eVTOLs/Urban Mobility

Bristow group has placed a firm order with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer BETA Technologies for five ALIA-250 eVTOL aircraft. The order also includes options for 50 additional ALIA aircraft. BETA says the ALIA-250 design, which completed its first interstate flight last year, will seat a pilot and five passengers, carry a 1,400-pound […]

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Lilium announced at the Farnborough International Airshow that it has formed a strategic partnership with vertical flight solutions company Bristow. The arrangement, outlined in a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU), includes plans for Bristow to purchase 50 Lilium eVTOL jets and provide Part 145 maintenance services for […]

Plenty of airlines have made announcements about getting involved in the urban mobility market, but industry newsletter TransportUp says American is the first to actually put some skin in the game. Last year, American said it would buy up to 250 Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOLs but like all of those other deals it was PR. […]

Advanced air mobility (AAM) company AIR announced on Tuesday that its AIR ONE electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype has successfully completed its first series of hover tests. The company reports that the aircraft’s systems functioned as designed and its energy use was as predicted throughout the two weeks of testing. AIR says it […]

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced on Thursday that it has published proposed rules for air taxi operation in cities. Calling it “the first comprehensive proposal for such regulations to be issued world-wide,” the agency says the proposed regulatory framework was designed to address operational and mobility concepts such as unmanned aircraft systems […]

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Lilium announced last week that its Phoenix 2 technology demonstrator has achieved main wing transition during flight testing. According to the company, the eVTOL jet remained stable and behaved as predicted during the shift from hover to wing-borne flight. The company says its flight test campaign, which […]

Honeywell announced it has tested a one-megawatt generator designed specifically for hybrid electric aircraft. The generator weighs 280 pounds and has an efficiency rating of about 97 percent. “[The generator] delivers enough energy to power an entire neighborhood block,” Honeywell said in a news release. “Its compact size, low system weight and fuel savings translate […]

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Lilium has announced a new research and development agreement with lithium producer Livent Corporation. The companies stated that the collaboration will focus on advancing lithium metal technology for use in high-performance battery cells. According to Lilium, the agreement is an “important step towards securing Lilium’s future access […]

Joby Aviation announced on Thursday that it has received its Part 135 air carrier certificate from the FAA, allowing the company to operate aircraft commercially. Joby reported that the certification process included the submission of more than 850 pages of manuals and required its pilots to “demonstrate mastery of the Company’s procedures and training under […]

Joby Aviation reported on Tuesday that its prototype electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft met the company’s noise profile goals during acoustic testing completed with NASA last fall. The tests, which took place at Joby’s facility near Big Sur, California, were conducted over two weeks in September 2021 as part of as part of […]