FutureFlight

Manhattan-based start-up Kelekona says it is starting to build a scaled model of an eVTOL aircraft based on a blended wing, or lifting body, airframe concept. The search for premises and ambitions to start flight testing the design under an FAA experimental license by early 2022 have led to plans for a new funding round to start in late July.

Apart from what is visible in three photos released on May 25, almost nothing is known about the technology EHang is using for the VT-30 eVTOL aircraft, including the hybrid-electric propulsion system that will support a projected range of 187 miles. The Chinese company reported that it has made an initial vertical takeoff and landing, but provided no further details about its plan to bring the aircraft into commercial service for inter-city flights and trips around larger regional areas in China and beyond.

Faradair Aerospace founder and CEO Neil Cloughley says the BEHA aircraft has the potential to disrupt the current economic constraints on regional airline services, with its short-field takeoff and landing performance allowing it to bypass major airports. It has recently added to its list of partners with companies including Dunlop Aircraft Tyres joining the UK-based program.

In April 2021, EASA launched a public consultation over proposed guidance for early-stage machine learning applications, based on joint research conducted with Swiss-based Daedalean. The European aviation safety agency's roadmap envisages various phases of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology being rolled out between now and 2035.

Honeywell believes that its alliance with Japanese automotive technology group Denso could strengthen its plans to support developers of eVTOL aircraft for missions such as air taxi and freight services. The partners say they expect to deliver electric propulsion systems that could support flight testing of new vehicles by around mid-2022. Denso is based in Tokyo and has a significant U.S. operation in Michigan.

Pipistrel is leaning toward a hydrogen propulsion system for the Miniliner family of aircraft, which would carry a pilot and up to 19 passengers on trips of up to around 625 miles. The aircraft would be able to land and take off in less than 2,600 feet, opening up a large number of smaller airfields to regional airline service for the first time.

UK-based advanced air mobility infrastructure developer Skyports has been active in the Japanese market since 2020, and recently formalized its local partnership with Kanematsu. Now the Osaka Prefecture has asked it to join a partnership providing support for the Osaka Prefecture Super City's "Green Table" initiative. It will establish a vertiport to support eVTOL flights during the Osaka-Kansai World Expo event in 2025.

From 2024, Germany's Lilium aims to launch commercial services that it defines as "airline" operations across Europe. It has selected Luxaviation to operate these, taking responsibility for securing all approvals and managing pilots who will be trained by Lufthansa. The seven-seat Lilium Jet will operate on routes of up to around 155 miles, with the manufacturer also planning to develop a service network in Florida.

The U.S. District Court in San Francisco is set to hear Wisk's lawsuit against Archer on July 7, but the plaintiff's legal team wants a preliminary injunction prohibiting the defendant from using or disclosing what it says are trade secrets associated with the design for a new eVTOL aircraft. Archer, which has recruited members of Wisk's engineering team, denies the allegations, arguing that it developed the design independently. Meanwhile, the FBI and Department of Justice are pursuing a criminal investigation into the alleged actions of a former Wisk employee who joined Archer.

Vertical Aerospace is expected to market its five-seat eVTOL aircraft to commercial operators for applications including air taxi services and emergency medical support. Flight testing with a full-scale prototype is set to begin before the end of 2021, and the program is backed by prominent aerospace industry partners, including Rolls-Royce, Honeywell, and Solvay.