News

EHang Operational

• 24 Aug 2019 02:48 PM
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According to the eFlight Journal on July 2, Chinese drone maker EHang has delivered the first 10 of its two-seat Model 216 eVTOLs to a Chinese operator and eight more to deliver to undisclosed overseas clients, with additional deliveries in China coming. The EHang 216 is a derivative of the single-seat EHang 184 will operate with a special permit to fly under a specific operational risk assessment (SORA) trial rule by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) that allows the operator to carry passengers.

Kitty Hawk Announcements

• 24 Aug 2019 02:47 PM
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On June 25, The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on future efforts to advance safe urban air mobility (UAM). The strategic partnership will bring together the innovation of Kitty Hawk’s Cora division with Boeing’s scale and aerospace expertise.

XTI Continues Progress

• 24 Aug 2019 02:45 PM
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Testing of the 65%-scale unmanned demonstrator of the XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 has moved to the Northrop Grumman Utah Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Test Site in Box Elder County, Utah, which was coordinated by the Deseret UAS organization. Meanwhile, the company announced in July that it had selected GE Aviation’s Catalyst engine as the core of the hybrid-electric propulsion system for the TriFan 600.

Hanwha Invests in Karem Butterfly

• 24 Aug 2019 02:44 PM
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South Korean industrial giant Hanwha announced on July 11 that it was investing $25M in a spin-off from Karem Aircraft, Inc., dedicated to bringing its all-electric air taxi vehicle, Butterfly, to market. The Butterfly is being developed for Uber Elevate and uses Karem’s Optimum Speed Rotor technology to power a vectored-thrust vehicle with four large rotors mounted on the wings and tail.

Ascendance at Paris

• 24 Aug 2019 02:43 PM
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At the Paris Air Show, Paris, France-based startup Ascendance Flight Technologies unveiled its Atea hybrid-electric VTOL concept. Atea uses three lift fans powered by electric motors — one in each wing and a fan in the nose of the aircraft — plus a conventional turboprop in the nose. When the aircraft is cruising, the turbine engine charges the batteries for vertical take-offs and landings.

NFT Unveils ASKA eVTOL Flying Car

• 24 Aug 2019 02:41 PM
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On June 7, New Future Transportation, Inc., (NTF) revealed its eVTOL drive-fly vehicle, ASKA, powered by 14 electric lift fans. ASKA means “flying bird” in Japanese, and NFT said, “it’s the first viable eVTOL vehicle that can both drive on the road and fly autonomously in the sky.” The company unveiled a large 4.9 ft x 8.2 ft (1.5 m x 2.5 m) model of the vehicle at the EcoMotion Event in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 10–13. NFT plans to fly a large (not quite full-scale) unmanned demonstrator vehicle in the first quarter of 2020.

Meet Ava: Q&A with Kyle Clark, CEO of Beta Technologies

• 23 Aug 2019 02:28 PM
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Clark:       Originally, there was a Lancair ES, which is a fixed-gear, four-seater aircraft. We thought the path we could go down was to modify that aircraft, apply for an experimental major modification, keep the original air worthiness certificate, and circumnavigate the airworthiness certification. That didn’t work. The FAA put the brakes on it, because we only used the glass, the doors and the very center section of the fuselage. They said it’s a fresh airplane: you have to do an airworthiness certificate.

Electric Aircraft Symposium 2019 Synopsis

• 14 Aug 2019 02:22 PM
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The Vertical Flight Society co-sponsored the CAFE Foundation’s 13th Annual Electric Aircraft Symposium, held July 20-21, 2019, at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. EAS 2019 was held in conjunction with the Experimental Aviation Association’s annual AirVenture in Oshkosh, July 22-28 (see eVTOL News from AirVenture).

eVTOL News from AirVenture

• 02 Aug 2019 03:26 PM
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Numerous staff and members of the Vertical Flight Society attended the Experimental Aviation Association's Annual AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 22-28, 2019.

VFS posted several photo galleries on Facebook (see links below) and tweeted live from Oshkosh on Twitter.

Press release: Karem Aircraft Launches New Air Taxi Company

• 16 Jul 2019 02:08 PM
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Lake Forest, Calif. – July 15, 2019 – Karem Aircraft, Inc, a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) vehicle developer, has announced a new spin-off venture dedicated to bringing its all-electric air taxi vehicle, Butterfly, to market. The new company is backed by a $25M Series A investment led by Hanwha Systems.