Category Filtering: 'vfs'
As reported previously, South Korean industrial giant Hanwha is investing $25M in a spin-off from Karem Aircraft, Inc. dedicated to bringing Butterfly, its all-electric air taxi vehicle, to market. The spin-off entity is to be named “Overair, Inc.,” though was identified as K4 Aeronautics in initial press releases. The Butterfly uses Karem’s patented high efficiency VTOL technology, and is being developed for Uber’s Elevate Initiative.
Like the bright blue frames of his trendy spectacles, Dr. Matthias Bittner is cheery. And why not? As chief operating officer of Gilching, Germany-based startup AutoFlightX — a position the 34-year-old aeronautical engineer calls his “first real job in industry” — Bittner is part of a team of fewer than 10 trying to help their company’s Chinese entrepreneur founder, electric aircraft pioneer Tian Yu, change the world through urban air mobility (UAM).
Fairfax, Virginia — The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) recently added the 200th electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concept to its online World eVTOL Aircraft Directory. The Directory, launched in 2017, is the world’s most comprehensive compendium of electric and hybrid/electric-powered VTOL aircraft in development by aerospace companies, entrepreneurs and inventors around the globe.
The Vertical Flight Society has been supporting the development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft since 2014. One of the defining challenges for implementing eVTOL for urban air mobility (UAM) is the lack of applicable regulations. Standards organizations like ASTM International, RTCA, SAE International and the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) have been working with the burgeoning community in developing standards to support certification. In addition, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has been working with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and other regulators to facilitate harmonized standards development for eVTOL certification.
The world’s largest gathering of pilots and aviation enthusiasts takes place every year in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has hosted its massive fly-in convention for 50 years.
Oshkosh has a long been associated with innovation, from experimental homebuilt aircraft and Burt Rutan’s imaginative designs to the world’s fastest, largest and most expensive civilian and military aircraft.
Based outside of Munich, Germany, Lilium announced on June 11 that it had selected London to be “the base for a world-class software team it plans to develop.” Hundreds of high-end software engineering roles will be created in the city over the next five years as the business seeks to make affordable, electric, on-demand air taxis a reality by 2025.
According to the Daily Sabah newspaper, Istanbul-based UAV manufacturer Baykar is nearing completion of the country’s first eVTOL aircraft, called the “Cezeri” — named after the 12th century Muslim inventor/engineer Ismail al-Jazari.
NEC Corporation has developed an eVTOL testbed to help development autonomous management systems for UAM aircraft. NEC stated that the much larger eVTOL aircraft fly differently than small drones and they need a full-size eVTOL aircraft to obtain the data needed to allow them to make and validate working aircraft management systems.
According to the eFlight Journal on July 2, Chinese drone maker EHang has delivered the first 10 of its two-seat Model 216 eVTOLs to a Chinese operator and eight more to deliver to undisclosed overseas clients, with additional deliveries in China coming. The EHang 216 is a derivative of the single-seat EHang 184 will operate with a special permit to fly under a specific operational risk assessment (SORA) trial rule by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) that allows the operator to carry passengers.
On June 25, The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on future efforts to advance safe urban air mobility (UAM). The strategic partnership will bring together the innovation of Kitty Hawk’s Cora division with Boeing’s scale and aerospace expertise.
