eVTOLs/Urban Mobility

Vertical Aerospace has reported that its VX4 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft prototype was involved in an incident during flight testing on Wednesday. The extent of the damage to the prototype, which was piloted remotely, has not been disclosed. The incident occurred at Vertical’s flight test center at Cotswold Airport (GBA) in the […]

Wisk Aero conducted the first public demonstration flight of its fully autonomous, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), fixed-wing air taxi at AirVenture 2023. AVweb’s Kate O’Connor stopped by at the show to learn more about the aircraft and the company’s plans for the future.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Joby Aviation released its first Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) report on Thursday. The report (PDF) covers topics including the company’s approach to safety strategy, the environmental impact of Joby and its aircraft, team member demographics and corporate governance structure. Its development was headed by newly appointed Joby […]

Urban air mobility (UAM) startup Archer Aviation has hosted a delegation from the Federal Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Interagency Working Group at its flight test facility. The group included more than 70 people representing agencies and departments such as the FAA, NASA, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Defense (DOD) and […]

Alef Aeronautics caused some excitement in the flying car media this weekend with the announcement that it had received special airworthiness certification for the prototype of its unusual design. While some outlets had the skies imminently crowded with the traffic-hopping creation, it turns out the FAA certification has some pretty tight restrictions, including flying it […]

The FAA has issued a special airworthiness certificate to the company after the first production prototype Joby eVTOL came off its Marina, California, production line. The company announced both milestones at an event this week at the factory. The FAA nod sets the stage for certification of the multicopter for a potential certification and entry […]

Electric aircraft developer Lilium announced on Monday that it has received the G-1 Certification Basis from the FAA for its Lilium Jet all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) design. The Germany-based company was issued a CRI-A01 certification basis for the model by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2020. According to Lilium, it […]

The FAA is proposing new rules to establish requirements for pilot certification and operation of powered-lift aircraft. Under the proposed regulations, pilots would be required to hold a type rating for each powered-lift model they fly. The rule (PDF) also includes provisions aimed at forming an initial cadre of powered-lift instructors by allowing pilots employed […]

Reuters is reporting that FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen will join eVTOL startup Archer Aviation in the next few weeks. Nolen, who’s been the interim leader of the agency for more than a year after Steve Dickson quit in March of 2022, announced his departure last month. Reuters cited unnamed sources and neither Archer nor […]

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published a proposal for the assessment and limitation of noise generated by air taxis. Called the Environmental Protection Technical Specifications (EPTS), the proposal covers electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft “powered by multiple, vertical, non-tilting, evenly distributed rotors.” EASA noted that the EPTS proposal stems from […]