Charles Alcock
Managing Editor
Charles Alcock is a senior editor with AIN, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at Manchester University in the northwest of England and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.
Latest from Charles Alcock
FutureFlight On The Radar
Lilium's Latest Securities and Exchange Commission Filing Seeks To Inspire Patience In Investors
The company has reported that its Lilium Jet eVTOL aircraft is now not expected to enter service until 2025, representing a likely delay of at least 12 months.
FutureFlight
Jaunt Attracts Two New Canadian Private Investors for Its eVTOL Aircraft Plans
The announcement follows the March 10 completion of its merger with advanced air mobility group Airo, of which it is now a wholly owned subsidiary.
FutureFlight
Composite Manufacturers Provide Guidance on Advanced Air Mobility Applications for New Materials
In April, the American Composite Manufacturers Association is holding a series of webinars about how different materials can apply to the design and production of new types of aircraft and the infrastructure that supports them.
FutureFlight
Piasecki Prepares To Step Up Testing Regime for Hydrogen-Powered Helicopter
Piasecki Aircraft's CEO and president, John Piasecki, provided a detailed PA-890 helicopter program update at recent Vertical Flight Society events.
Aircraft
Lilium Delays eVTOL Certification Timeline to 2025
Lilium has pushed back the projected timeline to achieve type certification of its seven-seat Lilium Jet eVTOL by 12 or more months, to 2025.
FutureFlight
ZeroAvia Teams with Zev Station To Develop Hydrogen Refueling at California Airports
ZeroAvia and Zev Station are both participating in the Vertical Flight Society's new H-2 Aero Team initiative to advance hydrogen propulsion for aviation.
FutureFlight
Spirit AeroSystems To Work on Electric Aviation Group's Hydrogen Airliner Plans
The aerostructures group is to collaborate in the development of a 90-seat airliner but has yet to specify what its role will be.
FutureFlight
Lilium Pushes Projected eVTOL Aircraft Type Certification into 2025
The company says it will build and start flying the first production-conforming versions of the seven-seat Lilium Jet in 2023 and will then need another 15 to 18 months to earn EASA type certification.
FutureFlight
Australia's Greenbird Consortium Now Includes Local eVTOL Aircraft Developer AMSL
AMSL Aero is working on an all-electric eVTOL aircraft called the Vertiia, which would carry a pilot and five passengers or around 1,100 pounds of freight.
FutureFlight
Gold Coast Helicopter Operator Signs Up for Australian Vertiport Network Plan
Sea World Helicopters has joined a partnership led by ground infrastructure group Skyportz to develop commercial eVTOL aircraft operations in Australia.
Aircraft
Avolon Signs Up Turkey's Gozen For Scheduled eVTOL Services
The leasing group has now found prospective operators for 550 of Vertical Aerospace's four-passenger VX4 eVTOL aircraft, with deliveries to start in 2024.
FutureFlight
Turkish Operator Gozen Will Fly Vertical's VX4 eVTOL in Scheduled Services
Leasing group Avolon says that payments for provisional eVTOL orders will be finalized only after operating plans have been confirmed with prospective customers.
FutureFlight
EHang Expects EH216 Certification in Mid-2022 and Launch of World's First eVTOL Revenue Flights
The Chinese company told investors to expect an uptick in revenues during the second half of this year from sightseeing and firefighting operations.
FutureFlight
Lilium Gets Clearance To Resume eVTOL Flight Testing in Spain
The company had to suspend flight testing for just over two years after losing a technology demonstrator to a ground fire in February 2020.
Aircraft
UK Indefinitely Detains Two Russian-owned Private Jets
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed that a Global 6500 and a Citation Latitude owned by Eugene Shvidler have now been seized by the UK government.
Aircraft
Eve's Post-merger Capital Expected To Near $600M
Eve Urban Air Mobility now expects to raise nearly $600 million from its pending merger with Zanite Acquisition Corp. and subsequent IPO.
FutureFlight
Eve Anticipates Increased Capital from 2Q 2022 Merger and Wall Street Flotation
New backers for the eVTOL aircraft developer's public investment in private equity have brought around $42 million in additional funds to a deal that will see it merge with Zanite Acquisition.
FutureFlight
Joby's Second eVTOL Prototype Restarts Flight Testing After Accident
The company is working with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the cause of a February 16 crash involving its first prototype aircraft.
FutureFlight
For Jaunt's eVTOL Design, Slow Rotor Compound Technology Is the Secret Sauce
The company's approach in designed to deliver the best of both the fixed-wing and rotorcraft worlds.
FutureFlight
How Methanol Is Staking a Claim to Be a Key Enabler for Hydrogen-fueled Aviation
U.S.-based start-up Element 1 is advancing the case for using liquid methanol as a means of producing net-zero-carbon hydrogen fuel for aircraft.
FutureFlight
Japan's Kanematsu Group Leads $23 Million Series B Funding Round for Skyports
The trading conglomerate was joined by other new investors including industrial real estate company Goodman Group, Italian airport and infrastructure funds 2i Aeroporti and F2i, and GreenPoint, a U.S.-based venture-capital firm.
FutureFlight
Air Traffic Management Group Terra Drone Boosted by $70 Million Funding Round
The Series B funding round was supported by Mitsui, SBI Investment Co., Tokyo Land Corporation, Kyushu Electric Power T&D, and Seika Corporation
FutureFlight
Paris eVTOL Flight Trials Aim To Make a Big, Quiet Impact on Air Mobility
Flight testing with both the 2X technology demonstrator and the VoloCity eVTOL prototype are intended to provide a complete understanding of the aircraft's acoustic profile.
FutureFlight
New Concept of Operations Report Paves the Way for UK Progress with Urban Air Mobility
The document was produced by a consortium that included Eve, Vertical Aerospace and Volocopter, along with air traffic management groups NATS and Atech, ground infrastructure specialist and drone operator Skyports, and London's Heathrow and City Airports.
FutureFlight
Car Maker Suzuki Backs SkyDrive's Plans To Bring Flying Car to Market
The Tokyo-based start-up is now receiving professional support from Suzuki Motor Corporation for research, development, manufacturing, and business planning.
FutureFlight
New Aviation Technology Prompts Insurance Providers To Recalibrate Risk Assessments
Specialist insurance group Global Aerospace formed its Emerging Technology Unit to address the need to cover advanced air mobility products and operations.
FutureFlight On The Radar
Iceberg Short-Selling Report Targets Lilium Mainly over Battery Claims for Ducted Fan eVTOL Design
The March 14 report argues that Lilium is losing ground in the race to launch eVTOL commercial operations and also that it has overstated the solidity of announced aircraft sales to date.
FutureFlight
Sustainability Group Acciona Commits to Strategic Investment in Eve's Urban Air Mobility Plans
The $30 million strategic investment is set to be made once Eve completes an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange following a business combination with Zanite Acquisition Corp.
FutureFlight
Delta Air Lines Agrees to Back Airbus Plans For Hydrogen-powered Airliners
Under a memorandum of understanding, Delta Air Lines will participate in Airbus-lead research and development work aimed at getting a hydrogen-powered airliner into service in 2035.
Aircraft
Textron Buying Pipistrel To Boost Electric Aviation Plans
Textron will make further investments in European electric aircraft maker Pipistrel, which will be the foundation for its new eAviation division.
