FutureFlight

The UK government-backed Future Flight Challenge (FFC) initiative to advance sustainable aviation technology and operations this week launched its Aviation Safety Framework. The study commissioned by the FFC and published on July 12 lays out detailed guidelines for a future aviation system, including both autonomous and piloted aircraft and their supporting technologies.

According to a report by management consulting group McKinsey, by 2028 as many as 28,000 pilots could be needed to fly new aircraft types to be deployed in the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector. So where on earth will all these pilots come from, at a time when the mainstream air transport industry faces a flight crew shortage, and who is to train them?

Joby Aviation appears to be on course to complete its merger with special purpose acquisition company Reinvent Technology Partners. The eVTOL aircraft developer announced the deal in February with projections that it would raise around $1.6 billion in gross proceeds.  The merger, which is still being processed by the Securities and Exchange Commission will result in a New York Stock Exchange listing for the combined entity with an anticipated market capitalization of $6.6 billion.

It would seem that Archer’s legal team has been browsing The Art of War by ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu. “Attack is the secret of defense,” he wrote back in the fifth century B.C., or, as it is commonly paraphrased in English, “Attack is the best form defense.”

EASA this week launched another round of consultation on its proposed means of compliance (MOC) for its Special Condition for VTOL aircraft type certification. The European aviation safety agency published the second version of its consultation document and is giving interested parties until Aug. 30, 2021, to submit comments.

Aircraft engine makers like Rolls-Royce know full well they are in the front lines in responding to growing pressure to achieve net-zero carbon levels in aviation. Acknowledging that they are widely seen as part of aviation’s environmental impact problem, they are being increasingly more visible in signaling their intent to be part of the solution.

SAE International, the global industry association focused on establishing engineering standards in the mobility sector, has proposed new guidance for companies developing electric propulsion systems for aircraft. The group’s E-40 Committee on Electrified Propulsion has just published its ARP8689 Endurance Tests for Aircraft Electric Engines document on the durability and integrity testing for new electric engines.

Assessments of the task facing companies seeking type certification for eVTOL aircraft seem to sit at both ends of a wide spectrum. They either make it appear like a steep mountain to climb with near-insurmountable obstacles on the ascent or a proverbial walk in the park on a fast track towards achieving revenue flights in record time.

A relentless flow of research reports keeps predicting vast market opportunities in the nascent advanced air mobility (AAM) sectors. Much of the envisaged demand hinges on what is generally regarded as the inevitable public acceptance of eVTOL air taxi services. But less than three years away from the anticipated launch of early commercial operations, relatively little attention seems to have been given to asking prospective passengers how they feel about this prospect.

The top line of NASA’s first budget request under the Biden Administration signals the organization’s clear intent to embrace the new American president’s commitment to achieving environmental sustainability. Under the heading “addressing the climate crisis at home and abroad,” NASA's financial year 2022 budget request confirms its plan for a Sustainable Flight National Partnership to develop “highly efficient” aircraft and to support new academic-led research into zero-emissions aviation.