Vertical Aerospace has chosen Rolls-Royce as a key partner for its renamed VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft. Ground and tethered flight testing is due to get underway in the UK by September 2021, followed by full flight testing in 2022 and projected type certification by the end of 2024. The program has already attracted other key backers, including Honeywell Aerospace, Solvay, and TE Connectivity.

A week after meeting with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, eVTOL aircraft developer Archer Aviation has announced plans to launch an urban air mobility network in the South Florida city. The company recently raised around $1.1 billion through a merger with special purpose acquisition company Atlas Crest Investment Corp.

By combining a new one-megawatt generator with an auxiliary power unit, Honeywell aims to deliver a turbogenerator that will support multiple hybrid-electric aircraft. The initiative is part of the U.S. aerospace group's effort to provide a wide array of technologies to aircraft developers in the advanced air mobility sector.

Research engineers from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been investigating the projected power requirements of new electric aircraft and how these could be met. Options include alternative power sources, such as hydrogen, but there are also wider questions as to how the required infrastructure will be financed by the emerging advanced air mobility sector.

The Chinese eVTOL aircraft developer has reaffirmed its commitment to developing a longer-range model than its existing EH216, which is limited to flights of just 22 miles. Some prospective customers are reportedly hoping for an aircraft that could fly almost 290 miles, but this would require a significantly different approach from that taken with the development of EHang's existing eVTOL.

Horizon's Cavorite eVTOL aircraft features a distinctive wing with an integrated propulsion system that the company says delivers a winning combination of range, operational flexibility, and safety. Its merger with Astro Aerospace should boost the new group's engineering capacity, perhaps accelerating three aircraft programs that have been in stealth mode until now.

Perhaps because of its origin as a driver of key defense research projects, Aurora Flight Sciences seems to instinctively prefer to keep its work under wraps. Almost two years have passed since the Boeing subsidiary stopped test flights on its Passenger Air Vehicle eVTOL, but it sounds as if the Aurora team still has more surprises to spring on the world of advanced air mobility.

AeroMobil has achieved key airworthiness targets in flight testing for its two-seat 4.0 flying car as it progresses toward completing certification under EASA’s CS-23 regulations before the end of 2023. The Slovakia-based private company is also seeking European approval for the 4.0 as an M1-category road vehicle and will later seek U.S. certification from the FAA.

Flight testing of the folding-wing design began in September 2020 and has so far involved three fully functioning prototypes. AeroMobil started the EASA type certification process in 2019 and last week reported that it has conducted over 300,000 hours of engineering work and more than 10,000 hours of “virtual” and “real” testing.

During the latest round of flight tests, the 4.0 achieved its top-speed target of 160 mph and stall speed of around 60 kts (69 mph). It also demonstrated its ability to take off in just 1,300 feet and achieved a rate of climb of over 1,200 feet per minute. Flight testing is due to continue to meet the remaining CS-23 certification requirements, with some minor design changes anticipated to optimize performance.

Vertical Aerospace aims to get ground and tethered flight testing for its VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft underway in the UK by September 2021, followed by full flight testing in 2022 and projected type certification by the end of 2024.