Joby has installed a fixed-based flight simulator for its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft to give advanced air mobility stakeholders a firsthand opportunity to understand how it will operate. Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief of FutureFlight sister publication AIN, took the controls to see for himself. He was impressed by how the new technology greatly reduces the workload for pilots, allowing them to focus on core flight safety tasks.

With FAA’s special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category issued, Archer’s engineering team has clearance for a first flight with its two-seat Maker eVTOL technology demonstrator. The aircraft has been moved to a secret location in California as final preparations are made for an initial hover flight before the end of December. Archer has recruited powertrain specialist Michael Schwekutsch to focus on the eVTOL design's propulsion system, including high-voltage and battery systems.

Under its FlyZero project to reduce aviation carbon emissions, the UK's Aerospace Technology Institute has unveiled the first of three planned concepts for a hydrogen-powered airliner. The "midsize" model would be a medium-capacity, long-haul airliner, and in early 2022 the public-private partnership expects to debut two other concepts, for "regional" and "narrowbody" hydrogen aircraft.

Funds raised from the anticipated New York Stock Exchange listing for the merged Vertical Aerospace and Broadstone Acquisition enterprise will support the UK-based manufacturer's efforts to bring its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft to market in 2024. The company says that it has provisional orders for around 1,350 of the all-electric VA-X4 model.

Amprius Technologies, which is already providing lithium-ion battery cells for drone applications, now intends to target larger electric vehicles, including eVTOL aircraft. It says the rapid charge rate of just six minutes will deliver a step-change in performance for electric battery use in transportation.

Sydney Seaplanes plans to deploy 50 of Eve's four-passenger eVTOLs for tourist flights from 2026, potentially replacing some of its existing amphibious airplane fleet. The company is also working with MagniX to convert Cessna Grand Caravan fixed-wing aircraft to electric propulsion for a new regional airline operation from 2022.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has allowed EHang to conduct extensive public flight trials as part of the process for meeting the type certification means of compliance for its two-seat EH216 autonomous eVTOL aircraft. These will now include a new partnership for sightseeing flights with rotorcraft operators Heli-Eastern in Shenzhen, which is part of the Greater Bay Area around Hong Kong and Macau.

NASA is taking a close interest in Elroy Air’s plans to bring a fully autonomous, large-scale cargo-drone called Chaparral to market. As this newly recently video, officials from the U.S. agency and the California-based start-up's business development and strategy vice president, Kofi Asante, explain how they hope to see the vehicle, with its 500-pound payload and 300-mile range, being successfully integrated into the national airspace. One of the most insightful segments shows how robots could be used to conduct preflight inspections of the Chaparral when it is being operated in remote locations without support teams, taking an approach that NASA has used for its Mars missions. In August, Lockheed Martin Ventures was among the main investors backing a $40 million Series A funding round for Elroy Air, which is preparing to fly a prototype in trials with the U.S. Air Force and Navy in 2022.

Manta Aircraft is a European startup working on a pair of hybrid-electric VTOL/STOL aircraft under the family name ANN. The two-seat ANN2 and the four-seat ANN4 are expected to offer range of up to 900 km (559 miles) with the initial hybrid propulsion system, and could later be switched to all-electric or hydrogen power.