FutureFlight

During this week's Singapore Airshow, Eve opened up about progress on the development of its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft, reporting that it is ground testing a full-scale proof-of-concept prototype that could be ready to start flying in a few months. Meanwhile, Australian companies Microflight, Aviair, and HeliSpirit signed agreements that could lead to 90 more sales of the all-electric aircraft.

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At least 100 of the 500 Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOL aircraft that leasing group Avolon ordered in 2021 are to go to Malaysia-based AirAsia, which plans to offer ride-hailing flights booked via its app. Avolon has now placed 450 of the four-passenger aircraft with carriers also including Japan Air Lines and Brazil's Gol and Grupo Comporte. It will work with AirAsia to conduct market research for urban air mobility services and secure all the necessary approvals.

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With its Alice all-electric aircraft now expected to make its first flight in the next few weeks, Eviation's co-founder and CEO Omer Bar-Yohay is leaving the business just weeks after former chairman Roei Ganzarski departed. The U.S. company announced that its president, Gregory Davis, is stepping into the CEO's role as it works to keep type certification of the redesigned model on track.

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Japan's largest airline, ANA, is set to be involved in Joby's planned eVTOL air taxi services, which could start in the Asian country by 2025. Under a collaborative venture that also involves carmaker Toyota, the partners are laying the groundwork for routes such as a 15-minute flight from the center of Osaka to the populous region's offshore Kansai International Airport.

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A $1 billion finance deal with Aviation Capital Group is expected to provide liquidity for Volocopter to produce its eVTOL aircraft family and lease some of the vehicles to other operators. The German company's core business model envisages it having full control of planned commercial air taxi services, with some involvement by operating partners.

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Odys has trialed a subscale demonstrator for its patented process for generating vectored thrust via extending the wing flaps to support both vertical and cruise phases of flights. The start-up intends to fly a single-seat scale model of the hybrid-electric eVTOL aircraft before the end of 2022, boosted by a seed funding round that raised $12.4 million and an earlier commitment from public charter operator JSX to buy an initial 200 units.

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Amprius says its latest 450-Wh/kg, 1150-Wh/L high-energy-density lithium-ion cells represent a step-change in battery performance that could support a wide variety of new electric aircraft. The company's Si-Nanowire silicon-based anodes are a key differentiator because they have lower resistance than traditional electrodes, resulting in higher power.

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On the Radar
For Singapore, the Path to Urban Air Mobility Could be Paved With Gold

Adopting urban air mobility (UAM) could generate S$4.18 billion ($3.1 billion) in accumulative benefits to the Singapore economy by 2030, according to a new report published by eVTOL aircraft developer Volocopter. The Singapore Roadmap document proposes an initial network of four to six vertiports to support tourist flights over locations such as Marina Bay and Sentosa. Subsequent air taxi services using the German company’s all-electric two-seater VoloCity eVTOL aircraft and the four-passenger VoloConnect model, would provide flights to Changi Airport and cross-border trips to Malaysia and Singapore.

The VoloCity, which could enter service around 2024, will fly to a range of 35 km (22 miles), while the VoloConnect would operate up to 100 km (63 miles). The company is also developing an autonomous cargo-carrying eVTOL called the VoloDrone.

Volocopter has identified Singapore as one of several likely early adopters of UAM. In October 2019, the company demonstrated its eVTOL technology demonstrator in Marina Bay, where its ground infrastructure partner Skyports erected a temporary vertiport.

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FF VideoPlayer_Prosperity

AutoFlight has posted a video of its Prosperity I eVTOL aircraft flying. Significantly, the footage shows the all-electric model’s first full transition from vertical to horizontal flight and features a detailed explanation of how its eight rotors and two pusher propellers work. The remotely piloted flight was made at the Chinese company’s flight test area in JiangSu province with CEO Tian Yu and a team of 40 staff involved. The Prosperity I cruised at an altitude of almost 500 feet, reaching speeds of 123 mph. When the production aircraft is ready to start air taxi operations in around 2025, it will carry a pilot and three passengers on trips of up to around 155 miles.

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EHang is reportedly close to completing type certification in China for the two-seat, all-electric EH216 eVTOL aircraft. In 2021, the company announced plans for a larger, longer-range model called the VT-30, and both vehicles are intended to be operated autonomously, without a pilot on board.

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Featured Person
Domhnal Slattery
 

Domhnal Slattery has been CEO of aircraft leasing group Avolon for just over 12 years. Previously, he was chairman and CEO of RBS Aviation Capital and then chairman and managing partner of private investment firm Claret Capital. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business and commerce from the National University of Ireland in Galway. He is the founder of the Irish regional newspaper Clare People and a co-founder of movie production company Newgrange Pictures.

UPCOMING EVENTS
 
March 2 - 3, 2022 / Farnborough, UK

Farnborough International will stage the 2022 edition of the new Global Urban & Advanced Air Mobility Summit at the Farnborough air show site. The event’s conference program will include a diverse array of industry leaders,including sessions on new aircraft and the technologies that support them, moderated by Future Flight editor Charles Alcock.

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