FutureFlight

The U.S. government's ban on some foreign-made drones appears to be part of a wider effort aimed at reducing Chinese involvement in the unmanned air systems sector. This raises the question of whether similar moves might be made to block China's role in the development of autonomous eVTOL aircraft.

Developers of eVTOL aircraft will be able to see details of EASA's Special Conditions VTOL type certification requirements from mid November. They will then have the chance to raise questions during the EASA Rotorcraft and VTOL Symposium on December 9.

As it prepares to test the Electric EEL modification of a six-seat Cessna 337 Skymaster with Hawaii-based carrier Mokulele Airlines, Ampaire is now laying plans to apply the hybrid-electric propulsion system to larger aircraft carrying up to around 19 passengers.

At this week's Vertical Flight Society Forum 76 conference, FAA and EASA officials defended their approach to setting type certification requirements for eVTOL aircraft and urban air mobility operations in the face of impatience from aspiring air taxi group Uber Elevate.

Britten-Norman and unmanned systems specialist Blue Bear Systems Research will integrate autonomous flight capability with the Islander's existing Garmin avionics suite. The UK manufacturer also intends to offer electric and/or hybrid electric propulsion for the Islander.

Canada-based Mannarino Systems & Software has developed its M-RTOS real-time operating system to provide a flexible platform for remotely piloted aircraft of almost any size.

Jaunt says its eVTOL aircraft program has fallen about a year behind schedule, with type certification now projected for the end of 2026. The company has started flying a technology demonstrator and says it is working on a Series A funding round and securing new partners.

MTU Aero Engines believes that a strong consensus is building around the use of hydrogen as a power source for air transport aircraft and that this can be achieved via a couple of different paths.

During this week's AUVSI conference and exhibition, Canada-based CS Communication & Systems introduced a set of tools aimed at reducing the cost and complexity involved in meeting testing and certification requirements for software supporting airborne systems.

Under the Green Flyway program to support the development of electric aviation, Are Ostersund Airport in central Sweden and Roros Airport across the border in Norway are inviting electric aviation pioneers to take advantage of their uncongested airspace as a base for flight testing new aircraft.