• 09 Jan 2023 09:25 AM
• 0

LIFT and Charm Partner for eVTOL Flights

LIFT Aircraft announced on Oct. 26 that it had partnered with Charm Aviation to introduce personal eVTOL tourism flights to New York City beginning in 2023. LIFT and Charm, a helicopter tour operator with operations in multiple East Coast cities, will establish a joint venture and pre-order 100 HEXA eVTOL aircraft that will be flown from LIFT vertiport locations in the New York City area. Under the current concept, customers will be able to learn to fly the single-seat HEXA eVTOL in less than one hour and will not be required to have a pilot’s license for the ultralight aircraft. “These are like Segway tours, but in the air — with a much better view and much more fun,” said Caitlyn Ephraim, President of Charm Aviation, in a statement.

Meanwhile, the US Air Force announced that on Nov. 16, Airmen had begun remotely flying the HEXA at Eglin Air Force Base’s Duke Field. “This was an early step in creating a training program to incorporate Airmen into the aircraft’s flight operations,” the Air Force reported. The goal of training the Airmen “to validate the HEXA’s training program by having the Airmen execute it in a controlled, test environment,” as well as to “serve as a proof of concept for how to develop responsive training for government operators” of uncrewed eVTOL aircraft.