• 28 Apr 2025 04:04 PM
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eVTOL Leaders Continue

By Mike Hirschberg, VFS Director of Strategy
Vertiflite, May/June 2025

This is an extended version of the article that appeared in the print and PDF versions of the magazine. 

Since the last issue of Vertiflite, the fates of Germany’s two leading electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developers have been resolved. Sadly, Lilium shut down in late February as the rescue package failed to materialize in an ignoble end after a decade of development; 1,000 employees were laid off, many of whom had continued working without pay during the interim. Volocopter, however, was acquired for a small fee and continues its march toward European certification. Other leading eVTOL companies in the US, UK and Asia continue their developments, as described here (for more developments in Asia, see “Chinese eVTOL Aircraft Directory, Part 1,” Vertiflite, May/June 2025).

Archer Aviation

Santa Clara, California-based Archer Aviation announced several developments over the past two months, in addition to continued testing of its initial Midnight eVTOL prototype, P0 (shown on the next page). On Feb. 18, Archer announced a “Launch Edition” commercialization program “to establish a pragmatic and repeatable commercialization playbook to deploy Midnight in dozens of early adopter markets.” It enables Archer to build operational expertise, generate revenue and strengthen long-term demand.

Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) is Archer’s first Launch Edition customer, with plans to deploy an initial fleet of Midnight aircraft. Archer personnel will work together with ADA to fly Midnight in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), targeting passenger flights in Abu Dhabi. The two will also collaborate on pilot training, flight operations and community engagement.

Archer will also provide ADA with pilots, technicians and engineers to support the initial operational ramp up, as well as backend software infrastructure and front-end booking application. Archer is working with ADA and the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) with the goal of launching electric air taxi services in Abu Dhabi. The company later noted that they will deliver its first piloted Midnight aircraft to the UAE and begin flight testing with this aircraft later this year. Testing will focus on high-temperature operations as conditions there can exceed 110°F (43°C).

The company announced a month later that it had signed an agreement with Ethiopian Airlines as the second customer planning to deploy Archer’s Midnight under the Launch Edition program; Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s largest carrier and a member of Star Alliance. The two are working with the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA).

In its fourth-quarter 2024 and full-year results, released on Feb. 27, Archer highlighted that it was starting production of its first Midnight aircraft at its ARC facility in Covington, Georgia. The company is planning to build up to 10 Midnight aircraft this year to support certification testing, as well as aircraft deployments with several partners. In addition, with its recent fundraising to support its defense applications — $430M in December and $300M in February (see “eVTOL Leaders Separate from the Pack,” Vertiflite, March/April 2024), primarily to support its hybrid-electric defense work with Anduril — Archer has raised more than $2B and its total liquidity is $1.1B.

On March 11, Archer CEO Adam Goldstein posted on social media, “We found some superstar engineers at Lilium that are joining the Archer squad. We opened up a Munich office today to continue to add the best engineers Europe has. It’s sad Europe couldn’t figure out this industry, but the best talent will find a home at Archer.” The photo showed seven people, all of whom are guidance, navigation and control (GNC) engineers. LinkedIn updates show a number of other former Lilium employees joining Archer in the US, as well as electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) and other eVTOL aircraft companies (including Joby) in Europe and elsewhere.

Archer announced on March 13 that it had formed a partnership with Palantir Technologies, Inc. “to build the AI foundation for the future of next-gen aviation technologies.” Denver, Colorado-based Palantir, founded in 2004, specializes in software platforms for big data analytics. The two plan to leverage Palantir’s Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) to accelerate the scaling of Archer’s aircraft manufacturing capabilities at its facilities in Georgia and Silicon Valley, with the intent to advance the development of software solutions “to drive innovation across the entire value chain.” The Palantir Foundry software platform is widely used in commercial and civil government sectors; AIP integrates large language models into privately operated networks.

Archer and Palantir aim to develop software utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to improve systems such as air traffic control, movement control and route planning, with the goal of improving efficiency, safety and affordability across the industry.

Incidentally, Anduril and Palantir are both names from The Lord of the Rings. Andúril (“Flame of the West”) is the name of Narsil, the Sword that was Broken, after it was reforged, while the palantíri were seven seeing stones. Both words are from the High Elvish language of Quenya in the Tolkien legendarium.

On April 10, United Airlines held an event at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) discussing its “United Next” strategy, “an enterprise-wide investment by United in their fleet, network, airports and customer experience.” It featured a mockup of the Archer Midnight (painted with the registry of its first flying demonstrator, N302AX), and included how Midnight fit into United’s future plans.

More than 300 United employees, elected officials, airport personnel and media attended. The airline has put a $10M deposit down on 200 Midnights with the intent to use the eVTOL aircraft as airport shuttles. Archer plans for early air taxi networks in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California.

The following week, on April 17, Archer unveiled plans for its proposed New York City air taxi network in partnership with United Airlines. In a press release, CEO Goldstein noted, “The New York region is home to three of the world’s preeminent airports, serving upwards of 150 million passengers annually. But the drive from Manhattan to any of these airports can be painful, taking one, sometimes two hours.” The company said that “Archer’s goal is to enable passengers to travel from Manhattan to nearby airports in just 5–15 minutes using Midnight, dramatically reducing travel times compared to traditional ground transportation and helping avoid the city’s notorious traffic.”

Archer hopes to build the network using existing aviation properties around the region, establishing vertiports at the airports and helipads in the area. Archer highlighted that it is working with its existing infrastructure partners, including Atlantic Aviation, Signature Aviation and Skyports/Groupe ADP, as well as new partners Modern Aviation and Air Pegasus, to develop and electrify these sites.

That evening, Archer held an exclusive event at the Chelsea Factory in Manhattan, again showcasing its Midnight mockup (N302AX) and New York City plans to hundreds of locals, visitors and VIPs.

Beta Technologies

Beta Technologies conducted a number of impressive demonstrations over the past two months with its growing fleet of aircraft. On Feb. 24, the first eCTOL aircraft to roll off Beta’s production line (N916LF) at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) in Vermont took off on a coast-to-cost “barnstorming” tour. Returning on April 2, the aircraft demonstrated highcadence operations, completing up to four flights per day, as well as the “reliability and low-cost of next generation flight.” N916LF stopped in more than 20 states and 82 airports, and “introduced next-generation aviation to communities across the country.” According to a VFS plot on Great Circle Mapper (shown in the map graphic), the route covered well over 8,000 miles (12,875 km).

During this trip, the company highlighted the performance of its aircraft, “operating efficiently and consistently across a variety of climates and airfields, integrating into the National Air Space with routineness.” Beta highlighted that the journey:

• Completed six routes to cities across Utah, engaging with nearly 1,000 local officials and community members.
• Flew past the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, demonstrating operational flexibility in different environments, including the busy LAX airspace.
• Introduced Beta’s technology to nearly 150 members of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), supporting Beta’s certification progress.
• Conducted an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight into the busiest airport in the world — Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
• Successfully utilized Beta’s expanding nationwide infrastructure, proving the viability of reliable, low-cost electric aviation operations.

The aircraft, flown by pilots Noah Ranallo, Nate Dubie and Chris Caputo, also demonstrated landing “off-airport” on the Boulder City Dry Lake Bed outside of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Meanwhile, Beta announced on March 4 that it had completed the first flight of its second eCTOL aircraft (N214BT, shown), which will be headed to Europe later this year for demonstrations and to participate in a demonstration collaboration in Norway with Bristow, the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Avinor, the state-owned company that operates most of the civil airports in Norway (and previously part of the Norwegian CAA).

As originally announced in December (see “eVTOL Leaders Separate from the Pack,” Vertiflite, March/April 2024), Beta, Bristow, Avinor and the CAA signed the first formal agreement on March 4 for demonstration flights. The demonstration flights will be cargo flights without passengers, flown by Bristow Norway. The cargo flights will operate initially between Stavanger Airport and Bergen Airport, starting from Stavanger in late summer, with the entire 99 mile (160 km) route commencing later in the fall. Prior to activating the test arena, a supplier of chargers will be selected for both airports. A fixed charger will be installed at Stavanger Airport, while Bergen Airport will have a mobile charger.

Norwegian Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård stated, “The government's goal in the National Aviation Strategy and the National Transport Plan 2025–2036 (NTP) is to accelerate the transition to zero- and low-emission aviation. To achieve this, one billion kroner [USD$95M] has been allocated in the NTP. The first major initiative is the establishment of Norway as an international test arena for zero- and low-emission aircraft.”

When the first aircraft, N916LF, returned from its crosscountry flight, the second aircraft, N214BT, flew in formation with the original eCTOL technology demonstrator, N250UT; the featured image for this article shows these three aircraft with the eVTOL demonstrator, N251UT, on the tarmac in front of the Beta production facility hangar doors with members of the Beta team.

Eve Air Mobility

Over the preceding two months, Eve Air Mobility — based in Melbourne, Florida, in the US, but backed by Embraer, which is headquartered in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil — has been busy in numerous locations in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

The company announced on March 13 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UI Helicopter, South Korea’s leading helicopter operator and maintenance provider, to collaborate on introducing eVTOL technical, operational and ecosystem requirements to the local government and industry in South Korea. Leveraging Eve’s knowledge, the press release stated, “UI will harness its local expertise to ensure collaboration and open dialogue with policy leaders” as the two companies develop an advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystem that “rigorously incorporates technical best practices and South Korea’s distinct regulatory standards.”

On March 18, the company published a 15-page brochure titled, “Visual & Sound Perception Study.” Eve Air Mobility and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) conducted a study to assess community perceptions of eVTOL operations.

The study involved more than 100 participants from New York City, New York; Orlando, Florida; and San Francisco, California, using virtual reality and sound simulations to “understand community perceptions of an eVTOL visual and sound footprint and the threshold by which perceptions of annoyance arise.”

On March 25, Eve posted on social media that it had completed wind tunnel testing for its aircraft in the large low-speed facility (LLF) at DNW — the German-Dutch Wind Tunnels in Marknesse, in the Netherlands. This was Eve’s tenth subsonic test of its eVTOL at DNW/LLF. “These tests rigorously assessed aerodynamics, flight mechanics, structural loads and aeroacoustics under power-on conditions,” Eve stated. “The results will enhance our aircraft's performance and bring us closer to certification.” Based on the online video, the model appears to have a wingspan of about 12 ft (around 4 m).

Also in late March, Eve hosted Brazil’s civil aviation authority, ANAC, at its facilities in Florida. The visit allowed Eve and ANAC’s civil aviation and airworthiness managers to exchange perspectives on pilot training and certification for eVTOL operations. The ANAC personnel “explored our Eve Display Simulator (EDS) and visited our test rigs, experiencing how safety, simplicity, and innovation are shaping the development of our eVTOL.”

Eve CEO Johann Bordais and other personnel visited the governor of Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture, Yasutomo Suzuki, in early April. Shizuoka Prefecture is home to Suzuyo, a 200-year-old logistics group, and its subsidiary, Fuji Dream Airlines, the first Japanese customer for Embraer’s E-Jet airliners in 2009. The discussions focused on expanding relationships and exploring future opportunities.

On April 11, Eve noted that it had officially joined ANAC’s “regulatory sandbox for vertiports,” the agency’s initiative to support the development of a safe and efficient ecosystem for eVTOL operations in Brazil. The agreement was signed in Brasília in partnership with VertiMob Infrastructure, Dassault Systèmes, Voar Aviation, Engeletricasul, PAX Aeroportos, and UrbanV. Eve is collaborating with several of the companies to define vertiport infrastructure, flight operations, ground procedures and support systems.

Meanwhile, Eve announced its 2024 fourth quarter and final year-end financial results on March 11. The company is conducting ground tests on its first demonstrator (shown) and expects to initiate the flight tests by mid-2025. In February, Eve began running the pusher motors to performance characteristics, such as thrust, sound emission, vibration and energy consumption. The company has also begun testing the aircraft’s communications links with the Remote Pilot Station (RPS).

The company highlighted that it had non-binding letters of intent (LOIs) for approximately 2,800 aircraft, from 28 different customers in nine countries — the largest eVTOL order book in the world. Eve also provided services and support solutions through its TechCare contracts and continues to advance Vector, its Urban Air Traffic Management software, to optimize and scale AAM operations worldwide safely, for which it has 21 customers.

Eve raised a total of $270M million from an equity private placement from Brazil's National Development Bank (BNDES), as well as new credit lines and loans. The company’s total liquidity was $430M, “sufficient to fund our research & development (R&D) and operations through 2026.” The report also noted that the company consumed $141M in 2024.

The Eve website also includes several additional details of note. Eve’s workforce is nearly 1,000 employees. The eVTOL aircraft are being developed and will be produced the city of Taubaté, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Eve's eVTOL supports four passengers plus the pilot and “when the uncrewed flight is certified, it will take up to six passengers.”

Joby Aviation

Santa Cruz, California-based Joby reported its fourth quarter and full year 2024 financial results, as well as progress toward certification, on Feb. 26. The shareholder letter noted that Joby had continued to make “progress on the fourth of five stages required to certify our aircraft for commercial passenger use in the US.” Joby expects type inspection authorization (TIA) flight testing by FAA pilots to begin in the next 12 months.

Joby now has five S4 aircraft actively being flight tested. The company delivered a second aircraft (N542JX, serial number 00007) to Edwards Air Force Base in January as part of its work with the US Department of Defense (DoD) that goes back to 2017. Including its hydrogen-electric SHy4 aircraft — N542BJ, s/n JAS4-202 (see “eVTOL Leaders Deliver,” Vertiflite, Sept/Oct 2024) — Joby has three additional aircraft in its flight test fleet: N5421A (s/n 00005), N541JX (s/n 00006) and N544JX (s/n 00008). Joby’s uncrewed Gen 1.0 demonstrator (N541JA, s/n JAS4-101) has long been retired and its first Gen 2.0 demonstrator (N542JA, s/n JAS4-201) was lost in an accident in February 2022 (see “Pushing the Envelope: Joby Aviation in 2022,” Vertiflite, March/April 2022).

Although most of the aircraft have traditionally been flown uncrewed, Joby noted that N541JX has made more than 100 crewed flights since the beginning of the year. On April 15, two S4 aircraft — one in Marina and one at Edwards Air Force Base — made four flights each, for a total of eight Joby air taxi flights in a single day.

The company plans to deliver an aircraft to Dubai, UAE, in mid-2025 “to complete flight testing ahead of carrying our first passengers in late 2025 or early 2026.”

Joby was also the first company to fly an electric air taxi as part of Korea’s K-UAM Grand Challenge, after that aircraft (N542JX) had flown in Japan. That same aircraft was then delivered to the US Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base.

Joby ended the fourth quarter of 2024 with $933M in cash, cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities, not including expected investments totaling $500M from Toyota.

The company has now also reached “the capacity to build parts equivalent to one aircraft per month. A majority of these parts are destined for testing as part of the certification process,” Joby said. Over 95% of the composite components produced on its manufacturing lines are now fully production conforming. Joby is also expanding its Marina, California, production line to support expanded manufacturing and flight training. “We remain on track to deliver the first parts from our Ohio facility in mid-2025,” the shareholder letter said.

Aviation Week Network selected Joby as a recipient of a 2025 Laureate Award for Business Aviation on March 6. Joby was recognized for its SHy4 hybrid-electric demonstration of 561 miles (903 km).

On March 16, Joby announced a partnership with Virgin Atlantic airlines for air taxi flights in the UK, starting with regional and city connections from Virgin’s hubs at London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester Airport (MAN); Virgin was previously a partnership with UK-based Vertical Aerospace. Flight could include a 15-minute flight from Manchester Airport to Leeds, or an eight-minute journey from Heathrow Airport to Canary Wharf, instead of 80 minutes by car.

In 2022, Joby and Delta Air Lines — which owns a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic — announced a multi-city, commercial and operational partnership to pioneer community-to-airport transportation for customers. While the Joby/Delta partnership is mutually exclusive across the US and UK for at least five years following commercial launch, the partnership was extended to include Virgin Atlantic in the UK. Also in 2022, Joby applied to have its aircraft FAA airworthiness approval (once granted) to be validated by the UK CAA. Virgin Atlantic will support Joby’s preparations for operation in the UK.

The week of March 17, Joby hosted US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and members of the committee for a tour of an S4 mockup at Toyota’s North America headquarters in Plano, Texas. Joby posted on social media, “Thank you to the Senator and the Committee for being champions of the electric aviation industry!”

Joby also noted on April 3 that its aircraft had surpassed 40,000 miles (64,375 km) in the air, “an achievement powered by thousands of vertical takeoffs and landings, and hundreds of seamless transitions from hover to cruise.” Since 2017, its fleet of seven full-size aircraft has flown in three countries (US, Japan and Korea). “Our aircraft fly nearly every day, showcasing hover, high-speed cruise, and everything in between. We’ve tested our aircraft in different environments, at high speeds and altitudes, and published in-depth studies of its acoustic signature and outwash profile based on real-world flight data,” the company said.

Over the April 4 weekend, Joby displayed a mockup of its S4 air taxi at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. On April 3, the center held a screening of the new IMAX film “Cities of the Future,” which included the S4; nearly 500 attendees also heard from Joby’s founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt.

Meanwhile, on April 17, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base posted an article describing how the center is studying downwash/outwash effects and aircraft tracking with Joby’s S4 aircraft, N5421A (s/n 00005).

Since downwash/outwash flows are difficult to measure, NASA enhanced its sensors with a new type of light detection and ranging (LiDAR), which uses lasers to measure precise distances, that can map out the shapes of wind features. Joby regularly flies its air taxi demonstrator over NASA’s ground sensor array.

The aeronautics agency also set up a second array of ground nodes including radar, cameras and microphones in the same location as the sensors to provide additional data on the aircraft. These nodes will collect tracking data during routine flights for several months. “This technology will be important for future air taxi flights, especially those occurring in cities by tracking aircraft moving through traffic corridors and around landing zones,” NASA stated. Distributed sensing has the potential to enhance collision avoidance systems, air traffic management, ground-based landing sensors, etc.

As this issue was going to press, Joby posted on social media on April 18 that it had hosted a group of representatives from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Dubai's Road and Transport Authority (RTA) for “in-depth discussions around our upcoming Dubai operations as well as witnessing of our ongoing ground- and flight-based testing.”

SkyDrive

Japan’s SkyDrive and UAE’s AeroGulf Services Company, LLC, a helicopter charter company based in Dubai, have signed an LOI to purchase up to 50 of SkyDrive’s SD-05 SKYDRIVE eVTOL aircraft. The two companies will also explore air mobility business opportunities at Dubai’s iconic tourist destination, Palm Jumeirah. AeroGulf Services aims to explore future business opportunities in the tourism sector using eVTOL aircraft that emit no carbon dioxide in operation.

SkyDrive is headquartered in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, and is participating in Expo 2025 — the 2025 World's Fair in Osaka in the Kansai region of Japan. Expo 2025 is running for six months, from April 13 to Oct. 13, 2025. Osaka Metro Co., Ltd. held a completion ceremony for the OSAKAKO Vertiport on March 28. SkyDrive will use the new vertiport for demonstration flights taking place as part of Expo 2025. Osaka Metro operates nine subway lines and the New Tram, an automated, driverless service.

The vertiport facilities include a hangar for the maintenance, refueling and storage of eVTOL aircraft, a takeoff and landing area, and a passenger facility where users can experience the simulated check-in and boarding of SkyDrive’s three-seat SKYDRIVE mock-up through a process that includes facial recognition. The vertiport is also designed as a mobility hub, connecting eVTOL aircraft with other transportation options, such as on-demand buses and shared bicycles.

The company conducted a demo flight of its SKYDRIVE on April 9, as part of the Media Day event at Expo 2025 Osaka. The uncrewed aircraft (JX0187, shown) flew at an altitude of about 5 m (16.5 ft) for a total flight time of approximately four minutes. SkyDrive was also featured in the “Parade of Global Harmony” during the opening ceremony of Expo 2025 on April 12.

SkyDrive made the world announcement at the VFS Transformative Vertical Flight (TVF) Symposium on Feb. 5 (see “TVF 2025 Highlights AAM Progress and Challenges,” Vertiflite, March/April 2025) that it had begun uncrewed flights of its first SD-05 SKYDRIVE prototype (JX0186) last year. SkyDrive began building its SKYDRIVE prototypes at a plant owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation, SkyDrive’s official production partner, in March 2024.

Supernal

After testing of its full-scale lift+cruise demonstrator came to light in February (see “eVTOL Leaders Separate from the Pack,” Vertiflite, March/April 2024), Supernal, LLC returned to its more usual taciturn state.

On March 10, however, the Irvine, California-based eVTOL company announced an agreement with Irving, Texas-based CHC Helicopter, the global helicopter flight services company specializing in offshore transportation and search and rescue operations, and CHC-subsidiary Heli-One, a leading global provider of rotary-wing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, to scale shared eVTOL aircraft operations. Heli-One plans to provide MRO services for Supernal’s vectored-thrust S-A2 aircraft (shown) in markets where the eVTOL company doesn’t initially open facilities. Supernal, the AAM subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, plans to deliver its first eVTOL vehicles to operators in 2028, which will cruise at 120 mph (193 km/h) with an initial range of 60 miles (97 km).

Vertical Aerospace

Bristol, England-based Vertical Aerospace made several announcements over the past two months.

On March 7, the company announced that it had appointed Mr. Eamonn Brennan as an advisor to its Board, “strengthening the company’s regulatory expertise as it progresses towards certification.” With 35 years of experience in aviation, Brennan was recently Director General of Eurocontrol, the organization responsible for coordinating and managing air traffic control across Europe, from 2018 to 2022. Previously, he was the chief executive of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), the civil aviation regulator for Ireland, from 2003 to 2017. During both roles he worked closely with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); the UK CAA plans to use as EASA’s Special Condition for Vertical Takeoff and Landing (SC-VTOL) as the basis for its approval of VTOL-capable aircraft (VCA).

Vertical announced on March 13 that it had hired Paul Stone as a test pilot, joining chief test pilot Simon Davies and test pilot Tim Eldridge. Stone was most recently chief test pilot at Volocopter, flying both their concept demonstrator and full-scale VoloCity prototype for the last three years. With over 28 years of experience in experimental, development, certification and production test flying, including 20 years in the Royal Navy, Stone has accumulated over 4,800 flight hours across more than 200 aircraft types. His expertise includes over 15 years of test experience on all versions of the Harrier, along with pioneering research on short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) digital flight control systems, contributing to the Vectored-thrust Aircraft Advanced Control (VAAC) Harrier and the Boeing X-32 STOVL concept demonstrator.

Meanwhile, on March 11, Vertical published its 2024 Annual Report with its full year financial results. It noted that it had restructured its balance sheet, with $130M of debt converted to equity through an investment agreement with Mudrick Capital, with a fixed conversion rate for the remainder. A $90M upsized raise was also completed, including over $60M from new investors and $25M from Mudrick Capital in February (for background, see “eVTOL Leaders Separate from the Pack,” Vertiflite, March/April 2024). Vertical said it “maintained industry leading capital efficiency” with the net cash used in 2024 operating activities of only $58M. The business is funded through 2025, Vertical stated, with cash and cash equivalents totaling $99M as of the date of the report.

On March 17, Vertical showed progress photos on social media of its third full-scale VX4 prototype (shown) coming together at GKN Aerospace’s Global Technology Centre, just north of Bristol in Filton, in South Gloucestershire. “Aircraft Three (AC3) is a carbon copy of our current flying prototype and will increase our test and demonstration capability,” the post noted. Vertical plans to expand its flight test center: “Designed to house our growing fleet of prototype aircraft, we are increasing our capacity at Cotswold Airport.”

Vertical posted a note on March 25 with CEO Stuart Simpson at Number 10 Downing Street, the official residence and the office of the British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. “Working closely with the UK government to develop the UK's aerospace and battery industrial base is essential and, at Vertical, we’re pleased to have strong relationships across government departments at all levels,” the post read. “Vertical at the heart of government — we were delighted to attend a government roundtable at Number 10 on the forthcoming industrial strategy and its importance to advanced manufacturing.”

Vertical also announced on March 31 that it would be using the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) and had purchased two of BETA’s chargers for evaluation (for more information on CCS, see “Competing Standards,” Vertiflite, Jan/Feb 2024).

Volocopter Aerospace

As noted last issue, Volocopter GmbH, based in Bruchsal, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, filed for insolvency proceedings on Dec. 26, 2024.

News broke on March 10 (March 11 in China) that the company had been purchased by China’s Wanfeng Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd., which is the 100% owner of Diamond Aircraft Group Austria, based in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria, Austria. Wanfeng Aircraft (also referred to as “Wanfeng Aviation”) is itself a subsidiary of Wanfeng Auto Holding Group Co., Ltd.

According to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange filing by Wanfeng Auto Holding Group Co., Ltd. (also referred to as “Zhejiang Wanfeng Aowei Steam Turbine Co., Ltd.”), a German company, temporarily named “Heptus 591. GmbH,” was established and registered on Jan. 17, 2025, under German law; the abbreviation “GmbH” essentially means “limited liability company” (LLC). Heptus 591. GmbH, a subsidiary of Diamond Aircraft, then acquired the assets of Volocopter GmbH and was renamed “Volocopter Aerospace GmbH.” The name “Heptus” plus a three-digit number appears to be a frequently used initial name for German companies. 

The filing noted that the agreement to acquire Volocopter GmbH was made on March 5 (March 6 in China), with a book value of the “relevant tangible assets and intellectual property rights,” approximately €42M ($47.7M). The purchase price was only €10M ($11.4M), compared to the company’s peak valuation of $1.9B in 2022. In November, Bloomberg News reported that the Chinese car company Geely was interested in purchasing 85% of Volocopter’s shares for $95M, a valuation of $111.7M, but the deal did not come to fruition, potentially due to alleged plans to move the company to China.

Diamond Aircraft was founded in 1981 (purchased by Wanfeng Aviation in 2017) and has produced more than 5,500 certified all-composite single- and twin-engine aircraft. It is developing the four-seat eDA40, which the company says, “shall be the first EASA/FAA Part 23 certified electric aircraft.”

Diamond and Volocopter published joint press releases on March 20. Diamond’s reorganization of Volocopter will, the press release stated, “broaden its aircraft and business portfolio into the field of electric urban air transportation, while enabling Volocopter to reduce costs, retain a highly motivated and skilled workforce, and focus on achieving its certification milestones by 2025.” The new Volocopter Aerospace will remain in Volocopter’s headquarters in Bruchsal.

Bin Chen, Chairman of Diamond Aircraft Group stated, “The future of aviation is shaped by visionaries. Diamond’s stellar portfolio, its manufacturing expertise, and the addition of Volocopter create a formidable lineup of general aviation flying vehicles. Together, we are laying the foundation to advance sustainable air mobility and strengthen Europe as an innovation hub in aviation.”

The Chinese stock exchange filing also noted that Volocopter was “formerly known as Syntern GmbH and e-volo GmbH [and] was originally established and registered on September 20, 2007” — however, this date likely refers to the founding of Syntern, not e-volo. Nonetheless, this aspect of Volocopter (renamed from e-volo in 2017), was previously not well known. According to an archived version of a 2012 press release, “Lindbergh Prize for Innovation Given to e-volo”: 

For the development, marketing and sale of the Volocopter [aircraft], e-volo is managed as an independent branch of industry of the Syntern Corporation (GmbH). Syntern specializes in the development of embedded software for the industry. Stephan Wolf, director and owner of Syntern GmbH, got to know the physicist Thomas Senkel in an internet forum in a discussion on quadrocopters. Thomas Senkel specializes in the development of electric drives and the construction of ultra light vehicles. Alexander Zosel, a visionary entrepreneur and inventor, was sold on the idea of rescaling the model to the size of a manned aircraft too. Together, the innovators invented and built the volocopter VC1 in a process that took over a year. For the further development of the volocopter, e-volo has compiled a network of notable partners from research and industry. The aim of the collaboration is a two-seater volocopter which complies with regulations, based on the concept study of the VC Evolution 2P.

It’s been generally understood that Volocopter GmbH was founded in 2011 as e-volo GmbH. After the four founders achieved the Guinness World Record-certified world’s first crewed flight of an eVTOL aircraft on Oct. 21, 2011, the public enthusiasm convinced them to start a company and develop an ultralight aircraft. Over the past 14 years, this evolved into the two-seat VoloCity, which is nearing certification under EASA’s rigorous SC-VTOL airworthiness requirements. 

The company posted on social media that, “During the last few months of insolvency proceedings, everyone at Volocopter has relentlessly worked, built, and tested, never pausing to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to achieving VoloCity aircraft certification.”

Meanwhile, on Feb. 27, the company announced that it had successfully conducted a flight control computer (FCC) reversion test campaign, intentionally turning off the VoloCity’s primary flight control computers during hover and in cruise flight. “Though a highly improbable scenario in real life, we ran the test to ensure the backup flight control computer seamlessly takes over and maintains control of our aircraft — ensuring safety of flight in compliance with EASA’s certification standards.”

Volocopter Aerospace got the VoloCity back in the air during the week of March 17 (shown). The flight test team “ran through standard VHF testing procedures with our test pilot, Olivier Renard, diligently advancing our test campaign for EASA type certification.”

Wisk Aero

Mountain View, California-based Wisk, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing, continues the development of its Generation 6 air taxi, as well as highlighting the company’s capabilities to students, legislators, regulators and the broader aerospace community.

In early March, Wisk joined more than 100 government and infrastructure leaders in Austin, Texas, to advance AAM in Texas. “We talked about how AAM and air taxis can unlock incredible opportunities for Texas — think new jobs, faster transportation, and a stronger economy.” Wisk also thanked local state politicians “for their support and leadership proposing AAM legislation that will help Texas continue leading in aviation for decades to come.” Wisk also welcomed University of Texas at Austin aerospace engineering students (shown) for a visit with the Wisk Gen 6 mockup and the company’s Houston virtual reality (VR) autonomous flight experience. The event was held in conjunction with Boeing, SkyGrid, the city of Sugar Land, Houston Airport System, Port San Antonio and the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

Wisk was active at the Avalon Australian International Airshow at Avalon Airport, Geelong, Australia, March 25–30. Several Wisk leaders gave presentations and the company’s exhibit featured an immersive VR experience that showcased an autonomous flight in Brisbane, Australia.

The company also highlighted its work on autonomy. On March 17, Wisk published a 58-page “Advanced Air Mobility in Australia” white paper. “This document initiates a collaborative dialogue on the future of AAM in Australia, leveraging the nation’s unique environment as a foundation for developing innovative concepts of operations,” Wisk’s press release said. “Wisk is committed to working closely with airspace users, government agencies, regulators, and the Australian public to co-create a safe, equitable, and inclusive airspace system.”

Wisk noted that it was testing its full-stack autonomy by integrating representative radar, radios, sensors and flight computers into its research and development helicopter, a Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II, to gather data in real-world flight conditions. This approach helps Wisk evaluate its systems’ sensor fusion, redundancy and reliability, and decision-making algorithms.

On April 2, Wisk posted on social media that it had hosted the FAA’s Aviation Safety AAM Integration Team and showcased the company’s Autonomy Lab and Gen 6 mockup.