FutureFlight

Skyroads is setting up a flight test site at Augsburg Airport in southern Germany to serve as a development hub for its air traffic automation technology. The Munich-based company will use the facility with its partners to prepare for the integration of new eVTOL aircraft and large drones into controlled airspace, including urban environments.

Vertical Aerospace says it has secured a pre-delivery payment from Japanese trading and investment conglomerate Marubeni Corporation for 25 VX4 eVTOL aircraft, making Marubeni Vertical’s first customer in Asia to back its VX4 orders with a down payment.

ZeroAvia has achieved its long-awaited first flight in a Dornier 228 aircraft featuring its hydrogen-electric propulsion system. The fuel-cell-based ZA600 powertrain has been installed on the 19-seat airliner’s left wing in place of one of its two Honeywell TPE-331 turboprop engines.

NASA and Boeing are joining forces to develop a narrowbody airliner concept featuring a distinctive high-aspect-ratio wing and other aerodynamic innovations, as well as new materials and propulsion technology. NASA is shouldering $425 million of the costs for the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, with Boeing and other companies also investing in plans to start test flights in 2028.

Two leading eVTOL aircraft developers, Wisk Aero and Lilium, have announced changes to their senior leadership teams. The moves come at the start of a year that industry observers say could prove critical to the ability of the advanced air mobility sector’s front-runners to meet their ambitious timelines. Both companies are seeking to bring products to market at a time when accessing new sources of funding could be more challenging.

New Future Transportation (NFT), the company behind the Aska personal eVTOL aircraft billed as a “flying SUV,” now says it plans to start offering on-demand air taxi services as early as 2026. However, recently announced plans are based on arrangements that would appear to stretch the current regulatory requirements for commercial flights by building on current practices in the ground-based ride-sharing sector.

Aerus, a new regional airline in Mexico, has conditionally agreed to purchase 30 Alice commuter airplanes from Washington state-based electric aircraft developer Eviation. The airline, which aims to begin operations in the first quarter of 2023, plans to use the nine-seat, fully electric commuter airplane for “middle-mile” travel in northern Mexico.

Software entrepreneur Rolf-Jürgen Moll is joining Germany's Apus Group as a strategic investor in its plans to develop hydrogen-powered aircraft. The company’s January 18 announcement did not disclose the amount of the new funding, but APUS founder and CEO Phillip Scheffel said that it has now raised €40 million ($43 million)—enough to support work to have an initial prototype flying in the first half of 2024.

Supernal, Hyundai Motor Group’s advanced air mobility division, will use Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to conduct flight simulations with highly autonomous eVTOL aircraft. The company is also looking to incorporate Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 augmented-reality headset into its manufacturing and maintenance activities. 

Jetoptera, a start-up developing innovative VTOL and STOL aircraft concepts using bladeless fan technology, has completed its fourth small business innovation and research  (SBIR) contract for the U.S. Air Force as part of the development work for a High Speed VTOL (HSVTOL) military aircraft. The Washington-based company this week reported that it has conducted an initial evaluation of what it calls its “3-in-1” propulsion system and is preparing to start wind-tunnel tests with a subscale model.