The Future of Advanced Air Mobility

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Supernal Taps Weather Data and Forecasting Technology To Prepare for eVTOL Aircraft Operations

The eVTOL aircraft developer, which is part of Hyundai Motor Group, is investing an undisclosed sum in TruWeather Solutions.
TruWeather says its V360° software-as-a-service weather data analytics and forecasting technology can provide operators of piloted eVTOL aircraft and uncrewed aircraft systems with vital real-time information and forecasting about highly localized, low-altitude meteorological conditions. This has prompted eVTOL vehicle developer Supernal to invest in the company so that it can integrate the technology into its plans to build and operate a four-passenger vehicle in urban areas where high buildings can distort wind patterns.
TruWeather Solutions V360 weather data and forecasting system.

Propulsion Specialist H55 and Leasing Group Vmo Will Offer Finance Options To Electrify Aviation

The companies say electric propulsion will deliver much lower operating costs even if the purchase price of the new aircraft is higher.
H55, a spin-off from the Solar Impulse team that flew around the world on energy from the sun, is teaming with Vmo Aircraft Leasing to offer financing options to help aircraft operators and manufacturers to switch to electric propulsion. Initially, H55's primary focus will be on providing electric propulsion systems and batteries for light aircraft, such as trainers, but the company is also supporting Pratt & Whitney Canada's plans for a hybrid-electric regional airliner.
H55 battery cells for electric aircraft.

Honeywell's Prepares to Harvest the Fruit of Its Investment In Advanced Air Mobility

The U.S. aerospace group is working as a key program partner with at least five developers of new eVTOL aircraft.
Three years on from establishing a dedicated UAS/UAM division, Honeywell Aerospace has won the trust of multiple new eVTOL aircraft developers. The company is making progress with new electric propulsion technology, as well as avionics and flight controls.
Honeywell's UAS/UAM laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona.

Boeing Takes Full Control of Autonomous eVTOL Developer Wisk Aero

The California start-up's CEO, Brian Yutko, confirmed that the company is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the aerospace and defense giant during a Boeing press conference in South Carolina.
Boeing has acquired the shares in Wisk Aero formerly owned by the founders of now-defunct eVTOL aircraft developer Kitty Hawk. Wisk will now operate as a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary as it works to bring a four-seat fully autonomous eVTOL vehicle into commercial service and says it is close to securing a Part 135 operator's certificate.
Wisk's sixth-generation eVTOL aircraft design was unveiled in October 2022.

FutureFlight Weekly News Roundup

A weekly roundup of significant milestones and achievements from companies and organizations working to transform aviation with new types of aircraft, propulsion systems, flight controls, and business models.
Bookings are now open for the first scheduled electric aircraft flights in Scandinavia, plus Volocopter lines up the software platform that will handle maintenance for its eVTOL aircraft fleet, South Korean start-ups Plana and Moviation launch plans for advanced air mobility operations, Airbus supports command and control communications trials for eVTOL aircraft, and Phenix flies its Half Pint utility drone.
Volocopter is developing the two-seat VoloCity eVTOL aircraft for air taxi services.

Piasecki To Develop and Build VTOL Vehicles in Former Sikorsky Helicopter Facility

The Coatesville, Pennsylvania factory produced Sikorsky S-76 and S-92 helicopters before Lockheed Martin closed it in 2022.
Piasecki Aircraft Corporation will use the Sikorsky Heliplex facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, as a research and development hub for its planned PA-890 hydrogen-powered helicopter as well as new uncrewed aerial systems. The acquisition is expected to create 400 jobs at a site that Lockheed Martin closed in 2022.
Piasecki's PA-890 hydrogen-powered helicopter will carry a pilot and  seven passengers over 200 nautical miles.

Destinus Achieves First Flight with Hydrogen Afterburner To Advance Plans for Hypersonic Aircraft

The company's Jungfrau technology demonstrator made several flights last week from an airport in Germany using its new hydrogen-burning afterburner system.
Destinus has flown its Jungfrau technology demonstrator using new afterburner technology that employs gaseous hydrogen in combination with a conventional turbofan engine. The European start-up expects to bring an autonomous cargo aircraft to market first, followed by passenger-carrying airliners that could reduce travel time between Europe and Australia to just four hours at hypersonic speeds of more than Mach 5.
Destinus Jungfrau technology demonstrator aircraft.

Dronamics' Black Swan Cargo Drone Completes First Flight Test

Cargo drone start-up Dronamics says it has successfully completed the first flight of its flagship aircraft, the Black Swan.
Cargo drone start-up Dronamics says it has successfully completed the first flight of its flagship aircraft, the Black Swan. The remotely piloted cargo freighter took off from Balchik Airfield in northeast Bulgaria and flew for 10 minutes and 30 seconds, reaching an altitude of 2,000 feet. 
A Dronamics Black Swan cargo aircraft takes flight

Lyte Aviation and AAM Institute Develop Business Case for Seattle-area VTOL Shuttle Flights

Lyte Aviation is developing a 40-seat hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft called the SkyBus LA-44 that it says will have a range of up to 1,000 kilometers and speeds of 300 km/h.
Lyte Aviation and the Advanced Air Mobility Institute believe they can transform daily commutes from Washington state's Bainbridge Island to Seattle and the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, replacing ferries with high-capacity, hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft like the in-development SkyBus LA-44.
Lyte Aviation says its SkyBus LA-44 hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft could help Seattle-area commuters.