In the five years since the Vertical Flight Society hosted its first “Transformative Vertical Flight Concepts Joint Workshop on Enabling New Flight Concepts through Novel Propulsion and Energy Architectures,” electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have evolved from a wide-eyed futuristic concept into an emerging business within the global aerospace industry.
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 Wed. morning, March 6, 2019, the Vertical Flight Society is hosting a special two-hour panel at the Helicopter Association International (HAI) Heli-Expo trade show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Room B310. Moderated by acclaimed journalist Elan Head of Vertical Magazine, our second annual "Electric VTOL Revolution" panel features leaders in the helicopter industry discussing how electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are poised to revolutionize vertical flight — and perhaps society as a whole.
“What you see today will fly next year” according to SKYLYS Aircraft CEO Gary Chorostecki in a video unveiling recent progress made on the electric VTOL AO Aqua speeder.
