FutureFlight

How will cities and their citizens make clear choices about what they want from urban air mobility (UAM) if no one asks them about it? The answer, says industry group Civata Global, is that they won’t and that a structured process of public engagement from local authorities, communities, regulators, and mobile network operators is urgently needed.

Boeing this week published its 2021 sustainability report. At first glance, the document follows a pretty standard “corporate and social responsibility” format, spelling out how the aerospace giant intends to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem when it comes to aviation’s impact on the environment. Very topically, this year’s report takes particular account of the impact of the Covid pandemic on its business and the markets it serves.

The latest update to SMG Consulting’s thought-provoking Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index adds a pair of new eSTOL manufacturers—Electra and Airflow. Among the eVTOL crowd, the index incorporates only two changes: Archer climbs to sixth place with a 7.2 ranking while Airbus’s CityAirbus moves down to just 4.5, perhaps because it is no more than a technology demonstrator and the European aerospace group remains silent as to whether it will ever bring an eVTOL design to market.

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.