FutureFlight

Vertical said that the propeller failure on its first full-scale VX4 eVTOL prototype aircraft has added to the lessons learned from the first phase of flight testing. The company said that the second and third prototypes now being built will feature a much higher proportion of components specifically designed for the aircraft, getting it closer to the production standard for which it seeks type certification in 2024.

Wright says it is focusing on battery chemistries that have been overlooked as a pathway to developing megawatt-hour-size batteries that can deliver 1,000 watt-hours-per-kilogram performance for electric aircraft. The company is working with partners including NASA and EasyJet on plans for electric-powered narrowbody airliners carrying more than 100 passengers.

The U.S. Air Force has paid Archer Aviation nearly $1 million for the delivery of a mobile flight simulator for eVTOL aircraft. This is the first payment that Archer will receive from the USAF over the next five years under its recently announced defense contracts, which the company says are worth up to $142 million. 

While advanced air mobility (AAM) promises to provide cost-effective new passenger transportation options in cities across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, many countries are taking early steps in adopting uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) with limited—and sometimes—nonexistent regulatory and operational frameworks.

Pratt & Whitney and Collins join the Boeing/NASA X-66A Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project; plus Volocopter's eVTOL set to fly at NBAA-BACE business aviation show; VoltAero starts building hybrid-electric aircraft factory; Australia's Torres Strait Air commits to hydrogen-powered Islanders; the Choctaw Nation wants advanced air mobility in Oklahoma; EASA signs off on Aura Aero's manufacturing approval.

Australian advanced air mobility group Skyportz has released a concept for a waterfront vertiport and “e-mobility hub” that it hopes to build in Melbourne, Australia. Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown presented the concept on Tuesday at the Airtaxi World Congress in San Francisco. 

Having completed more than 1,000 remotely piloted flight tests with its eVTOL prototypes over the past 10 years, Joby Aviation has successfully flown its electric air taxi with pilots on board for the first time. Joby announced today that four pilots have now flown the company’s preproduction prototype outside its testing facility in Marina, California. 

Reliable Robotics this week published initial findings from its ongoing joint study with the U.S. Air Force into the potential for its technology to automate operations of large aircraft, such as the KC-135 Stratotanker, which is used for air-to-air refueling. The California-based system is working on military and civil applications for its Remotely Operated Aircraft System (ROAS), which is based on continuous engagement of the autopilot.

Regulators from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the FAA, EASA, and Singapore appeared on a panel to discuss how a robust foundation can be established for new eVTOL aircraft. There were calls for the pace of engagement and collaboration with industry innovators to be stepped up.

Beta Technologies has opened a manufacturing facility in Burlington, Vermont, where it will build its electric aircraft. The company expects to have the capacity to assemble 300 aircraft each year in a 188,500-sq-ft facility that it says has been designed to operate with net zero carbon emissions.