FutureFlight

As Volocopter prepares to launch commercial air taxi services with its two-seat VoloCity eVTOL aircraft at the Paris Olympics next year, the German startup has been showing off its 2X prototype in a series of flight demonstrations across the U.S. this fall as part of its efforts to expand into international markets. 

TCab Tech has concluded its inaugural round of flight testing for the E20 eVTOL, after being awarded a special flight permit and aircraft registration certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in June. The eVTOL aircraft, registered with tail number BO-EEW, underwent hover, transition, and cruise flight phases at Dongyang Hengdian General Airport in Zhejiang Province.

Lyte Aviation is exploring more use cases for its planned 40-seat SkyBus LA-44 VTOL aircraft with new proposals for scheduled flights to connect major cities like Paris with regionals like Twente in the east of the Netherlands. According to the European start-up, its hybrid-electric commuter airliner could bring convenient downtown-to-downtown air service to any number of cities within a radius of 1,000 kilometers (625 miles).

The UK’s Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) consortium has conducted a flight trial with ARC Aerosystems’ C-600 uncrewed air vehicle (UAV). Working with Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd. (HIAL), the manufacturer conducted a tethered flight test at Wick John O’Groats Airport in the north of Scotland.

European Medical Drone is to start using early examples of Dufour Aerospace’s Aero2 uncrewed VTOL utility aircraft under experimental rules approved by EASA. Under the terms of an agreement signed on October 25, the Sweden-based group will receive an X2.3 prototype of the Aero2 in 2024 to prepare for operations with 10 series production examples of the hybrid-electric tiltwing aircraft it has agreed to buy, with deliveries to start in 2026.

Beta Technologies’ Alia prototype has completed a 2,000-mile journey from Vermont to Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, where the U.S. Air Force’s 413th Squadron will use the electric fixed-wing airplane for hands-on experimentation and training. The delivery comes shortly after Beta’s installation of an electric aircraft charging station at the base. 

Archer Aviation has flown a full-scale prototype of its Midnight eVTOL aircraft for the first time, the company announced on Wednesday. Archer said that over the next few months, it will expand the four-passenger vehicle’s flight envelope from hover to full wing-borne flight as it prepares to start testing with the FAA next year that will accrue credits for type certification.

Supernal Executive Mike Whitaker Confirmed as FAA Administrator

As Overair ramps up its efforts to bring advanced air mobility (AAM) to South Korea, the California-based eVTOL aircraft developer just received its first pre-order from a Korean customer. HeliKorea has agreed to purchase up to 20 of Overair’s Butterfly eVTOL aircraft, which the South Korean helicopter operator aims to use for various applications such as emergency medical transportation, cargo logistics, and firefighting.

After accusing Archer Aviation of investment fraud, the plaintiff in a federal securities class action lawsuit filed against the California-based eVTOL air taxi developer has voluntarily moved to dismiss the case. The lawsuit alleged that Archer grossly overstated its progress in the development and type certification of its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft and that the company used “heavily edited” video footage to exaggerate the amount of flight testing it has done.