FutureFlight

Hydrogen supply and fuel cell specialist Plug Power has invested in its partner Universal Hydrogen, which is close to completing the construction of a subscale hydrogen powertrain it is developing to retrofit regional airliners. The companies also agreed on a hydrogen fuel supply agreement to support operators of the technology, which should be ready for commercial service by 2025.

Europe-based emergency response and healthcare group Falck is partnering with Kitty Hawk to convert its single-seat Heaviside eVTOL aircraft into a flying ambulance. The company says it wants to start using eVTOL aircraft to take paramedics to accident scenes by 2025, but it remains unclear when Kitty Hawk will complete the development of the Heaviside.

HyPoint is one of several companies developing fuel cell technology to support hydrogen propulsion systems for aircraft. It claims that its air-cooled system will deliver specific power and energy density that are superior to what rival technologies offer.

German startup Baaz believes that the longer range and greater flexibility resulting from the distinctive folding wing design of its B5 model, will set it apart from other eVTOL aircraft. The new model also features a distinctive propulsion system based on five sets of ducted fans and a five-seat cabin that can be quickly reconfigured for different applications.

Bye Aerospace is edging closer to being able to start deliveries of its eFlyer 2 two-seat, electric fixed-wing aircraft, with the first fuselage now in serial production and FAA type certification nearing. The U.S. company is reporting a sales backlog of 717 units, also including the larger eFlyer 4 and Envoy models.

Advanced air mobility ground infrastructure experts Rex Alexander and Yolanka Wulff urged companies seeking to pioneer the launch of eVTOL aircraft operations to start early and leave no detail to chance regarding the preparation of the required ground infrastructure. They point to myriad technical and planning issues, relating to matters such as how land is zoned for use and getting electrical supplies approved and installed.

Government-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries is developing the T629 all-electric, unmanned helicopter for military applications such as search and rescue, anti-ship, and anti-submarine warfare.

A team of 50 aerospace students from the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands is preparing to start flight tests with a lightweight hydrogen-powered prototype called Phoenix PT. The AeroDelft project has ambitions to build a larger aircraft that could carry two passengers.

Planned ground and flight demonstrations with an integrated megawatt-class powertrain system are part of NASA's Electrified Aircraft Propulsion program. The agency is working with the private sector to achieve its objective of seeing hybrid-electric-powered airliners in service by 2035.

Varon Vehicles has enlisted U.S.-based architecture and engineering group PS&S to develop plans and designs for vertiports and other infrastructure needed to support eVTOL aircraft operations in urban areas. PS&S has set up an Urban Air Mobility Task Force to focus on this sector.