FutureFlight
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MTU Aero Engines, Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, Airbus, and GKN Aerospace now have funding from the European Union's Clean Aviation initiative and UK Research and Innovation to work on a hybrid-electric version of the Geared Turbofan engine. The SWITCH project will apply Water Enhanced Turbofan technology that recovers water vapor from the engine exhaust and re-injects it into the combustion chamber.

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Under the auspices of the United Nations-backed Race to Zero campaign to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Rolls-Royce is partnered with low-cost airline EasyJet to develop a hydrogen propulsion system for narrowbody airliners like its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. In ground tests, an AE 2100 A turboprop engine was used as a demonstrator and burned green hydrogen produced from wind and tidal energy in the Orkney Islands of Scotland.

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VPorts, a Canadian advanced air mobility (AAM) start-up with plans to build a vertiport network in Québec, has announced the first-ever international electric AAM corridor. The company plans to launch an eVTOL flight route between one of its vertiports in Mirabel, Québec, and Syracuse Hancock International Airport (KSYR) in Syracuse, New York.

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Vietnamese renewable-energy company Pacific Group has preordered 10 SD-05 eVTOL aircraft from Japan’s SkyDrive, the companies announced on November 28. Under a memorandum of understanding, Pacific Group conditionally agreed to purchase the aircraft, with an option to order up to 90 more.

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Aura Network Systems, a Virginia-based company developing a wireless communications network for remotely piloted aircraft, has raised $75 million in its latest funding round. The company aims to provide an FAA-compliant nationwide network, using a licensed aviation spectrum in the 450-MHz band, to enable and accelerate the integration of remotely piloted and autonomous flight operations in the National Airspace System.

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Eve Air Mobility has signed a letter of intent with vertiport infrastructure group Bluenest to include the Spanish company in its urban air traffic management software development partnership. Eve intends to offer software to support automated vertiport operations for any type of eVTOL aircraft.

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On the Radar
Australian Government Seeks Industry Comments On Draft Guidelines For Vertiports

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority this week published draft guidelines for the construction of vertiports to be used by eVTOL aircraft for services such as air taxi flights in and around cities. The agency has invited comments from stakeholders on the guidance covering site selection, physical characteristics, and visual aids, with a closing date of March 31, 2023, for responses.

Earlier this year, Australia’s federal government released A$36 million ($24 million) in funding to support plans to develop the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry in the country. It also published a roadmap to prepare for the introduction of eVTOL aircraft. State governments in Victoria and Queensland have shown a willingness to support AAM development.

Skyportz is working to develop vertiports at some 400 sites. Earlier this year, it published a design for a vertiport in the Caribbean Park district of Melbourne, where the company is located.

“We are really pleased about this announcement as it is sending a clear message to the world that we [Australia] are open for business and we are seriously preparing the ecosystem to support advanced air mobility that will need our network of vertiports to fulfill their potential,” commented Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown.

 
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Airo Group, which includes eVTOL developer Jaunt Air Mobility as well as drone operations and training divisions and avionics specialist Avidyne, is preparing to raise funds through an initial public offering. The company has also been making improvements to the design of its Jaunt Journey aircraft to make it more flexible for applications that could include passenger and cargo flights and military, law enforcement, and emergency medical support. During the recent NBAA show, FutureFlight spoke with company leaders about their plans.

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Featured Program

Following several years of work with its Vahana and CityAirbus technology demonstrators, Airbus in September 2021 confirmed it will bring the CityAirbus NextGen aircraft to market in 2025.

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Featured Person
Hervé Blanc
 

Hervé Blanc is an aerospace executive who joined the advisory board for hybrid-electric aircraft developer VoltAero in November 2022. Blanc previously served as the executive v-p and general manager of the power division of Safran Electrical and Power for more than nine years. While at Safran, Blanc also was the strategy and capacity increase v-p at Safran Landing Systems, as well as senior v-p and program director in the avionics division of Safran Electronics and Defense. After leaving Safran in August 2022, Blanc became president of Beta Strategy, a French start-up that provides guidance for projects in decarbonization and system architecture. 

UPCOMING EVENTS
 
January 24 - 26, 2023 / Mesa, Arizona

The 10th biennial Autonomous VTOL Technical Meeting and 10th annual Electric VTOL Symposium, sponsored by the Vertical Flight Society's Arizona Chapter, will happen simultaneously in the same place. The events will feature guest speakers, panel sessions, and discussions by leaders in the autonomous aircraft and eVTOL industries, as well as representatives from government agencies and academic researchers. The technical meeting will focus on vehicle design, regulatory solutions, automation, and artificial intelligence, while the symposium will cover all the latest advancements and biggest challenges facing the eVTOL industry. 

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