FutureFlight

California start-up Moonware has been trialing its concept for autonomous, electrically powered tow tugs with Uber Elevate for its planned urban air mobility network. It says the vehicles could tow much larger aircraft, too.

Lilium says that initial services could be available from 2025, with the new Lake Nona vertiport being the first base in a planned network for eVTOL flights that would connect much of the most populous parts of Florida.

New aircraft developers Airflow, Wisk, and Elroy Air expressed their perspectives on the risks and rewards of autonomous flight technology in a Revolution Aero webinar that also heard from artificial-intelligence pioneer Daedalean.

Klein Vision's AirCar will be powered by a conventional, gasoline-powered 300-hp engine developed by South Africa's Adept Airmotive. The Slovakian startup claims it will be ready to make first deliveries by mid-2021.

Unmanned aircraft pioneer John Langford believes that short takeoff and landing performance will offer better value to the emerging advanced mobility market than pure VTOL capability.

Announcing plans for public demonstrations of air taxi services in two Spanish cities, the country's air navigation agency said the project has financial backing from the European Union's Horizon 2020 fund.

Whether for existing helicopters or new eVTOL aircraft, Airbus is convinced that minimizing noise is critical to winning public acceptance for urban air mobility operations.

Seoul-based Aerospace9 has agreed to buy at least 300 of Bye's electric aircraft, including both the eFlyer2 and eFlyer4, as well as the first examples of a new twin-motor nine-seater model called the Envoy.

A new search of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records conducted by the Vertical Flight Society has illuminated the extensive portfolio of intellectual property held by the parent company and founder of eVTOL pioneer Joby Aviation.

Belgium-based aerostructures specialist Sonaca will oversee the design and engineering transition from the current Cassio testbed to the production versions of the four- to 10-seat hybrid-electric aircraft family.