eVTOLs/Urban Mobility

During an online roundtable on July 17, Joby Aviation founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt recalled his pathway to becoming involved in electric vertical takeoff and land (eVTOL) aircraft. He sees the present as a time of converging transformational technologies that he believes will make aviation “dramatically more relevant to our daily lives and more impactful […]

On Friday, Southwest Airlines and Archer Aviation announced plans to develop electric air taxi service at California airports. In a press release, the two companies said they signed a memorandum of understanding laying out the foundation for integrated electric air taxi networks that would support California airports and surrounding communities. Archer’s Midnight electric vertical takeoff […]

Joby announced earlier this week it has successfully completed a 523-statute-mile (454 nm) flight of its hydrogen-electric concept aircraft. The remotely-piloted flight occurred on June 24 over Marina, California, and included vertical takeoff and landing capability. The hydrogen-electric variant of Joby’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is designed as a complement to the […]

What does the financial industry think of the current state of the Urban Air Mobility movement and prospects for a successful eVTOL (electronic Vertical Takeoff and Landing) company? Advisors at The Motley Fool (TMV) compared the growth potential of investing in Archer Aviation, developer of the Midnight eVTOL hopeful, with prospects for making a killing […]

The German Aerospace Center (German acronym DLR) is set to begin expanding drone operations at the National Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) this month at Cochstedt Airport south of Magdeburg, Germany. The operations will be conducted in a geo-zone, defined by German aviation authorities as airspace where drone operations are controlled, restricted or even […]

Archer Aviation, developer of the Midnight electric vertical takeoff and land (eVTOL) aircraft, has announced an infrastructure memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FBO chain Signature Flight Support. Under the agreement, Archer would secure takeoff and landing sites for its aircraft at more than 200 Signature locations, many located in major metropolitan areas, including New York-area […]

Archer Aviation announced today it completed the first successful transition flight of its Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on June 8. In transitioning from vertical takeoff mode to wing-borne flight, the six front-facing electric motors tilt forward as it picks up speed to power the aircraft like a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. As […]

Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) developer Archer Aviation announced today (June 5) it has received its FAA Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator certificate. This allows the company to legally operate its aircraft, including the developmental Midnight model (after it is certified), “for hire.” Archer said it would use the authority “to refine its […]

Electric air taxi manufacturer Joby Aviation announced completion of its pre-production flight test program and is now shifting its focus to obtaining air certification using its prototype aircraft. In a press release issued Thursday, Joby noted its two pre-production aircraft collectively conducted more than 1500 flights, covering a distance of more than 33,000 miles, with […]

Archer Aviation, developer of the Midnight electric vertical takeoff and land (eVTOL) aircraft, reported today it has successfully completed battery-pack drop tests. Archer considers the milestone a major step toward similar “for credit” testing with the FAA. At the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) the batteries were dropped from 50 feet to simulate “extreme […]