On Sept. 16, Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Will Roper commented at the annual Air Force Association’s annual national convention that it was following the recent “flying car” developments of the eVTOL industry. As a result, the Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson AirForce Base is launching a new initiative called Agility Prime.
The Vertical Flight Society has been leading efforts since 2014 to support the realization of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Over this time, VFS has been working with a growing number of associations, trying to get everyone involved in solving the daunting challenges this new type of aircraft face. Now that terms like eVTOL, air taxis and urban air mobility (UAM) are commonplace, many new associations and organizations have realized that they also need to get involved to support the development of this promising — and potentially transformative — capability.
XTI Aircraft Company announced on Sept.16 that it was invited to and participated in a large investment trade fair in Guizhou Province, China. A draft agreement was signed regarding the formation of a joint venture in China that could provide the means to assemble and support the TriFan 600 aircraft in Guizhou Province, China, and to market and sell the TriFan 600 in a specified geographical area.
For small businesses seeking to fund development across the spectrum of eVTOL technologies, the US Air Force recently posted a new Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program release at https://www.afwerx.af.mil/sbir.html. Applications are open Sep 24 to Oct 23, 2019.
Volocopter reveals design for new Urban Air Mobility aircraft, Aug 21: Volocopter announced its newest air taxi model, the VoloCity, intended to be the first commercial Volocopter aircraft. This will be the fourth-generation eVTOL by the German Urban Air Mobility developer.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) are responsible for the interagency coordination and development of technical reports, strategy documents, and policy memos concerning various scientific and technological topics of importance to the Nation.
Washington, D.C., September 10, 2019 – NEXA Capital Partners has launched Urban Air Mobility Geomatics, LLC, a new business intelligence entity to accelerate much‐needed investment into eVTOL flight through analytical tools and advanced models, supported by geospatial data and business case analysis. UAM Geomatics is also pleased to announce a partnership with Blue Raster, an award‐winning Esri pioneer in interactive ArcGIS technology.
Fairfax, Virginia — The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) recently added the 200th electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concept to its online World eVTOL Aircraft Directory. The Directory, launched in 2017, is the world’s most comprehensive compendium of electric and hybrid/electric-powered VTOL aircraft in development by aerospace companies, entrepreneurs and inventors around the globe.
The Vertical Flight Society has been supporting the development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft since 2014. One of the defining challenges for implementing eVTOL for urban air mobility (UAM) is the lack of applicable regulations. Standards organizations like ASTM International, RTCA, SAE International and the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) have been working with the burgeoning community in developing standards to support certification. In addition, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has been working with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and other regulators to facilitate harmonized standards development for eVTOL certification.
While essentially all of the news on electric aviation in Vertiflite has focused on electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, developments of electric conventional take-off and landing (eCTOL) airplanes have recently accelerated.
