FutureFlight

Electric-motor pioneer MagniX says that electric aviation will mainly take flight with operators looking to serve routes of between 50 and 500 miles. The company says the commercial case for eVTOL urban air mobility applications will take much longer to establish.

Autonomous flight could prove to be safer than piloted aircraft, according to NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, who told an industry audience that high volumes of aircraft operating in crowded airspace will need new levels of flight control and navigation technology.

A first automatic takeoff and landing with flight stabilization in late July, plus a public demonstration for Bavaria's prime minister, were a prelude to the next phase of Airbus's evaluation of its eVTOL technology demonstrator as the company seeks to determine its long-term plans for the sector.

Advocates for urban air mobility say that public support for eVTOL aircraft operations would be boosted by emergency response applications that demonstrate public benefit.

Electric aircraft developer EHang has chosen the Chinese city of Yunfu as the location for the main factory to build its Autonomous Aerial Vehicles (AAVs). The China-based group said the facility will have an initial capacity to build 600 eVTOL aircraft each year, but in a July 30 statement did not reveal when production will begin.

EASA is partnering with artificial intelligence specialist Daedalean to conduct more detailed research into the safe use of neural networks in aircraft systems. This is part of a process for developing the basis on which artificial intelligence and machine learning can be certified for use on autonomous aircraft.

Bye Aerospace is promising significant savings in operating costs for its electric-powered eFlyers, as well as big cuts in carbon dioxide emissions compared with gasoline-powered aircraft. First deliveries are expected in 2021.

Switzerland's Dufour Aerospace has completed flight testing of a technology demonstrator for its planned Aero 2 and 3 eVTOL aircraft. It remains unclear what the next steps might be for a program that promises more advanced eVTOL aircraft based on a tiltwing design.

Some observers say that the aggressive service entry timelines for urban air mobility being pushed by startup eVTOL aircraft developers will be exposed as unrealistic in the wake of the Covid crisis. Others feel that the deeper experience of established aerospace industry leaders will prove to be an advantage in the long run, even if it means waiting longer for aircraft to be available.

Roland Berger's latest report on the urban air mobility market surveyed aerospace industry leaders about how they see the timeline for service entry in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. The consultancy also has introduced a new UAM Radar to track 100 potential early-adopter cities around the world, with early results showing a high proportion of these being in Europe and the Asia Pacific rim, despite the heavy emphasis on the U.S. market.