Like all start-ups, M4 Engineering took what work was available during its formative years in the early 2000s. The Long Beach, California-based company provided engineering services to Boeing and Airbus suppliers while simultaneously supporting new technology programs, such as developing a carbon-fiber door for commercial airliners and optimizing structures for rocket motors.
On May 6, Jaunt Air Mobility announced that the company plans to open design and manufacturing operations in Canada — aligned with its certification path and commercialization strategy — and appointed Eric Côté to head its Canadian operations as president of Jaunt Air Mobility Canada.
Sikorsky’s model S-52 two-place helicopter was developed using company funds following the successful S-51/H-5. The S-52 was Sikorsky’s first helicopter with an offset flapping hinge and all-metal rotor blades, and was aimed at the military observation and medical evacuation role. The project engineer was Ralph Alex, one of the founders of the American Helicopter Society (AHS) and its first and 15th president.
On May 5, VFS-member NEXA Capital Partners, LLC, announced the formation and funding of a collaborative consortium of US companies and organizations to develop and launch an integrated supply chain solution for the emerging advanced air mobility (AAM) industry, which is projected to be multi-trillion-dollar aerospace sector.
The Vertical Flight Society today announces the winners of its inaugural Design-Build-Vertical Flight (DBVF) Student Competition. The University of Michigan took first place with a prize of $2,000. The team from the University of Maryland took second place and the Ohio State University took third place; the teams will be awarded cash prizes of $1,000 and $500, respectively.
On Feb. 25, Representatives Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) and Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) introduced H.R.1339, the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act, in the US House of Representatives.
Although the previous Lilium Jet full-scale demonstrators were not flown extensively — and neither transitioned to fully wingborne flight — Lilium has conducted extensive analysis and ground testing that supports their technology.
In the timeline of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developments, Lilium GmbH first came to widespread public attention in April 2017 with the release of a video of the futuristic, prototype, two-seat Lilium Jet flying around outside the Bavarian capital of Munich, at the Special Airport Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
VFS conducted a workforce study early last year (www.vtol.org/workforce) identifying some of the major challenges for the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) industry and addressed key points in our commentary, “Looking Back: A Perspective on the Future Vertical Workforce,” Vertiflite, July/Aug 2020.
MightyFly, based in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, announced on April 20 that it is developing an autonomous air cargo eVTOL, and had closed a $5.1M seed funding round.
