FutureFlight

EHang conducted a public flight demonstration with its EH216 eVTOL aircraft during a public event in Japan's Okayama prefecture as part of its efforts to build public and official support for advanced air mobility services. The Chinese company said it is being assisted by an unnamed local partner.

On June 10, Archer Aviation will provide the advanced air mobility sector with its first look at the Maker technology demonstrator it is using to develop a larger eVTOL aircraft due to enter commercial service in 2024. The event will be held in Los Angeles which, along with Miami, is a launch city for the company's planned air taxi services.

Eviation is preparing to conduct a first flight with its nine-seat, all-electric Alice aircraft before the end of 2023. It recently took delivery of the electric propulsion system provided by MagniX, and now it has the first set of integrated wings, empennage, and wiring from another key program partner, GKN Aerospace.

Astro has acquired Canadian start-up Horizon Aircraft in return for an initial five million of its shares. Now the company is looking to raise $25 million in fresh investment to fund the development of the Cavorite X5 model as it prepares for a listing on the Nasdaq stock market in the third quarter of 2021.

Skyports and Hanwha Systems anticipate a large worldwide market for advanced air mobility infrastructure services, which includes development of vertiports and drone delivery services. Seoul-based Hanwha pans to offer these services globally as well as in South Korea.

Joby Aviation has launched an alliance with parking facility operator Reef Technology and real estate acquisition company Neighborhood Property Group and develop a network of so-called skyports to use as operating bases for its planned eVTOL air taxi services from 2024.

As part of a formal answer to the lawsuit against it filed by rival Wisk Aero, Archer insists that its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft has been designed independently and that work was supported by a design consultant called FlightHouse Engineering. The company's lawyers forcefully refute Wisk's claims that the design was based on its patented technology for a "sixth-generation" eVTOL aircraft it had been working on in stealth mode.

Starting in 2026, Halo, which is part of Directional Aviation's OneSky Flight business aviation group, plans to operate 100 of the Eve eVTOL aircraft in the U.S. and another 100 in the UK. The company has been formed by combining helicopter operators Halo Aviation and Associated Aircraft Group. According to Halo it considered almost a dozen other eVTOL models before signing the agreement with Embraer's Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions subsidiary.

UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has unveiled cabin concept designs for its under-development Airlander 10 passenger airship. The company is raising funds to prepare the hybrid-electric aircraft for service entry in 2025, with an all-electric version to follow in 2030. It says the airship's low environmental footprint and ability to operate in city centers make it a viable alternative to airline services.

Anyone is invited to submit names for UAM vehicles and operators in the Urban Air Mobility Names Challenge. Held by Varon Vehicles and Flight Crowd, the challenge looks to find names that will stand the test of time and be instantly recognizable and pertinent.