FutureFlight

A consortium involving eVTOL aircraft developers Embraer, Vertical Aerospace, and Volocopter, as well as air traffic management specialists Skyports and Atech, will conduct simulated operations connecting London's Heathrow and City airports.

UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles says it could be close to securing a large investment that, along with a new booking for charter services, could reinvigorate its prolonged efforts to bring the Airlander airship into commercial service.

A report in FlightGlobal this week showed what is purported to be a significant redesign of Eviation's Alice all-electric aircraft in which three sets of pusher-configured propellers have been replaced by a pair of forward-facing motors. Separate reports say Eviation may be moving its flight test operations to Arlington Municipal Airport in Washington state.

SkyGrid has added its DeepArmor cybersecurity protection to the AerialOS operating system for autonomous aircraft to protect them from unidentified zero-day hacking threats for which systems suppliers do not have a security patch.

Thirty companies and organizations, including half a dozen eVTOL aircraft developers, will begin extensive trials to prepare for the planned launch in 2024 of commercial air taxi operations in and around the French capital.

Germany's Volocopter says the FAA has accepted its application to concurrently validate its anticipated type certification under EASA's new Special Condition VTOL rules. It is already in talks with prospective U.S. partners and stakeholders.

The French government is investing $8.5 billion to support efforts to use hydrogen in place of carbon-based fuels as part of a national effort to decarbonize and rebuild its economy in the wake of the Covid pandemic. In the U.S., the Vertical Flight Society is forming a hydrogen committee to focus on possibilities for eVTOL aircraft.

Walle says it will start air taxi services in 2026, using Jaunt Air Mobility's five-seat Journey hybrid-electric aircraft. It will focus on short routes of up to around 30 miles, even though the Journey's range is expected to be at least 80 miles.

The only surprise announcement in the aviation sector from this week's Consumer Electronics Show has been a glimpse of a General Motors concept for an all-electric personal air vehicle. Japan's SkyDrive and Pal-V of the Netherlands also participated in the event.

The Vertical Flight Society will hold its 8th annual Electric VTOL Symposium from January 26-28. The group said that investment in new eVTOL aircraft programs is still being made at a rate of around $1 billion per year.