FutureFlight

Lawyers defending Archer against claims by rival Wisk that it stole intellectual property for an eVTOL aircraft now claim that the plaintiff applied to patent its design only after hearing about Archer's plans from former employee Tom Muniz. In an opposition court filing, Archer's attorneys also say that the company has never had possession of data files allegedly stolen from Wisk by another former employee.

Blade Air Mobility's provisional agreement with Eve Urban Mobility Solutions is the latest in a series of deals with eVTOL aircraft developers, also including Beta Technologies and Wisk. Eve has committed to supporting up to 60,000 flight hours by supplying as many as 60 aircraft to as-yet-unnamed operators in South Florida and on the U.S. West Coast.

Hyundai Motor Group's Urban Air Mobility Division is to work with drone operations and traffic management specialist Anra Technologies to develop the operating environment for planned eVTOL aircraft services. Anra specializes in unmanned air traffic management technology and drone operations.

Dufour Aerospace has agreed that AirMobility will market and distribute its Aero 3 hybrid-electric eVTOL aircraft in Japan. The agreement includes terms that could see the Tokyo-based company buy an unspecified number of the five- to seven-seat model, for which no projected service entry and certification date has yet been published.

At a factory in Texas, Qarbon Aerospace will integrate and assemble Hexa aerostructures made by its facility in Thailand. Initially, Lift Aircraft is bringing the personal air vehicle to market under the FAA's Powered Ultralight rules.

Archer says 20 or more recruits from supersonic aircraft developer Aerion will boost its capability in areas such as fly-by-wire controls, flight dynamics, systems engineering, system safety, avionics, power systems, and electromagnetic effects. The company unveiled its Maker technology demonstrator on June 10 and aims to start flight tests by the end of 2021.

Early commitments for NFT's Aska four-seat, self-drive eVTOL vehicle have mainly come from individuals who crave door-to-door transportation options that would allow them to live farther from large cities. Among the launch members of the company's "Founders Club" were a physician who sees the Aska as being valuable in providing rapid-response capability in medical trauma events and a Silicon Valley tech executive who wants more flexibility than he gets with his existing personal fleet of two private jets and a fighter aircraft.

Revealing its initial customers for the eFlyer 800, Bye Aerospace said Jet It and JetClub signed a purchase agreement including orders and options for the seven-passenger cabin-class aircraft, along with purchase deposits for four eFlyer 4 aircraft.  As launch customers, Jet It founder and CEO Glenn Gonzales and JetClub founder and CEO Vishal Hiremath will join Bye Aerospace’s Strategic Advisory Council for the eFlyer.

Some might say that established business and private aircraft operators are natural customers for new eVTOL aircraft and the air taxi services for which they are intended. Many of the eVTOL pioneers claim they will go it alone, retaining full control of operations and the advanced air mobility business model. But that stance could be softening as operational challenges and business realities bring the old and new schools closer together.

A three-minute sortie on June 21 as part of the Paris Air Forum marked the first public flight in France by Volocopter's eVTOL aircraft prototype. The German manufacturer is one of 30 companies and organizations working on a project to prepare for small-scale air taxi services to be launched in time for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.