FutureFlight

Speaking at the recent Vertical Flight Society Electric VTOL Symposium, Airflow CEO Marc Ausmus described the runway needs of his proposed hybrid-electric aircraft as being 150 feet of ground roll with an overall requirement of 300 feet in length, roughly three times the length of the currently proscribed touchdown-and-liftoff (TLOF) area plus safety zone, for a helipad.

A consortium of 13 industry partners, including Frequentis and EHang, will evaluate how drones and piloted eVTOL aircraft can operate beyond visual line of sight alongside existing aircraft in urban airspace. EHang also will be flying its eVTOL aircraft in the European Safe and Flexible Integration of Advanced U-Space Services for Medical Air Mobility project.

With the successful conclusion of a month-long route test and reliability program in Hawaii for its five-seat, hybrid-electric powered EEL, a retrofit of the Cessna 337 Skymaster, Los Angeles-based Ampaire is moving ahead with its next projects, which include models called the Eco Otter SX and the Tailwind.

Russian start-up Hover claims it will be able to get its first eVTOL aircraft into production by the end of 2021, having recently made a first public test flight with its two-seat, all-electric design.

With the far higher electrical power needs of new aircraft has come a requirement for higher-performance cables and connection hardware. Companies like Carlisle and TE Connectivity have been working to rise to these challenges to support eVTOL aircraft developers.

Jaunt Air Mobility, along with partners Triumph Aerospace Structures and the Georgia Institute of Technology, plans to use thermoplastic materials to manufacture eVTOL aircraft. Under a contract from the U.S. Air Force, the companies are looking to reduce manufacturing costs for the vehicles.

While some hybrid-electric aircraft systems under development use an engine connected to a generator through a gearbox of some sort, Turbotech has developed a compact all-in-one unit that uses a microturbine, a generator, and a heat exchanger, all on the same shaft. It spins at 9,000 rpm providing a high power-to-weight ratio.

In its latest flight trials, Bell's APT70 aircraft carried a load on a four-mile trip across the AllianceTexas site that involved navigating through complex airspace. As well as providing data to support standards for unmanned aircraft, the exercise was intended to promote the potential for aircraft developers to use the Hillwood development's Mobility Innovation Zone.

The Skybus concept is a 30- to 50-seat eVTOL aircraft that would offer "park and ride" services to replace ground transportation. It is one of three projects being advanced by GKN Aerospace, along with Safe Flight, which is looking at integrating autonomous aircraft into existing airspace, and the NAPKIN concept for zero-carbon air transportation.

Leading regulatory agencies like the FAA and EASA are showing a willingness to be somewhat flexible in how aircraft designs, and their new propulsion technologies, can complete type certification under existing rules. The industry's efforts to set consistent standards are, in some cases, helping to overcome barriers to innovation.