditionally trained commercial pilots. The company says that the economic case for its urban air mobility business model calls for a significantly lower-cost approach to training what it calls "vehicle operators." However, it remains to be seen whether regulators will approve this approach to flight crew training.

Noting current battery technologies limits, LiquidPiston says its X-Engine can boost range by either operating in parallel to batteries to provide lift and thrust or to continuously charge batteries on eVTOL designs. It has already demonstrated the propulsion system on smaller unmanned aerial systems.