Eve Urban Air Mobility says it is the first eVTOL aircraft developer to start work on an agnostic plan for an urban air mobility concept of operations in the Miami area. Along with partners L3 Harris, Skyports, and the Community Air Mobility Initiative, it is engaging with local stakeholders to develop a blueprint for air services that others can adapt for their own business models. Miami-based airline GlobalX said it could take up to 200 of Eve's eVTOL aircraft and deploy these on multiple routes.

Archer says that during the second half of 2022, it will be ready to extend flight testing of its two-seat Maker eVTOL technology demonstrator to include a full transition from hover to cruise flight. Its engineering team is working toward the preliminary design review for the four-passenger production aircraft, which is expected to enter service in 2024.

Under a new agreement, Malaysian aviation services group Aerotree has placed “preorders” for 60 of EHang’s eVTOL aircraft. The deal covers a trio of EH216 models, configured for passenger flights, freight deliveries, and firefighting, as well as the larger VT-30 model.

In the next stage of a continuing development contract with the Afwerx Agility Prime program, U.S. Air Force pilots Hank Griffiths and Jonathan Appleby last week made what Beta Technologies said was the first crewed military flight in an eVTOL aircraft. They made the first in a series of test flights with the Alia 250 vehicle, which, along with several other eVTOL and eSTOL designs, is being evaluated by the Pentagon for possible military missions.

Universal Hydrogen says it will manufacture its hydrogen propulsion systems in a newfactory at Albuquerque, New Mexico’s main airport and will also use the site as a distribution hub for the capsules in which green hydrogen will be delivered to operators. Flight testing is due to be conducted at Moses Lake in Washington state, and the company also plans to establish an engineering center at Toulouse in France.

Joby is aiming to get its Part 135 operators certificate from the FAA well ahead of its planned ride-sharing service launch in 2024. The company is also working to complete type and production certification for the four-passenger, all-electric aircraft that it has been developing over the past decade.

Airbus will work with airframe structures specialist Spirit AeroSystems in the development of its CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL. Spirit's engineering team is tasked with producing lightweight wings for the all-electric vehicle, which Airbus aims to certify in 2025.

It is tempting to imagine the role that new eVTOL and eSTOL aircraft, and especially those with longer range and substantial cargo payloads, could be playing in supporting Ukrainians under attack from Russian forces. While that prospect may remain hypothetical for now, the rotorcraft community had Ukraine on its minds when it gathered in Dallas last week for the Helicopter Association International's annual Heli-Expo trade show. Ukraine Helicopters should have been among the exhibitors, but for all-too-obvious reasons could not make the trip across the Atlantic. Organizers made sure the company's stand was suitably adorned and left it open for industry colleagues to make their feelings known by leaving messages for those absent and in danger. The poignancy of the occasion was captured in this film produced by AIN Media Group’s director of video, Ian Whelan.

Air is an Israel-based start-up working to bring its Air One two-seat personal eVTOL aircraft to market by the end of 2024.