Diamond Aircraft, a subsidiary of China-based Wanfeng Auto Holding Group Co. Ltd’s aircraft division, has joined the race to produce a new generation of electric air taxis with the acquisition of German developer Volocopter.
After conceding insolvency in October, the promise of receiving substantial funding from a consortium of investors, the Mobile Uplift Corporation, on December 24 seemed like a Christmas miracle for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft manufacturer Lilium Aerospace. However, on February 21 the company filed for insolvency again.
After years of aircraft and infrastructure development, the electric vertical takeoff and landing industry faces a broadly self-imposed deadline of 2025 for entering commercial service with a new generation of air taxis, shuttles, and freight carriers.
According to a press release, Lilium GmbH —among a handful of companies to create prototypes of the next generation of aircraft—has conceded insolvency and its board approved application for self-administration for its business units.
Mobility tech entrepreneurs showcased their new projects and latest achievements before an audience of potential investors at the annual invitation-only UP.Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas.
History tells us it takes more than good aircraft to launch a successful air transport operation. So as electric vertical takeoff and landing pioneers move further into flight testing and closer to certification, they are increasingly focusing on what some might call the hard part: developing the vast, complex infrastructure needed to support them.
For nearly 100 years, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has been on the leading edge of aviation training. Today, that legacy is the foundation for a range of programs preparing a new generation of aerospace leaders.
Textron eAviation, the business unit that includes the Pipistrel brand, bought a German firm specialized in creating flight control and other systems that enable aircraft to fly with or without pilots.
Electric aerospace developer Beta Technologies achieved a milestone when its electric vertical takeoff and landing Alia 250 prototype transitioned from powered-lift flight to wing-borne flight and back again, with a pilot on board, in Plattsburgh, New York.
Electric aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation, along with FBO chain and aviation infrastructure provider Atlantic Aviation, announced a plan to bring electric charging infrastructure to New York and Southern California in support of Joby’s future air taxi service.
On November 2, Volocopter kicked off a test campaign—a series of flights to gather data on aircraft performance—at Tampa International Airport in Florida.
Improving general aviation safety was among the themes at this year’s UP.Summit, the annual invitation-only conference that brings together entrepreneurs, investors, and visionaries looking to improve mobility across all lines of business.
Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft developer Joby Aviation announced it has delivered its first air taxi to Edwards Air Force Base in California six months ahead of schedule.
AOPA joined several aviation organizations to submit comments to a special federal aviation regulation (SFAR) that would facilitate the introduction of advanced air mobility aircraft (AAM) into the U.S. national airspace system (NAS).
The FAA released its plan for implementation of advanced air mobility (AAM) into the national airspace system over the next five years through the Innovate28 (I28) initiative.
Joby Aviation unveiled the first electric vertical takeoff and landing production prototype to earn a special airworthiness certificate from the FAA that will enable flight testing toward certification, a milestone that reinforces the California company’s apparent front-runner status in the race to bring a new generation of air taxis to market.
Citing the limitations of current and foreseeable battery technology, Tecnam announced it has put development of a twin-engine electric commuter aircraft on hold until batteries of sufficient power and life-cycle endurance become available.
It can be a challenge to sort out aviation’s burgeoning eVTOL segment. With hundreds of competitors laying down a dense PR fog it can be difficult to discern which project is real, which is hype, and which stands a chance of making it to market.
Given the emerging technologies related to moving people and products, it feels as if the world is morphing from the information age to the mobility age.
Silicon Valley-based advanced air mobility hopeful Archer Aviation Inc. has unveiled its piloted, four-passenger, full-size production aircraft, Midnight.
Wisk brings its commitment of self-flying-first to its all-new, completely autonomous 6th Generation air taxi—the aircraft that Wisk says will set the standard for the air taxi market and the future of air travel.
The eVTOL movement came on the scene around 2012, promising fast, point-to-point, intra-urban transportation—after an Uber-in-the-sky vision. Their futuristic looks and eco-friendly, mainly lithium battery-powered electrical propulsion systems garnered plenty of publicity and enthusiasm. A blizzard of designs ensued.
Those casually following the eVTOL scene may not have noticed the Kittyhawk Heaviside, a single-seat, autonomous (pilotless, remote-controlled), winged eVTOL that traces its complicated origins back to 2010.
Honeywell is collaborating with DENSO, a leading maker of automotive electric motors and controllers, to create a variety of electric propulsion systems for aircraft.
Volocopter, which in 2011 was among the first to introduce an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) design, recently announced its newest venture—the four-seat VoloConnect.