FutureFlight

Tecnam says the short- to medium-range P-Volt aircraft will be ready to enter commercial service during the second half of the 2020s. It has not yet specified projected performance for an aircraft that will be based on its latest piston-powered P2012 model.

Roland Berger's urban air mobility experts Stephan Baur and Manfred Hader addressed an October 22 conference organized by the German state of Bavaria’s U.S. Offices for Economic Development. They say Covid has disrupted the emerging sector but has not derailed its future.

In a recent presentation to the Vertical Flight Society's Forum 76 conference, transportation consultant Denis Heckmann detailed environmental, engineering, and cost obstacles to the launch of eVTOL aircraft operations in some locations.

Honeywell has condensed its fly-by-wire flight control technology for use on much smaller unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and eVTOL models. The new Compact Fly-By-Wire system can support both autonomous and piloted operations.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit transportation companies like Uber hard, raising questions across the urban air mobility sector as to whether timelines for service entry may have to be modified.

VoltAero has partnered with airport and infrastructure group Edeis to make the case for its hybrid-electric Cassio eSTOL aircraft. The partners say the aircraft will deliver cost-effective regional air services to underserved communities, along with reduced carbon emissions.

Founder members of The new Western States Hydrogen Alliance include Korean automotive group Hyundai, which has already announced plans to develop an eVTOL aircraft.

Electra is a U.S.-based launched by John Langford, who founded Aurora Flight Sciences. The company has published almost no details on its plans to develop an eSTOL aircraft but has been boosted by a new partnership with supersonic business jet developer Aerion.

Rolls-Royce has an engineering team working a tiltwing-configured ground testbed with six propellers as it seeks to define propulsion needs for electric and hybrid-electric eVTOL aircraft.

The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer has established Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions as a U.S.-based subsidiary spun off from its EmbraerX advanced technology division. However, Embraer has still not published performance details or specifications for the aircraft or said when it will be ready to enter service.