FutureFlight

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.

Each organizations chosen by the U.S. Air Force's Afwerx unit for phase one research and development contracts will receive $150,000. They will be eligible to be considered for phase two contracts as part of the wider Agility Prime program, worth between $750,000 and $1.5 million.

On October 28, the Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM) Consortium held its global launch event, ushering in what its organizers hope will be a new era of flight in the Great White North. Twenty stakeholders from industry, academia, and local community groups are involved in the new group.

Pal-V has secured European approval for road operation of its flying car, the Liberty, following an extensive drive test program conducted since February that included high-speed ovals, brake, and emission tests, as well as noise-pollution testing. The company is now eyeing EASA certification for flight in 2022.

The new Unmanned Civil Aviation Experimental Zones will give China's autonomous aviation industry more opportunity to develop technology and early operations across 13 Chinese cities.

Through a partnership with Lufthansa Industry Solutions, Volocopter is building a software platform, VololQ, that will run on the Microsoft Azure cloud-based service to manage the entire ecosystem of its planned UAM network. The platform would connect the various facets of a UAM network, from the local authorities to the transportation providers, flight and ground operations, and customer services.

Around $10 million will be available through a new tranche of government-backed funding via the Aerospace Technology Institute starting in early 2021. This is part of a much wider set of funding opportunities to support moves towards zero-carbon-emissions aviation.