FutureFlight

Lyte and KookieJar Lay Plans For Cargo Delivery Vertiports

The December 19 announcement by public charter operator JSX that it will renew and expand its fleet with up to 332 hybrid-electric aircraft potentially marks one of the biggest decarbonization initiatives in commercial air transport to date. The agreements with three manufacturers—Electra, Aura Aero, and Heart Aerospace—include aircraft seating between 9 and 30 passengers, which JSX feels could be the start of a step-change in regional air services across the U.S.

Community leaders from the Lofoten islands in Norway’s Arctic region are making plans to use new electric aircraft. Under a letter of intent signed on December 18, Lofoten Green Islands and Elfly Group have agreed to jointly develop sustainable regional air transport services that could use the Norwegian start-up’s in-development Noemi seaplane.

Overair has completed assembly of the first full-scale prototype of its Butterfly eVTOL aircraft and says it will be ready to start flight testing early in 2024. Announcing the program milestone on Tuesday, the company said the flight testing of the tiltrotor model will validate the proprietary Optimum Speed Tilt Rotor (OSTR) and Individual Blade Control (IBC) technology  it says will give its vehicle an edge in terms of performance, reliability and low noise levels.

EHang this week achieved a breakthrough in its efforts to get established in the Gulf region’s emerging advanced air mobility sector, signing a purchase agreement of 100 of its EH216 autonomous eVTOL aircraft with Abu Dhabi-based Wings Logistics Hub. Announcing the strategic partnership on Monday, the Chinese manufacturer said it has also joined the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) Cluster established in October.

Much like the lithium-ion batteries that power our smartphones, the batteries that will power electric aircraft are destined to degrade over time. For smartphone users, battery performance issues after a few years of use might indicate that it’s time to replace your device.

EASA has issued two sets of Environmental Protection Technical Specifications to signal its intention to be the driving force for noise regulation for eVTOL aircraft. These cover aircraft powered by both non-tilting and tilting rotors, with the agency saying the noise limits for approach, takeoff, and overflight are the same for both categories.

Miami-based start-up UrbanX signed a memorandum of understanding with Eve Air Mobility to develop plans for air taxi services in South Florida that could launch in 2026. Meanwhile, Brazilian regulators are seeking input on proposals for the special airworthiness criteria they intend to use for the type certification of the manufacturer's four-passenger eVTOL, which is expected to make a first test flight in 2024.

Ampaire has set what it believes is a new record for flight endurance with a hybrid-electric aircraft. On Tuesday, the company reported that its Electric EEL technology demonstrator aircraft had flown for exactly 12 hours on December 10 from Camarillo, California, landing with over two hours of fuel and battery reserves remaining.

Boeing Adds 'Insights' to Cascade Climate Impact Modeling Tool