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Textron Confirms Bell's Nexus eVTOL May Not Make It to Market

The U.S. aerospace group has used its Nexus eVTOL design as a technology testbed, but the head of its eAviation team says it has yet to prove the business case for launching the program.

Textron's eAviation team, which formed in March 2021, continues to evaluate and define its ambitions in electric aviation and the wider advanced air mobility sector. According to Rob Scholl, who leads the unit, the company won't publicly confirm new active programs until the business case for these is fully established, but it will explore alliances with technology and capital partners.

Skyroads Joins Supernal's Efforts To Develop Advanced Air Mobility Airspace

The air traffic management specialist is participating with other stakeholders in the Airspace Management Consortium set up by Hyundai's eVTOL aircraft division, Supernal.

Skyroads develops hardware and software to support the airspace operating environment required for the anticipated scaling up of operations by autonomous aircraft and crewed eVTOL vehicles as well. The German company has joined other specialists in supporting the work of Supernal's new Airspace Management Consortium, which the Hyundai subsidiary has tasked with preparing to address the air traffic management infrastructure needs of the advanced air mobility sector.

Korean Mobility App Backs Urban Air Mobility Feasibility Study

Kakao Mobility and Volocopter are conducting a joint study into how urban air mobility services could be launched in South Korea in 2025.

Kakao, which has 30 million registered users for its mobility app, wants to add eVTOL air taxi services to its portfolio in South Korean. With government backing, the country is one of several prospective early adopters of urban air mobility in Asia, and one of several locations where Volocopter has publicly demonstrated its aircraft.

AutoFlight Lands $100 Million Investment in V1500M Passenger eVTOL Vehicle

German technology investment group Team Global led a Series A funding round that will support the Chinese start-up's efforts to bring a four-passenger eVTOL aircraft to market in 2024.

Prior to raising $100 million in new investment, China's AutoFlight was mainly focused on developing cargo-carrying, autonomous eVTOLs with payloads of between only 20 and 100 kg. However, its focus appears to be shifting to the passenger-carrying aircraft, such as the V1500M, for which it flew a proof-of-concept model for the first time in October.

Joby Charts Its Timeline for eVTOL Type Certification and Service Launch

Type certification for its four-passenger eVTOL should begin in earnest in 2022 when the FAA confirms the means of compliance, allowing full testing of all systems and components and the complete prototype.

A recent Joby briefing on progress with its plans to bring its eVTOL aircraft into commercial service in 2024 provided useful insights into what the process entails and why changes to rules covering the certification of general aviation aircraft are so significant. Beyond type certification, the company is also working to be approved as a commercial aircraft operator under Part 135 rules and is preparing to hire and train pilots.

Fraundorfer Presents Its Tensor 600X Gyroplane

The German company expects to adopt its two-seat Tensor 600X to hydrogen or electric power.

Intended for personal mobility on medium-distance trips, the Tensor 600X uses Fraundorfer’s R01 high-performance rotor system, a new generation of autorotation rotors developed with computer simulation.

Marry Tesla to Uber and You Get eVTOL Transportation as a Service, Say UAM Pioneers

Senior executives from eVTOL aircraft developers Joby and Archer, and also would-be early urban air mobility adopter United Airlines, shared their vision in a Northwestern University webinar.

For many companies in the urban air mobility new wave, designing and building eVTOL aircraft is just the start. During a seminar this week, leaders from Joby, Archer, and United Airlines sought to demystify the buzzwords and business school theory behind their plans to transform the way people move around in a way that is more economically and environmentally sustainable.

Rolls-Royce Claims World Speed Record for Electric Spirit of Innovation Flight

Working with battery developer Electroflight and motor and controller maker Yasa, the aero engines group converted an NXT Next kitplane to achieve speeds matching the world's fastest single turboprop aircraft.

Rolls-Royce has asked the Fédération Aéronautique International to validate three world speed records set in its Spirit of Innovation technology demonstrator, which it now says is the world's fastest all-electric aircraft. The company claims the aircraft far exceeded previous records set in an electric-powered Extra 330LE aircraft, achieving a top speed of 387 mph in one flight. The company says data from the UK government-backed Accelerating the Electrification of Flight program will support further development of aircraft electric propulsion.

Former Bombardier President Fred Cromer Joins Flight Autonomy Pioneer

Cromer also ran airliner leasing group ILFC and served as CFO with regional airlines Continental Express and Express Jet.

Xwing is seeking FAA clearance to operate its converted Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft with technology that allows for remote piloting under an experimental license with its Part 135 operating subsidiary. With aviation industry veteran Fred Cromer appointed as CFO, the start-up will be pursuing further fundraising while also accelerating plans to bring its autonomous flight technology into commercial service with air freight operators.

Thales and Diehl Sign Up as CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL Program Partners

The avionics groups will jointly provide flight control computers for the four-passenger eVTOL aircraft that Airbus aims to bring to market in 2025.

Thales and Diehl Aerospace will combine their respective primary and secondary flight control computers in a way that complies with the EASA special conditions under which the CityAirbus NextGen is to be certified. The European companies will receive funding from the French and German governments for the project, which marks the first of several key system supply partnerships that Airbus will establish for the eVTOL aircraft's development work.