Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

German startup AutoFlightX today unveiled an all-electric technical demonstrator, the V600, that will pave the way for a future certified eVTOL used in air-taxi and cargo operations. Founded in 2018 by Tian Yu, formerly of Yuneec International Electric Aviation, AutoFlightX first developed a two-place vehicle that can be qualified under EASA’s new 600-kg threshold for ultralights.

 


The two-place vehicle on display this week at Aero Friedrichshafen 2019 is&nbsp;driven by six electric motors powering as many propellers for vertical lift capability and then another for a seventh push-propeller for forward flight. The company said its separated hover and wing flight propulsion systems are designed to build in robustness and reliability.

 


AutoFlightX control systems modeling and simulation specialist Michael Krenmayr, however, said the final vehicle—not yet publically revealed—will carry three to five passengers and incorporate changes, such as the position of propellers, to meet EASA certification requirements.

 


The demonstrator rolled out a few weeks ago and plans call for it to fly in the upcoming weeks, Krenmayr said.&nbsp;It will be tested for conventional flight before&nbsp;moving into vertical lift and hover testing. This testing will enable the company to prove the concept and safety of systems—many of which are commercial of the shelf components—before moving forward with the final configuration.

 


Long term, AutoFlightX is generally targeting having its eVTOL ready for cargo flight in roughly 2023 with passenger air-taxi configuration following a few years later. For regulatory reasons, AutoFlight envisions its initial air taxis will be manned aircraft, Krenmayr added.

AutoFlightX Takes Wraps off All-electric Demonstrator 

The demonstrator will fly soon, testing systems and concepts that will be used in a cargo and passenger-carrying eVTOL

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Aero Friedrichshafen 2019

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