FutureFlight

Under a memorandum of understanding, France-based training group Airways Aviation is to receive an unspecified number of VoltAero's Cassio hybrid-electric aircraft. The company plans to launch what it referred to as air taxi operations in the south of France, and will also provide flight training.

A two-seat technology demonstrator eSTOL aircraft is set to start flight testing in 2022, as Electra advances its plans to achieve FAA certification by 2026 for a larger version that would carry a pilot and up to seven passengers. That aircraft is expected to be able to take off and land with less than 150 feet of runway and fly up to 500 miles.

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.