FutureFlight

The Reliable Robotics autonomous flight technology maintains a key role for a fully trained pilot remotely controlling operations of converted aircraft from the ground. The company expects cargo operators to be early adopters of the system and to benefit from greater operational flexibility that could make it possible to increase service at smaller regional airports.

Embraer CEO Francisco Gomes Neto told analysts that it is seeking new investment for both its Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions subsidiary and its planned regional turboprop airliner. While discussions for the latter are now at an "advanced stage," he had nothing "concrete" to report on securing new partners for the development of Embraer's four-passenger, all-electric eVTOL aircraft.

Ampaire is joining the UK's Towards Zero Emissions Regional Aircraft Operations program, with partners including Rolls-Royce, Loganair, and the University of Nottingham. Through May 2022 it will conduct flight demonstrations at airports in the southwest of England to evaluate the potential for scheduled airline services using hybrid-electric propulsion.

The diesel engine at the heart of VerdeGo Aero's new VH-3-185 generator can run on existing jet-A fuel or new biofuels. The unit can be used in several different powertrain architectures to accommodate the propulsion needs of a variety of eVTOL and eSTOL aircraft designs.

Seven more organizations have joined the U.S.-based Community Air Mobility Initiative and the group has also brought more public agencies into its Urban Air Policy Collaborative project. New participants include the city of San Jose, California, and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Aircraft asset-management and leasing group Falko has made an undisclosed investment in Electric Aviation Group's plans for a 70-seat Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft. But the UK company has not said how close it is to raising the $5 billion estimated cost of getting the aircraft into service by 2028, and it faces competition for funding from Faradair's Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft.

Business aviation executives Bill Minkoff and Edwin Brenninkmeyer are cofounding the Advanced Air Mobility Association to promote advances in electric aircraft technology and operations. The group plans to hold a symposium in Silicon Valley in 2022 and to introduce a trophy to honor excellence in electric aviation.

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommended several improvements to the flight and maintenance manuals for Pipistrel's Alpha Electro electric light aircraft after a power failure caused by overheating of the power controller. Its report said it needs to be clearer to the pilot how to restart the motor after an inflight loss of power and how to deploy the emergency parachute.

Uber Elevate identified Melbourne, Australia, as an early-adopter location for its planned ride-hailing eVTOL aircraft operations, but these plans appear to have evaporated since Uber sold the platform to Joby Aviation. Ground infrastructure specialist Clem Newton-Brown and his company Skyportz want to help aircraft developers and prospective operators to revive these plans.

Engineering professor Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy founded ePlane with one of his students at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He sees the market for operating multiple short-hop rides around congested cities as being the primary opportunity for eVTOL aircraft developers. With the first flight of a full prototype set for around March 2022, details of the company's design are still very limited.