FutureFlight

Universal Hydrogen has conducted a first test run with its megawatt-class fuel cell powertrain using its proprietary liquid hydrogen module to supply the fuel. The module powered the company’s iron bird ground test rig for over 100 minutes in an exercise intended to simulate the typical flight time of one of the regional airliners it aims to convert to hydrogen propulsion.

Shortly after Pivotal officially launched sales of its single-seat personal aerial vehicle—a recreational eVTOL aircraft that requires no license to fly—the company’s “tilt-aircraft” architecture has garnered some attention from the U.S. Air Force. 

Aircraft leasing group LCI and Airbus are joining forces to capitalize on the nascent advanced air mobility (AAM) industry. The partners have agreed to collaborate on several facets of the AAM ecosystem, such as partnership scenarios, business strategies, commercialization, and finance. As part of the agreement, LCI will explore leasing and financing options for the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL aircraft.

AutoFlight on Tuesday demonstrated its five-seat Prosperity eVTOL with a 50-kilometer (31-mile) flight between the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. The flight across the Pearl River Delta took 20 minutes, compared with what the company said would have required a three-hour car journey due to local traffic.

The flight was conducted without a pilot on board, but the aircraft did carry four crash-test mannequins of a size and weight comparable to passengers. 

A production line has been established to assemble the electric propulsion systems that will power Lilium's six-passenger eVTOL aircraft. Facing demands from the Nasdaq stock market to maintain a share price above $1, the German company told investors it is carefully managing cash burn for the program, having ended the year with unaudited liquidity of around $218 million.

The certification-conforming prototype of the two-seat Air One that Air plans to start flight testing later this year will feature an electric propulsion system developed by Nidec Aerospace. The Japanese company is also providing the electric motors for Eve Air Mobility's four-passenger eVTOL vehicle.

Leasing group LCI feels that combining leases for eVTOL along with batteries, charging stations and other supporting infrastructure may make early use cases more viable. The company's chief commercial officer Nigel Leishman explained to AIN how it is preparing to support the new advanced air mobility sector.

Having secured a Part 135 air operator certificate from aviation authorities in New Zealand, Merlin is preparing to start operating the freight services it will use to collect data to support the development of its Merlin Pilot autonomous flight technology. The company is also working with the U.S. Air Force on a possible application for the KC-135 refueling aircraft.

Ampaire and its partner Dimensional Energy say that, by using sustainable aviation fuel produced from renewable sources in a hybrid-electric propulsion system, they can double both the energy efficiency and the reduction in carbon emissions. The companies have run the fuel in ground tests with Ampaire's Eco Caravan hybrid-electric aircraft.

The Texas city of Sugar Land aims to be the first base in a network of eVTOL air taxi services in the Greater Houston area under plans announced this week with Wisk Aero. On February 21, city officials signed a partnership with the Boeing subsidiary to select a location at Sugar Land Regional Airport for a vertiport that could be used by Wisk’s autonomous four-passenger eVTOL aircraft.