FutureFlight

Aerospace and defense group Thales is concentrating its expertise on safely supporting operations by autonomous aircraft alongside piloted machines in non-segregated airspace. Much of the early groundwork for larger eVTOL aircraft operations anticipated for the advanced air mobility sector is being conducted with smaller unmanned air systems, with which the France-based group is already actively engaged.

Fidelity Management & Research Company and Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund are the latest financial backers of eVTOL aircraft developer Beta Technologies. The Vermont-based company is also supported by early purchase commitments from customers including UPS, United Therapeutics, and operators associated with the Blade Urban Air Mobility network.

Volocopter says it will start commercial operations with the four-seat, all-electric VoloConnect aircraft in 2026. The new model will have sufficient range for intercity flights that cannot be served by the smaller VoloCity aircraft. The company says it will seek further investment to support work to bring the new aircraft to market.

According to XTI, the six-seat TriFan 600 eVTOL aircraft has attracted interest from a mix of commercial operators, including those providing corporate or personal transportation. The company is also in contact with prospective partners in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, where it aims to establish a "mobility hub" to provide alternatives to limited airline connections in the region.

Publication of EASA's means of compliance requirements is eagerly awaited by eVTOL aircraft developers working towards type certification under the Special Condition-VTOL rules. The agency has indicated that full operational rules may not be finalized in time for the anticipated start of initial commercial operations in 2023 and that local exemptions may need to apply.

In addition to the certification and operation of new eVTOL aircraft, the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act seeks to advance economic and workforce opportunities, as well as dealing with physical and cybersecurity risks, and supply chain and infrastructure development. The U.S. Senate legislation, which mirrors a companion bill in the House of Representatives, had bipartisan support.

Eviation's Alice fixed-wing aircraft will be powered by the electric propulsion unit developed by its sister company, MagniX. The first prototype was badly damaged during a battery fire on the ground in January 2020, and the company has reportedly changed the aircraft's configuration since then.

Overair is a spin-off venture from military aviation specialist Karem Aircraft that is developing a four-passenger eVTOL aircraft called the Butterfly. Apart from acknowledged backing by South Korea's Hanwha Systems group, it remains unclear whether the California-based company has sufficient capital to complete development to market, but it has built a headquarters in Santa Ana and has tripled the size of its workforce.

CAE is the latest established aviation group to sign up as a partner for Jaunt Air Mobility's plans to bring the five-seat Journey aircraft to market by the end of 2026. U.S.-based Jaunt, which recently established a Canadian subsidiary to handle design and manufacturing operations, is also partnered with BAE Systems and Crane Aerospace for power management, and with the Triumph group for aerostructures.

The details about how the Biden Administration may help to create a positive environment for the advanced air mobility market remain unclear. But venture capitalist Ben Marcus believes that the new transportation mode will bring benefits across the United States, though plenty of work needs to be done to turn theory into practice.