Category Filtering: 'vertiflite'
Bloomberg stated on Jan. 23 that Airbus’s quad-duct CityAirbus eVTOL demonstrator was “poised for takeoff within weeks.” Initial tests will be brief unmanned hovers, building up to translating flight and longer missions.
On Jan. 29, Jetson Aero revealed its Speeder hoverbike prototype: a single-seat all-electric flying go-kart with four pairs of propellers powered by brushless electric motors. The company was founded in October 2017 and has carried out manned test flights, first in Tuscany, Italy, and then in Poznan, Poland.
As part of the VFS Electric VTOL Symposium, Bell Executive Vice President Michael Thacker announced that the Bell Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) 70 — capable of transporting up to 70 lb (32 kg) — had flown in January. This follows prior flight testing of the APT 20 (shown), which can carry up to 20 lb (9 kg) loads.
At the VFS Electric VTOL Symposium, Greg Bowles, the vice president of global innovation at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), noted that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has proposed adding a “special condition” for non-helicopter VTOL aircraft.
On Jan. 23, the Airworthiness Department of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued its “Guidance on UAV Airworthiness Certification based on Operational Risks,” aimed at establishing a risk-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) airworthiness management system by the end of 2019.
Honeywell and Pipistrel announced on Jan. 24 that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore and develop solutions for eVTOL. “This is the beginning of a long-term relationship to collectively pursue the future of urban air mobility [UAM],” said Ivo Boscarol, founder and president of Pipistrel.
A³ by Airbus has continued development of its single-seat Vahana eVTOL demonstrator since its first flight on Jan. 31, 2018. In December, Airbus released new images of the Vahana demonstrator in flight at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton, Oregon.
On Sept. 10, 2018, the Bristol, UK-based startup, Vertical Aerospace, Ltd., revealed that it had built and flown the UK’s first full-scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
During my ten-week NASA Aeromechanics Branch internship, I focused on what is considered by some as the most ambitious and ground-breaking new market of the modern aviation industry: urban air mobility (UAM). Even before The Jetsons’ first appearance on TV in the early 1960s, the world has hungered for a possible future of commuting to work by sky. Yet, what started out as a fantasy has slowly turned into an increasingly urgent need.
At the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAABACE) held Oct. 16–18, 2018 in Orlando, Florida, flying car company Terrafugia announced that it had down-selected to a single approach for its multi-modal passenger and cargo-carrying transportation system. The company was previously considering two approaches for its TF-2 eVTOL aircraft: one with separate lift and thrusting propellers and the other with tilting propellers.
