FutureFlight

Austrian aircraft maintenance firm Primus Aero has decided to purchase a fleet of PAL-V’s Liberty “flying cars.”

The eVTOL aircraft developer has exceeded the $250 million target it set when launching a funding round in early May.

A letter of intent, signed on July 17, builds on earlier provisional sales for 70 of Plana's CP-01 aircraft to Ghenus Air in the U.S. and Japan's SkyTaxi.

EHang expects to start delivering its autonomous eVTOL vehicle to clients in China and other Asian countries by the end of 2023.

FutureFlight.aero's Weekly Advanced Air Mobility News Roundup

Doroni founder and CEO Doron Merdinger became the first person to pilot a two-seat personal eVTOL in the U.S. on July 3, 2023, when he flew a full-scale technology demonstrator for Doroni's H1 "flying car."

Artificial intelligence isn’t only changing the way airplanes fly—it’s transforming nearly every aspect of aviation on the ground, too.

The Link rotorcraft designs are based on a Canadian 1960s-era gyroplane design called the Pegasus that the UK company is modernizing.

Ribbit, a Toronto-based start-up developing software for cargo airplanes, has won a $1.3 million contract to conduct flight trials over northern Canada. 

Airports group Swedavia is providing space for taxi and charging tests as part of Sweden's Elise program to encourage the development of electric aircraft.

A new report from the independent Institute for Transport Economics argues that with the right incentives airlines would switch to electric aircraft for domestic flights.

The move has been welcomed by Melbourne-based vertiport developer Skyportz, which is seeking to develop some 400 eVTOL landing sites across Australia.

The German company has cleared all four audits required to secure the EASA design organization approval it needs to complete type certification for its six-passenger Lilium Jet.

California-based eVTOL aircraft developer Joby Aviation says it has finished submitting all the certification plans for its four-passenger air taxi to the FAA.

FutureFlight.aero's Weekly Advanced Air Mobility News Roundup

Mumbai-based Maritime Energy Heli Air Services is to replace Cessna Grand Caravan turboprops with Jekta's electric-powered PHA-ZE 100 amphibious aircraft.

A McKinsey report assesses the latest sales trends for eVTOL vehicles, sustainable aircraft, cargo drones, and supersonic jets.

Analysts at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company spell out the key enablers that could lead to a resurgence of short-haul flights for commercial airline passengers.

The four-seat hybrid-electric vehicle is intended for both personal and commercial flights and will be able operate either vertically from helipads or conventionally from runways.

NASA's experimental electric airplane, the X-57 Maxwell, will not achieve a first flight before the agency cuts the program in September.

Having completed multiple successful flight tests with its hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system in Moses Lake, Washington, Universal Hydrogen has relocated its flight testing activities to the Mojave Air & Space Port.

The companies are building on an earlier collaboration launched back in February 2022 that could support the launch of eVTOL air taxi flights in South Korea.

The company is preparing to start flight testing the H175 propulsion system later this year in its HY4 technology demonstrator aircraft.

Skyryse says it is now conducting daily flights with its R66 testbed, which includes production-representative versions of the FlightOS flight control system as well as the sensor suite that provide real-time situational awareness.

Monte Aircraft Leasing has now fully committed to purchasing up to 100 of ZeroAvia’s hydrogen fuel cell powertrains to turn its fleet of nine- to 19-seat regional turboprops into more sustainable, hydrogen-powered aircraft. 

FAA and EASA are taking somewhat different approaches to certifying new eVTOL aircraft, but concurrent type certification should be possible under the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the U.S. and the European Union.

Volocopter is about to apply for an air operator certificate as it prepares for what could be the world's first commercial eVTOL flights to be started in time for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The four-passenger aircraft will be delivered to the U.S. Air Force in early 2024.

The partners have devised what they call a Fairness Engine to assess how to prioritize access to airspace, primarily for eVTOL aircraft and drones that can't file flight plans on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Journey eVTOL aircraft is to be type certified under Transport Canada rules in 2027, with FAA approval to follow.