• 04 Sep 2024 02:57 PM
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eVTOL Leaders Deliver

By Mike Hirschberg, Director of Stategy
Vertiflite, Sept/Oct 2024

In the past few months, the leading developers of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft made progress in delivering on their vision for advanced air mobility (AAM). Multiple companies delivered aircraft to military or commercial customers, and numerous companies conducted flight tests and expanded partnerships for the future. The following represents a summary of recent activities by some of the leading developers of eVTOL aircraft.

Archer Aviation

Archer announced several deals and milestones, including orders, deliveries, networks and facilities.

On June 17, the company announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Signature Aviation, “the world’s largest network of private aviation terminals.” The MOU is focused on electrifying Signature’s industry-leading network of over 200 airport terminals, giving Archer access to takeoff and landing sites in major metropolitan areas across the world, including New York, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Texas. The two companies plan to leverage their existing partnerships with Beta Technologies to install Beta’s interoperable rapid recharging systems across Signature’s industry-leading network of private aviation terminals. The MOU also identifies “day one” opportunities for launching Archer’s air taxi service in key United Airlines hubs at Newark International (EWR) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) Airports as early as the end of 2025.

Archer announced plans on June 20 for an air mobility network that will connect five strategic locations across the San Francisco Bay Area: South San Francisco, Napa, San Jose, Oakland and Livermore. Anchoring this network is Kilroy Oyster Point, a 50-acre (20-hA) waterfront campus in South San Francisco. Kilroy Realty Corporation, a leading US landlord and developer, recently signed a MOU with Archer to study the development of a proposed “Sea Portal” waterfront mobility hub for eVTOL aircraft and electric ferry operations using renewable energy.

Archer received an additional $55M investment from automotive giant Stellantis — which includes brands like Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Opel and Peugeot — from the companies’ strategic funding agreement, following the achievement of its transition flight test milestone in June (see “eVTOL Leaders Begin Transitions,” Vertiflite, July/Aug 2024). The companies made the announcement on July 2. Stellantis has been a strategic partner to Archer since 2020 through various collaboration initiatives, and as an investor since 2021.

Southwest Airlines and Archer announced on July 12 that they signed an MOU to develop operational plans for air taxi networks at California airports where Southwest operates. “This is a key step toward potentially offering Southwest customers an airport transport service that saves time by streamlining the door-to-door passenger journey,” the press release stated, adding that Southwest is California’s largest air carrier, operating at 14 airports across the state.

On July 16, the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) approved an award for tax exclusion incentives related to Archer’s planned advanced manufacturing project in California. Archer said it had received approval from CAEATFA for its $117M project covering the planned expansion of its advanced manufacturing facilities in the state, including ramping up its advanced electric powertrain facility. The CAEATFA sales and use tax exclusion is expected to result in savings to Archer of approximately $10M over the next few years.

Meanwhile, Archer’s team has made rapid progress with the buildout of its nearly 400,000-ft² (37,200-m²) high-volume manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia, at the Covington Municipal Airport. The company announced on July 31 that the plant, which will support Archer’s planned production in partnership with Stellantis of up to 650 Midnight aircraft annually, remains on track to complete construction by the end of the year.

In conjunction with its second-quarter results on Aug. 8, Archer announced a number of major milestones, investments and accomplishments. The press release revealed that Archer had “reached an agreement in principle on key terms of its planned contract manufacturing relationship with Stellantis.” In addition to the nearly $300M Stellantis has previously invested, including the $55M in July, Stellantis plans to invest in manufacturing labor and capital expenditures (CapEx). Stellantis will fund up to $370M of the anticipated manufacturing labor costs necessary to support Archer’s planned manufacturing ramp to 650 aircraft annually. Stellantis will also contribute initial incremental manufacturing capital expenditures for the initial ramp of Midnight production, estimated to be up to $20M. In exchange, Stellantis will receive proportional Archer shares and performance warrants.

The announcement also stated that after the end of the second quarter, Archer had secured $230M of additional equity capital. This consisted of the $55M Archer received from Stellantis in July, as well as an additional $175M investment that included institutional investors and its longtime strategic investors, Stellantis and United.

Archer also unveiled plans for a Los Angeles air taxi network, including vertiports at locations such as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Orange County, Santa Monica, Hollywood Burbank, Long Beach and Van Nuys airports. As part of its network planning, Archer is engaged with the Los Angeles Rams and the University of Southern California. Archer’s goal is to begin its LA network operations by as early as 2026.

In addition, the US Department of Defense (DoD) accepted the military airworthiness assessment of Archer’s Midnight aircraft, and the company delivered a Midnight aircraft to the US Air Force as part of Archer’s AFWERX Agility Prime contract, which is valued at up to $142M. Following the delivery-in-place handoff at Archer’s flight test facility in Salinas, California, a team of Air Force personnel worked with Archer’s flight test team to execute simulated medical evacuation, cargo and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) flights with the aircraft.

Finally, Archer announced that Future Flight Global plans to purchase as many as 116 Midnight aircraft worth up to $580M. Future Flight Global placed an initial cash deposit and plans to make additional pre-delivery payments to Archer when the parties finalize the definitive aircraft purchase agreement. In total, including this announcement, Archer now has nearly $6B in indicative orders (i.e. more than 1,000 aircraft, based on $5M per aircraft) with associated pre-delivery payments.

Beta Technologies

Burlington, Vermont-based Beta Technologies announced on July 15 that it had completed deployments with two US Air Force major commands, following two previous deployments earlier this year, through the AFWERX Agility Prime program. Beta conducted on-base and cross-country missions with the Air Combat Command (ACC) and Air Mobility Command (AMC) via multiday and day-long exercises to evaluate the company’s Alia CX300 electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) aircraft with real-world scenarios. Alia moved cargo and medical loads up to 500 lb (225 kg) at a time with a 100% dispatch rate over five days of operations.

After self-deploying from Burlington, Alia arrived at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) in Alpena, Michigan, on June 20. During the exercise with ACC, Alia completed more than 24 flight hours and transported more than 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) of cargo.

Beta then flew Alia to Springfield, Ohio, where — following extensive ground school and simulator training — UPS pilot Eric Bergesen conducted a qualitative evaluation flight. Next, Beta flew Alia to Virginia to simulate customer routes, then landed at Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) where Beta, along with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), AMC and local organizations, showcased electric aviation.

On July 9, Beta participated in the AMC exercise, conducting a series of flights between Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, and McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County, New Jersey — two priority hubs for Air Force transportation and logistics. Air Force personnel noted that, “Dover is about two and a half hours away from us [by car]. Today’s flight only took 45 minutes.”

Meanwhile, on July 17, the state of Michigan announced four projects related to AAM infrastructure and pilots that will generate operational data to validate the commercial potential of key AAM use cases and help inform the state’s AAM policy. Beta Technologies received a $2.6M grant to install multimodal chargers at four regional airports “to create a foundational intrastate charging network to support operations of next-generation aircrafts and drive down costs for regional transportation operators.”

On Aug. 7, Beta announced that the FAA had granted Beta a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to begin dual-seat training of pilots in its A250 eVTOL aircraft. With this LOA, BETA’s current cadre of eight test pilots are now authorized to provide A250 crew training to additional company and FAA personnel. To grant this authorization, the FAA conducted an extensive review of the ground, simulation and flight training procedures Beta uses to train its current test pilot cadre. “It represents a strong vote of confidence from the FAA in BETA’s safety-conscious approach to training,” the company stated.

The company has an emphasis on safety and training, having led pilots from the FAA, US Air Force, US Army, UPS, United Therapeutics and Bristow through ground school academics, simulator rehearsal and qualitative evaluation flights in its CX300 eCTOL demonstrator.

This new authorization enables Beta’s flight test cadre to prepare to begin for-credit flight testing; Beta can now also train FAA aviation safety inspectors and other FAA personnel who will ultimately help certify the aircraft. It will also allow Beta to refine and validate the safety and efficacy of its eVTOL training program. The company is also working on a standalone simulator product that it aims to meet the eventual FAA requirements for a qualified training device.

Finally, on Aug. 19, Beta announced that it completed its first Alia Pilot Training program review with a customer, taking a cohort of leaders and flight operations executives from biotech company United Therapeutics, and its wholly owned subsidiary Unither Bioelectronics, through the full syllabus for the Alia CX300 eCTOL. This marks a big step toward Beta finalizing a training product for the ALIA eCTOL as the company prepares to deliver initial aircraft to Part 135 customers.

Meanwhile, Beta continues to progress its Alia eCTOL and eVTOL products toward achieving FAA type certification, anticipated certification in 2025 and 2026, respectively. The company has begun to manufacture its aircraft at its 200,000-ft² (18,600-m²) production facility in South Burlington, Vermont (see “Beta Goes the Distance,” Vertiflite, Nov/Dec 2023).

EHang Holdings Limited

In addition to flights this spring in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia (see “The Middle East: Future Capital of eVTOL?,” Vertiflite, July/Aug 2024), Guangzhou, China-based EHang announced on June 12 that it had also flown autonomously in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Partnering with Front End Limited Company, a Saudi-based enterprise specializing in advanced solutions for various industries, the two companies worked with numerous Saudi government agencies. The demonstration with the EHang EH216-S was seen as “instrumental” in shaping the potential for “a faster, more efficient and sustainable annual Hajj pilgrimage.”

On June 20, EHang announced that it had completed a series of satellite-based flights with its EH216-S in Spain. The demonstration was supported by the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Europe’s satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS). The flights were conducted at EHang’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Center in Europe, at Lleida–Alguaire Airport (ILD) in Spain, under the European Union Agency for the Space Programme’s “SBAS Adoption in Multicopter VTOL Aircraft” project.

EHang announced on June 21 that it signed a cooperation agreement with the government of Wencheng County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, to jointly develop UAM and a supporting public service ecosystem for the low-altitude economy (see “China’s Low-Altitude Economy and eVTOL Diplomacy,” Vertiflite, Sept/Oct 2024). Based on this cooperation, Wencheng County Transportation Development Group Co. Ltd. signed a purchase agreement with EHang for 30 units of the EH216-S. The first 27 aircraft were delivered a few days later (shown on the previous page).

Additionally, the group paid a non-refundable deposit for another 270 units, which EHang will deliver by the end of 2026. EHang and the county plan to work together “in establishing a low-altitude industry chain across the region, including demonstration, sales, maintenance and operations” of its aircraft “that drives the development of economy and UAM ecosystem within Zhejiang Province.” The EH216-S made its passenger-carrying debut flight in Wencheng on June 22, marking the launch of the cultural tourism initiative of “Low-Altitude Tourism in Wencheng.” During the event, the EH216-S carried multiple passengers for a low-altitude sightseeing tour.

According to SMG Consulting’s AAM Reality Index, by the end of June, EHang had delivered 263 aircraft and had firm orders for another 53, plus an additional 2,334 conditional and other orders.

Since then, EHang signed a purchase and operation cooperation agreement with KC Smart Mobility Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings Ltd., the largest non-franchised bus operator in Hong Kong, EHang announced on July 19. This partnership will promote the deployment and operation of the EH216-S in Hong Kong, Macau and the cities of Xiangyang and Shiyan in Hubei Province, China. KC Smart Mobility plans to purchase 30 EH216-S aircraft.

In addition, on July 29, EHang announced that it had delivered the first batch of 10 units of EH216-S aircraft to Taiyuan Xishan Ecological Tourism Investment Construction Co. Ltd. and conducted passenger-carrying flights of the EH216-S in Taiyuan, Shanxi, on July 28. During this event, EHang also showcased its VT-30 long-range, pilotless, passenger-carrying eVTOL; the EH216-F for firefighting use; and the EH216-L for logistics use. See the VFS World eVTOL Aircraft Directory for more on these and other eVTOL designs at www.eVTOL.news/aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) formally accepted the Air Operator Certificate (AOC or OC) applications submitted by Guangdong EHang General Aviation Co. Ltd., the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary for UAM operation services, and Hefei Heyi Aviation Co. Ltd., its joint venture company in Hefei. Calling this “the world’s first project for the OC of pilotless passenger-carrying [eVTOL] aircraft, this milestone is paving the way for the establishment of the world’s first commercial operation standard system for passenger-carrying eVTOL, which will lay a solid foundation for the commercial operation of EHang’s EH216-S.” EHang’s partners in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Taiyuan and Wuxi are also actively preparing for AOC applications to launch EH216-S operations and demonstration projects in other cities.

Eve Air Mobility

After showing its first full-scale prototype coming together over the past few months, Embraer’s Melbourne, Florida-based subsidiary held a private roll-out ceremony at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto facility in Brazil, where it was constructed and will be flight tested late this year. The rollout video and photos were first released to the public on July 21. The company noted that the aircraft is remote piloted and has removable skin panels for easy access to internal equipment during the testing phase. This “engineering prototype” will validate and improve the accuracy of the company’s models developed from sub-scale tests, individual rigs, wind-tunnel tests and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and other models, Eve said.

The aircraft is now undergoing checkout. Multiple integrated ground tests will validate the thrust, energy consumption, systems functionalities, sound and vibration. This will be followed by hover flights for in-ground effect (IGE) and out-of-ground effect (OGE) characterization and assessment, followed by partial and then full transition to cruise flight.

The non-conforming prototype does not have all the systems, subsystems and redundancies planned for the five prototypes to be used for the certification campaign. These will be initiated next year, after the engineering prototype has begun flying.

Eve also announced that it had selected 100% of its primary component suppliers, and named Diehl Aviation as the designer and producer of the interior and ASE as the supplier for the high- and low-voltage power distribution systems.

The company also announced an MOU with Siemens Smart Infrastructure, a manufacturer of electrical and digital technologies and solutions, to evaluate the electrical infrastructure and energy management services needed to support eVTOL operations. The two companies will evaluate the energy service needs for eVTOL aircraft as demand for these services grows across the US as the AAM industry, Eve announced on July 23.

Meanwhile, Eve announced on July 1 that it had received $94M in new equity financing from multiple investors, including  Embraer, Nidec and Space Florida, by issuing new shares of common stock and warrants. Embraer remains Eve’s majority and controlling shareholder with an 83% stake, down from 89%.

In its second quarter results report, the company noted that it had (conditional) orders for 2,900 aircraft, valued at $14.5B, for 30 customers in 13 countries. This is largest order book in the eVTOL industry, according to SMG Consulting’s AAM Reality Index.

Meanwhile, The Air Current reported on Aug. 15 that Vertical founder Stephen Fitzpatrick — who invested an additional $25M in the company in March and had pledged to invest another $25M by the end of July if the company had not found an equivalent amount of equity funding (see “eVTOL Leaders Continue to Advance,” Vertiflite, March/April 2024) — did not make the second payment. Rolls-Royce had previously agreed to develop the electric propulsion unit (EPUs) for Vertical but broke the agreement, apparently paying out around $25M.

Joby Aviation

Joby stunned the aviation world by announcing on July 11 that it had flown its second S4 demonstrator aircraft (N542BJ) on hydrogen. VFS broke news in June that Joby was planning a hydrogen eVTOL (H2eVTOL) demonstration (see “Hydrogen Begins to Take Off,” Vertiflite, July/Aug 2024) but the company declined to provide details in time for the deadline.

After its final battery-electric (beVTOL) flight on May 2, Joby converted N542BJ to an H2eVTOL demonstrator and completed a 523-mile (842-km) flight on June 24. This Joby “SHy4” hydrogen-electric technology demonstrator aircraft flew a racetrack pattern around Marina, California, for more than 4 hours and 47 minutes “with no in-flight emissions except water,” the company stated, and landed with 10% of its hydrogen fuel remaining. By the end of July, the SHy4 had made several even-longer flights, flying 561 miles (903 km) over 5 hours and 3 minutes.

In 2021, Joby acquired German hydrogen-aviation developer H2FLY, which made the world’s first piloted flight of a liquid hydrogen-eCTOL aircraft in September 2023. Joby used similar technology to complete its H2eVTOL flight with the SHy4. The fuel cell used was developed by H2FLY, while the heat exchanger, installed under the fuselage to cool the fuel cell assembly, was developed by Joby. The seats were removed from the cabin and a 40-kg (88-lb) vacuum-jacketed liquid hydrogen fuel tank, also developed by Joby, was installed. See the VFS World eVTOL Aircraft Directory entry for more details on the SHy4 (www.eVTOL.news/aircraft).

In a blog post, Joby stated that the beVTOL S4 was still the product being certified, and that “batteries are the perfect solution for short-range flight,” but that “hydrogen-electric aircraft are the only technology solution with the potential to enable regional or even nationwide flight while addressing the totality of aviation’s impact on the planet.” However, Joby stated that it recognized that commercializing hydrogen will require doing a lot of work on regulations and infrastructure, along with fuel storage and distribution, “but we have demonstrated that regional hydrogen-electric flight is possible today.”

Meanwhile, on June 20, Joby announced that its “ElevateOS” software suite for air taxi operations, developed by the team that it had acquired from Uber Elevate in 2021, had received FAA authorization for use by Joby’s Part 135 organization. The suite includes pilot tools, operations and schedule management software, a mobile-first rider app, and an intelligent matching engine, similar to those used by ride-hailing apps, that pairs passengers with available aircraft and landing infrastructure to deliver journeys that are as efficient as possible.

Joby also noted that it had a range of other activities underway to prepare for operations. Joby has developed an aircraft-specific training course that prepares qualified commercial pilots to fly the Joby aircraft in about six weeks. The course uses immersive flight simulation training devices being developed in partnership with CAE. Additionally, Joby has begun offering private pilot training and ground school as part of its future pilot training academy.

Joby also received its Part 145 Maintenance Certificate earlier this year and is developing a comprehensive maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) strategy to ensure maximum aircraft utilization in markets around the globe. Joby received a $1M grant from the FAA to support the development of maintenance training programs. Joby noted that it also had a Safety Management System (SMS) accepted into the FAA’s Voluntary Program for Air Operations, supporting the company’s Part 135 operations, and held the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Stage 1 Certification, following a safety audit last year.

On Aug. 6, Joby announced that it had formally applied to Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for the validation of the FAA type certification. Once received, Joby will utilize the bilateral agreement between the two regulators, laying the groundwork for the introduction of the Joby air taxi in Australia. Joby applied to have its FAA type certificate validated by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and the UK CAA.

Finally, on Aug. 7, Joby released its second-quarter shareholder letter, announcing that the company had rolled its third production prototype aircraft off its pilot production line in Marina, California, with four aircraft expected to be in active flight test during the next quarter.

Lilium

Despite Lilium’s financial concerns that have been a constant challenge (see “eVTOL Leaders Begin Transitions,” Vertiflite, July/Aug 2024), the company has continued to make significant progress. The Munich, Germany-based eVTOL developer is currently assembling the first two prototypes of its “7-Seater” Lilium Jet: the non-flying MSN 1 aircraft will undergo static testing this fall, while MSN 2 will begin crewed flight testing in early 2025. The company will have a third aircraft in production by the end of this year. First flight of MSN 2 was originally scheduled for the end of this year, but Lilium stated that the slip still allows for first customer deliveries in 2026.

On June 26, Lilium announced that it had successfully completed the first series of tests of its electric jet propulsion unit. For the first time, two of its latest-model “electric engines” tested at maximum thrust on the propulsion unit test bench, proving the expected level of performance and reliability. Testing of the pair of motors was carried out at Lilium’s dedicated propulsion unit test bed, designed for aerodynamic and electrical performance evaluation. The tests follow comprehensive bench testing of the motor, developed and built in collaboration with Lilium’s team of suppliers, including Denso and Honeywell for the e-motor, Aeronamic for the compressor fan, and SKF for the electric motor bearings. Aerostructures supplier Aernnova recently completed the first build of the Lilium Jet propulsion mounting system, the structure that houses the propulsion and vectoring systems at the rear of the wings and canard.

Lilium also announced on Aug. 21 that it had completed the first phase of integration testing of the Lilium Jet’s electrical power system at the company’s purpose-built laboratory. Thus, the company engineers are verifying the design of the aircraft’s core powertrain functionalities that will support certification while the first two Lilium Jets are taking shape on the production line.

Meanwhile, Lilium announced on July 23 that it had signed an MOU with SEA, the operator of Milan’s airports, and UK-based Skyports Infrastructure, laying the groundwork for a passenger eVTOL network in the northern Italy region of Lombardy. The following day, Lilium and Groupe ADP announced a partnership to collaborate on vertiports in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Groupe ADP, which operates and develops 23 airports around the globe with its two major partners TAV Airports and GMR Airports, will work with Lilium to make its vertiports accessible to Lilium’s customers. In addition to its flagship locations in France, Groupe ADP operates an extensive network of international airports around the world, including key sites in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and India.

On July 18, Lilium announced it had signed a binding sales agreement with Saudia Group for 50 Lilium Jets, with options for the purchase of 50 more. Lilium called it “the largest commitment in the eVTOL sector by an airline operator.” The sales agreement follows the MOU between the two companies signed in October 2022. Separately, Lilium and the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) signed an MoU at the Farnborough International Airshow to develop and implement the required regulations for eVTOL operations in Saudi Arabia beginning in 2026. Lilium was notably absent in the string of eVTOL announcements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia this spring (see “The Middle East: Future Capital of eVTOL?,” Vertiflite, July/Aug 2024).

Vertical Aerospace

On July 25, nearly a year after the crash of the first uncrewed demonstrator, Bristol, UK-based Vertical Aerospace made the first tethered test of its VX4 prototype. The flight, piloted by Vertical’s Chief Test Pilot Justin Paines, was loosely tethered to the ground. Flying at its Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport, the company said it measured over 20,000 flight and system parameters to verify thrust, handling qualities and system performance.

This second aircraft is significantly more advanced than the first prototype, with 60% of the technology coming from Vertical’s six global aerospace partners: GKN Aerospace, Leonardo, E-One Moli Energy (Molicel), Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, Hanwha Group and Syensqo. The aircraft is significantly more powerful than the previous full-scale prototype, with Molicel battery packs capable of delivering 1.4 MW of peak power — a 20% increase in the power-to-weight ratio — and will be tested at speeds of up to 150 mph (240 km/h), the certification aircraft’s intended cruise speed. Meanwhile, on July 10, Vertical announced that the scope of its Design Organisation Approval (DOA) had been expanded by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The scope extension enables Vertical’s own engineers to sign off compliance of an increasing number of technical areas, including further areas related to the flight control, avionics and electrical systems, streamlining the certification process. The company noted that the CAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have also agreed on how they will collaborate on Vertical’s VX4 certification activities. Vertical has 1,500 pre-orders of the VX4 worth $6B, with customers across four continents, including Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Japan Airlines, GOL and Bristow, the company stated.

Volocopter

Bruchsal, Germany-based Volocopter had long targeted flying passengers as part of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, France, but had not yet received a type certificate (TC) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). At last year’s Paris Air Show in June 2023, Volocopter and international airport operator Groupe ADP said that they were working with the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) and had “confirmed that the launch of the first eVTOL” flights for the Paris Olympics was “on track.” In a press release last June, Volocopter said, “Operations in Paris will begin from five vertiports and will gradually grow to cover the whole Paris region over the next decade. VoloCity aircraft, which have capacity for one pilot and one passenger, will be flying at heights below 500 m [1,640 ft] and will not be audible from ground level in urban environments.”

Carrying passengers would have been prohibited without a TC, but Volocopter and Group ADP planned to conduct demonstrations. Le Monde newspaper reported that Transportation Minister Patrice Vergriete had “authorized an experiment” with an ADP vertiport under construction on the Seine River, and that the companies “intend to use the showcase of the Olympics to demonstrate the feasibility of carbon-free aviation in an urban environment. The project is being supported by the Ile-de-France region, which has granted a subsidy of €1 million” ($1.1M). However, pushback — including legal injunctions — from the City of Paris and environmental organizations concerned of the energy required for wingless transport of a single passenger at a time, prevented these demonstration flights from going forward.

Instead, the two companies conducted crewed test flights from a vertiport, built by Groupe ADP, at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’Ecole, in the Paris suburbs, the company announced on Aug. 8. Photos show the flights were made by the Volocopter 2X demonstrator (D-MDVC), not a VoloCity prototype, with two VoloCity prototypes or mockups also on display (see photo).

With this flight, Volocopter said, the companies began their “operational validation phase, a pre-commercial test series to mature the eVTOL ecosystem in France.” This included flight maneuvers to and from the vertiport, ground handling, communication with air traffic control, and battery charging and management at vertiports. Validation testing at an eVTOL-bespoke and route-approved location in Saint-Cyr-l’École will give Volocopter a unique advantage in gathering first-hand data on improving its aircraft operations.”

The flights resulted from over three years of collaborative efforts between Volocopter and Groupe ADP to advance multiple regulatory approvals on infrastructure and aircraft, the press release said. “This includes Volocopter’s advisory role involvement as the industry pioneer in the European eVTOL certification program, airspace operations, and infrastructure design influencing the development of the ready-to-operate St. Cyr vertiport brought to fruition by Groupe ADP.”

On Aug. 11, Volocopter announced that it had conducted flight tests at the nearby Palace of Versailles, a World Heritage site, again with the 2X demonstrator. “This unprecedented flight marks the conclusion of this summer’s multi-day operational validation test campaign at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’Ecole and Versailles. Volocopter and its partners aspire to return to Paris later in the year to fly our eVTOL aircraft in central Paris.”

Wisk Aero LLC

Wisk, based in Mountain View, California, posted on its blog on June 12 that it had conducted wind tunnel tests at the Boeing Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing Wind Tunnel (BVWT) at Boeing’s rotorcraft plant in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. The 20-by-20-ft (6-by-6-m) wind tunnel is one of the largest in the country and was purpose-built for testing rotors and propellers. Boeing and its wholly owned subsidiary, Wisk, tested its lift/cruise propeller at various tilt angles, wind speeds, etc. Wisk wrote that “the data we gather is crucial for ensuring our certification aircraft meets or exceeds all required safety standards. These tests also provide valuable insights into aerodynamic efficiency and noise reduction, helping us create a quieter, more efficient aircraft.”

On June 17, the company announced that it had signed an MOU with Houston Airports to bring autonomous air taxis to the Greater Houston area in Texas. The agreement supports the strategic planning efforts needed to identify and assess potential locations for the development of vertiport infrastructure at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and Ellington Airport (EFD). In February, Wisk formed a partnership with the City of Sugar Land for their support to bring Wisk’s air taxis to the Greater Houston area.

Wisk also announced on July 22 that it had expanded its previously announced partnership with UK-based Skyports Infrastructure to identify an entry-into-service (EIS) network for Wisk’s air taxi in the South East Queensland region of Australia. The expanded partnership identifies opportunities for the safe development and scale-up of AAM services ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Meanwhile, on June 25, Wisk revealed that it had acquired Verocel Inc., a software verification and validation (V&V) company. Verocel’s unique expertise in supporting the certification of high-integrity aerospace software and the qualification of V&V tools “will play a key role in Wisk’s ongoing effort to certify its Generation 6 autonomous, electric air taxi.” Verocel was founded in 1999 and has worked on more than 160 projects for 25+ customers, including for Boeing. Over 50 highly specialized software engineers, based in Westford, Massachusetts, and Poznan, Poland, join Wisk through this acquisition.