FutureFlight

Planned ground and flight demonstrations with an integrated megawatt-class powertrain system are part of NASA's Electrified Aircraft Propulsion program. The agency is working with the private sector to achieve its objective of seeing hybrid-electric-powered airliners in service by 2035.

Varon Vehicles has enlisted U.S.-based architecture and engineering group PS&S to develop plans and designs for vertiports and other infrastructure needed to support eVTOL aircraft operations in urban areas. PS&S has set up an Urban Air Mobility Task Force to focus on this sector.

EHang this week reported more sets of autonomous flight tests for its all-electric EH216 eVTOL aircraft to test its range and endurance in extreme temperatures. The two-seater was flown empty on flights out to Dong Ao island in the South China Sea near Zhuhai and Hong Kong. Earlier, it had made several sorties in sub-zero weather conditions over a frozen lake near Beijing.

It has taken Dutch company Pal-V more than a decade to establish the basis on which it can certify its flying car under EASA's existing CS-27 regulations covering gyroplanes. With further flight testing still to complete, the type certification process is now expected to be finished in 2022, and Pal V is already taking reservations and making arrangements to start training prospective owners, most of whom are new to aviation.

Joby Aviation's share flotation through a merger with special purpose acquisition company Reinvent Technology Partners is expected to raise sufficient capital to get its five-passenger eVTOL aircraft into commercial service during 2024. Founder JoeBen Bevirt says the company, which has been developing its technology for over 10 years, will be profitable by 2026, with initial net annual revenues of at least $2 billion.

South Korean automotive group Hyundai chose Ben Diachun as chief technology officer for its U.S-based Urban Air Mobility Division for his extensive experience in developing new aircraft with Opener and Scaled Composites. His team are aiming to get a prototype of the SA-1 eVTOL aircraft ready to start flight testing in 2023, en route to a goal of completing type certification for the four-seater model in 2028.

California-based Archer is one of several eVTOL aircraft developers eyeing Los Angeles as a likely launch location for urban air mobility services. Uber's Elevate platform also called for services to start there from 2023, and Elevate's new owner, Joby Aviation, may continue this plan. Meanwhile, Hyundai, which last year launched an eVTOL aircraft development program, is already part of the Los Angeles Urban Air Mobility Partnership.

Spain's Aciturri group has been making aerostructures for civil and military aircraft for more than three decades, and aero-engine components since it was formed back in 1977. The company, which supports major airliner manufacturers including Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer, is now a risk-sharing partner with Lilium for its new eVTOL aircraft. The companies are working to a goal of being ready to start full production by the end of 2024.

Terrafugia parent company appears to have abandoned plans to market the Transition flying car in the U.S. market, despite having just received an FAA light-sport airworthiness certificate. Also unclear is whether Zhejiang Geely intends to advance earlier plans to develop the TF-2A eVTOL aircraft, but on February 24 the CEO of its Aerofugia subsidiary mentioned plans for a joint venture with German eVTOL developer Volocopter, in which it is also an investor.

Spanish tier-one supplier Aciturri will have comprehensive responsibility for manufacturing all the main composite structures for the Lilium Jet eVTOL, which is due to begin production around the end of 2024. It faces a tight schedule to support Lilium in sticking to its program timeline while assuring safety and quality.