Munich-based manufacturer Vaeridion on Saturday opened its electric battery development lab at the Bosch Collaboration Campus in Holzkirchen, Germany. The site, located in the Munich suburbs, grants Vaeridion access to hardware and services from Bosch General Aviation Technology—the GA arm of the multinational engineering firm—and ITK Engineering, which Bosch acquired in 2016.

Vaeridion will use the campus to develop powertrains, battery models, and cybersecurity compliance for its digital systems, as well as test and integrate its proprietary high-voltage batteries for its flagship Microliner. The facility will run the gamut of battery manufacturing steps, from individual cells to fully integrated modules.

In addition to Vaeridion co-founders Ivor van Dartel and Sebastian Seemann, the opening of the center was attended by Bavarian State Government Minister Florian Herrmann and Holzkirchen Mayor Christoph Shmid.

“Bavaria is proud of its vibrant startup scene, which benefits from the excellent ecosystem of science, research and technology-passionate policies,” said Herrmann. “Sustainable e-mobility is a future topic with a global market—the development of a battery-powered microliner is therefore a brilliant idea.”

According to a 2018 study, more than 80 percent of Germany’s population lives within 20 kilometers of a regional airfield. Vaeridion’s flagship Microliner is designed to connect those sites and provide a new option for underserved regions, saving customers multiple hours per trip, the company claims. It can also take off and land at large commercial airports.

The aircraft’s glider-inspired wing features a high aspect ratio, minimizing drag in cruise and producing a high glide ratio. The batteries, which can be charged in about 45 minutes, are integrated there rather than in the fuselage to optimize the aircraft’s weight and travel distance, Vaeridion says. The manufacturer claims its design flies with the lowest energy consumption for an aircraft seating up to nine passengers plus crew for distances up to 500 km (310 miles).

Working with Aircraft Design Certification GmbH, which owns design organization approval (DOA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Vaeridion hopes to certify the model as a GA aircraft before 2030.

By that year, the manufacturer intends to introduce the Microliner on commercial routes in Denmark in partnership with Copenhagen AirTaxi and Copenhagen Helicopter, both based out of Roskilde Airport (EKRK) in Copenhagen. The companies believe the design will be part of a digital platform that allows customers to plan, book, and pay for flights in one place.

“The new green aircraft type requires significantly shorter takeoff and landing distances than traditional aircraft, which allows the use of smaller airfields that are no longer utilized for commercial routes,” said Martin Winther Andersen, CEO of Copenhagen Helicopter. “These routes were abandoned as aircraft types gradually became larger. The Microliner can change that, allowing us to create a dense network of domestic routes again.”

In addition, Belgium and Netherlands-based operator ASL Group plans to utilize the aircraft for short-haul business routes. Aero-Dienst, the operation and maintenance provider for European automobile association ADAC’s fleet of ambulance helicopters, intends to deploy it for aircraft maintenance and air ambulance services.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Electric Regional Aircraft Developer Lands Battery Manufacturing Hub appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The company showcased its Sirius CEO-Jet and Sirius Adventure Jet—the initial entrants into what it claims will be the first family of hydrogen-powered, zero-emission, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capable aircraft—on Thursday at the Move Expo in London.

The models will be powered by a hydrogen-electric powertrain and fuel tank—a propulsion system designed to extend flight time compared to fully electric models. Similar to the Lilium Jet, the aircraft will feature electric ducted fans embedded in fixed wings and canards to provide vertical lift.

Both the CEO-Jet and Adventure Jet are expected to emit less than 60 dBA of noise at a distance of 100 meters—about the volume of a typical conversation—using what Sirius describes as a “deflected vectored thrust” propulsion system. The company claims they will reduce noise by about 95 percent compared to helicopters.

The CEO-Jet, designed to seat three passengers, will serve the private business aviation segment, combining zero-emission flight with luxurious, customizable amenities.

The Adventure Jet, on the other hand, is designed primarily for passenger and cargo transport but can also handle medical evacuations, search and rescue, firefighting, surveillance, and offshore operations. It seats up to two pilots and as many as five passengers, with a maximum takeoff weight of about 7,700 pounds, handling point-to-point trips to remote destinations such as jungles or mountaintops. It will even have an inflatable pontoon, allowing it to glide over water.

The latter design comes equipped with GPS, Doppler radar, very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) radio, and a digital autopilot system capable of hover and approach.

“The CEO-JET offers an eco-friendly option for business travel, while the Adventure Jet opens new horizons for global tourism and exploration,” said Alexey Popov, CEO of Sirius.

Founded in 2021, Sirius set out to design an aircraft that could combine the aerodynamics of an airplane with the versatility of a helicopter. The concept for a family of hydrogen-powered business jets first emerged in January, and the company shared more information in the weeks leading up to Move Expo.

The Sirius Jet’s calling card is its propulsion system—a hydrogen-electric powertrain that energizes 28 electric ducted fans, 20 embedded in the wings and eight mounted in the canard. Together with a pressurized cabin, these fans are designed to help the aircraft reach an altitude of 30,000 feet.

The fans are linked individually to one of 28 electric motors, each weighing about 21 pounds and containing a proprietary thermal management system. Air drawn through the jet’s intake passes through a cooling system and into onboard liquid hydrogen tanks. It is then channeled to a fuel cell stack, which has a high weight-to-power density ratio ideal for storing hydrogen.

Within the fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen react to create water and electricity, the latter of which is directed to a set of battery packs that power the electric motors. The packs recharge during flight, are active for only 90 seconds per flight cycle, and do not need to be replaced, Sirius says. Water, a byproduct, is released through the exhaust valve.

By Sirius’ estimate, it would cost only $500 to fully refill the fuel tank. The company further claims the propulsion system makes its aircraft more efficient than electric VTOL (eVTOL) counterparts.

The Lilium Jet, for example, has a range of about 155 sm (135 nm); the Sirius CEO-Jet will max out at around 1,150 sm (1,000 nm), while the Adventure Jet can reach that range using its additional fuel tanks. Further, the CEO-Jet’s cruise speed and Adventure Jet’s top speed—323 mph (280 knots)—is more than double the Lilium Jet’s (155 mph, or 135 knots).

A potential CEO-Jet network in the U.S. could encompass New York City, Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri, New Orleans, and Miami. The Adventure Jet, meanwhile, could connect San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. According to Sirius, the network would offer “a 4-[time] improvement in travel efficiency compared to conventional methods” such as car or traditional airplane.

At the same time, the hydrogen-powered aircraft are billed as offering the luxury of a conventional business jet. Customers have the option, for example, to customize interior colors, upholstery, amenities—including champagne fridges, custom bathrooms, art installations, and kitchens—lighting, and flooring materials such as marble, hardwood, or carpet. Passengers can even pick the scent they smell when they enter the aircraft.

Both models are equipped with an airframe parachute system that deploys automatically in case of emergency, which Sirius claims reduces risk to “virtually zero.”

Sirius hopes to set up serial manufacturing and obtain certification for the Sirius Jet family before 2028. Next year, it expects to complete an inaugural flight using a demonstration plane and open sales of 50 business jets, with deliveries beginning in 2028. By the end of the decade, it intends to launch a shuttle network across the Americas, European Union, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

So far, Sirius has received an order from Indian seaplane operator Mehair for 50 Adventure Jets plus 50 options, with another from Indonesian tourism firm Parq Development for five CEO-Jets and Adventure Jets apiece.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Sirius Unveils 2 Hydrogen-Powered Luxury Business Jets appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The German manufacturer announced it will build a vertiport network for the zero-emissions aircraft in the French Riviera, connecting Monaco, Marseille, Nice, Cannes, Golfe de Saint-Tropez, Aix-en-Provence, and Sophia Antipolis. It aims to launch flights in 2026.

Lilium signed a partnership with Italian vertiport network operator and Airbus partner UrbanV as well as Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur (ACA), which manages Cannes Mandelieu Airport (LMFD), Golfe de Saint-Tropez Airport (LFTZ), and Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (LMFN): the country’s second-largest airport, transporting an estimated 14 million passengers annually. UrbanV is a subsidiary of Aeroporti di Roma, SAVE Group, Aeroporto di Bologna, and ACA, which has committed to achieve carbon neutrality without offsetting its own emissions by 2030.

Lilium’s French Riviera ecosystem will include vertiports at these locations and others under consideration. It is in discussions with local partners to construct additional takeoff and landing sites in Sophia Antipolis, Aix-en-Provence, and Marseille, with the expectation that those agreements will be finalized by year’s end.

“Our territory offers a unique opportunity to fly over the sea to directly connect the main economic, cultural or tourist destinations,” said Franck Goldnadel, chairman of the board of ACA. “A complementary alternative to the helicopter, the eVTOL has its place in the air transport offered from Nice Côte d’Azur.”

Lilium’s flagship jet, combined with electric ground infrastructure from UrbanV, should help remove some emissions from France’s premium and business aviation segments.

Unveiled to the public for the first time last week at the European Aviation Business Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, the aircraft is designed to cruise at 162 knots on city-to-city trips spanning 25-125 sm (22-109 nm). Thirty-six electric ducted fans embedded in the aircraft’s fixed wings provide vertical propulsion and are shielded by flaps during forward flight.

Lilium on Tuesday said it is in talks with several operators interested in purchasing and operating the Lilium Jet in the French Riviera, which accommodates millions of tourists every year. Already, it has an agreement with Austrian private jet operator GlobeAir for the intended purchase and operation of 12 aircraft in the South of France and Italy.

“As a truly European company based in Munich, Germany, with flight testing in Spain and with nascent roots in France, Lilium is extremely proud to be able to assist in the creation of the first regional eVTOL network in the South of France and the first commercially viable network in the E.U.,” said Sebastien Borel, chief commercial officer of Lilium. “We see an enormous potential in this region and cannot wait to see our Lilium Jet fly there soon.”

The multifaceted partnership comes after Lilium entered “advanced” talks with the French government to add a high-volume aircraft production facility in the country. The company is considering several locations and expects to invest up to 400 million euros (about $432 million) into the site over several years. In addition, it already sources aircraft components from French suppliers Saint-Gobain Aerospace, Michelin, and Expliseat.

Lilium in December began building the first of seven production prototype Lilium Jets at its final assembly line in Wessling, Germany. Both it and the French facility are intended to supply fleets globally.

In the U.S., the manufacturer is working alongside newly formed operator UrbanLink Air Mobility, Orlando International Airport (KMCO), and other stakeholders to build an initial eVTOL network in South Florida. It is collaborating with FBO network Atlantic Aviation to electrify more than 100 Atlantic terminals nationwide.

Lilium also hopes to introduce its flagship aircraft in China, the Philippines, the Middle East, South America, and across Europe, the latter in partnership with Lufthansa.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Lilium Eyes eVTOL Jet Flights in French Riviera by 2026 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Hong Kong-based Volar Air Mobility, a company developing a fossil fuel-free aerial ride hailing platform that will use electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft developed by a partner in China, is one of the latest to signal interest in the UAE.

The firm signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Abu Dhabi-based Inovartic Investment, laying the groundwork for a partnership that would commercialize a family of zero-emission aircraft in the country.

Agreed upon in advance of the inaugural DriftX—an Abu Dhabi-based conference that last week showcased cutting-edge technology in air, land, and sea transportation—the collaboration will cover aircraft distribution, post-sale services such as maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), crew training, and, potentially, manufacturing and assembly capabilities in the UAE.

“This partnership marks a significant step towards integrating sustainable technologies in aviation, which is crucial for environmental conservation and technological advancement,” said Henry Hooi, CEO of Volar. “This aligns with the goals as outlined in the ‘UAE’s Net Zero by 2050’ agenda.”

Volar seeks to commercialize aircraft that are safe to fly, affordable, and offer on-demand flexibility and zero carbon emissions: a set of criteria it dubs “SAFE.” Its goal is to enhance regional accessibility to private aviation in suburban areas, where environmental concerns and existing aircraft configurations can make traditional airline operations impractical.

Volar’s proprietary, aircraft-agnostic platform is designed to facilitate air taxi ride hailing, complete with booking, check-in, and flight status updates. The first aircraft to join its fleet will be the RX4E: a four-seat eSTOL design being developed by partners at Liaoning General Aviation Academy, which works with the Chinese state-owned aerospace and defense conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

The RX4E is built for one pilot plus four passengers, with a maximum takeoff weight just under 2,650 pounds. It will have a range of about 186 sm (162 nm) and cruise speed of 124 mph (108 knots). Batteries can be swapped out in about 10 minutes, minimizing downtime.

Volar deliberately picked an eSTOL configuration over an eVTOL or a drone for several reasons, Hooi told FLYING at DriftX. For one, Hooi said, it offers greater range and endurance. In addition, the company claims on its website that the RX4E will be more affordable and offer greater time savings compared to “conventional” private aviation options. One of the biggest benefits, though, is ease of certification.

“We believe that, from a regulatory perspective, eSTOL will be quicker to be adopted,” Hooi told FLYING.

The RX4E first flew in 2019 and is in the type certification process with China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC). Volar claims the design will be the first commercial four-seat electric aircraft with Part 23 certification, which it expects to obtain by year’s end.

Unlike the tiltrotor designs common in the eVTOL space, Volar’s eSTOL uses a fixed configuration. The company says this will allow it to leverage regulatory frameworks similar to those for existing fixed-wing models.

The design also lacks the unique infrastructure needs of eVTOL aircraft, such as vertiports. In fact, Volar could reduce infrastructure requirements for operators, owing to the eSTOL’s ability to operate from shorter runways. According to Hooi, the company is developing models that can land on land, snow, or water.

Use cases for the eSTOL overlap somewhat with those proposed for eVTOL designs: private aviation, interisland transport, eco-tourism, medical logistics and evacuation, and services in rural areas with limited road infrastructure, to name a few.

But unlike many eVTOL air taxi companies, Volar’s focus is on the developing world, where it believes zero-emission aircraft can derive regional sustainability, accessibility, and economic benefits from aviation.

The firm envisions operations primarily in regions considered part of the “Global South.” It will first launch in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, a bloc of 10 nations that the company finds attractive due to its rapid economic growth and proximity to mainland China. After that, it will expand into African and Middle Eastern countries, such as the UAE.

“We fundamentally believe that the UAE is a fantastic hub for the potential development of green aviation in the region,” said Hooi.

Hooi said, for example, that he was recently approached with a proposition from a regional government in Southeast Asia. One of the country’s tourism sites lies atop an active volcano, requiring a three-day hike to reach it. The site is visited by as many as 100,000 tourists annually, who often leave a trail of rubbish in their wake.

Volar proposed flying tourists to the top of the volcano using an electric seaplane. Hooi said this could reduce the amount of trash on the trails and attract additional tourists by opening access to people incapable of making the three-day trek. He also suggested that by reducing travel time to the summit, visitors might spend more money at local restaurants and bars, bringing more economic activity to countries that rely heavily on tourism.

“You and I are not going to make an iota of difference if we cannot engage the rest of our communities to participate in collectively working towards a green environment,” Hooi said.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Volar Looks to Commercialize eSTOL Aircraft in UAE appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Regent on Thursday announced it has signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transportation (DMT), with an eye toward building an electric seaglider ecosystem in the UAE. The manufacturer is targeting a “pilot operational campaign” in the country within the next few years.

The announcement was made at the inaugural DriftX, a two-day conference in Abu Dhabi showcasing the latest innovations in air, land, and sea transportation. The ADIO is one of the event’s main sponsors.

“With our growing backlog of $9 billion in seaglider orders rapidly spreading throughout the Gulf, the Red Sea, Indo-Pacific, and Europe, we need a way to effectively manufacture and deliver seagliders across the Eastern Hemisphere,” said Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO of Regent. “We have been thrilled by the dedicated and rapid support of ADIO.”

Thalheimer told FLYING at DriftX that Regent believes the Middle East, which is flush with large cities lining coastal areas, is a key geographical market. As a company with global ambitions, it views Abu Dhabi—which sits near the center of the world’s hemispheric divide—as an ideal hub for manufacturing and other facilities.

Regent’s flagship, zero-emission seaglider, Viceroy, seats up to 12 passengers. With existing battery technology, the aircraft is capable of flying routes as long as 180 sm (156 nm) on a single charge. But the manufacturer predicts it will one day have a range of 500 sm (435 nm) as batteries improve.

Viceroy is designed to combine the speed of an aircraft (cruising at 180 mph or 156 knots) with the functionality and low operating cost of a boat. It will serve almost exclusively coastal regions and use existing dock infrastructure, flying 20 to 30 feet above the water using ground effect. Propulsion both in the air and on the water comes from the aircraft’s on-wing propellers, allowing the aircraft to move both forward and backward.

Interestingly, Viceroy operators are actually maritime captains—the vehicle’s only controls are boat controls, which are simpler than those on most aircraft. When flying, the captain can make the aircraft perform a left turn, for example, using these simplified controls. Landing is accomplished with the push of a button. But Regent will offer a roughly six-week training course that awards graduates with a seaglider endorsement, according to Thalheimer.

“I’m a pilot. A lot of our founding team members are pilots. And so much of pilot training is learning the feel, the stick and rudder, the takeoff, the flare,” Thalheimer told FLYING at DriftX. “You don’t need to do any of that in this vehicle because of the automatic flight control system that we’ve built.”

With ADIO, Regent will collaborate to localize seaglider development and manufacturing capabilities within Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster, with the expectation that local manufacturing capabilities will be in place by the end of the decade.

SAVI, unveiled last year by ADIO and the Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development (ADDED), comprises an urban hub of state-of-the-art facilities and services dedicated to advancing all forms of transportation within the Emirate.

“With immense speed and efficiency, I’m confident Abu Dhabi will see the global deployment of electric seagliders, and these will dramatically change how goods and people move between the world’s coastal areas going forward,” said Badr Al-Olama, director general of ADIO.

ADIO will also assist Regent with workforce development, supply chain efficiency, vehicle integration, and aircraft delivery infrastructure support.

Regent’s collaboration with Abu Dhabi’s DMT will largely center on the integration of electric seagliders into the UAE’s existing transportation network. The partners will focus on “high impact routes,” such as between the cities of Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, at the country’s northern tip. Another example might be service between the Abu Dhabi mainland and the islands of Dalma and Sir Bani Yas, located more than 100 miles outside the city of Abu Dhabi.

Regent unveiled its first full-scale electric seaglider mockup in April 2023. Already, it says it has secured more than 600 aircraft orders, including one from Mesa Airlines—which works closely with United Airlines—for 200 aircraft.

Regent views coastal passenger transport as the biggest opportunity for its seaglider. However, the company also sees applications in sightseeing, cargo delivery, offshore logistics, maritime patrol, and more. All of these could potentially be developed in the UAE.

In 2022, Lockheed Martin Ventures and Yamato Holdings, a Japanese logistics and parcel delivery firm, made strategic investments in Regent. Lockheed Martin said its investment is meant to speed the development of seagliders for defense applications specifically.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Regent Eyes Electric Seaglider Service in Abu Dhabi appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Venture capital firm UP.Partners last week published the 2024 edition of its annual Moving World Report, a deep dive into the movers and shakers in aviation and transportation more broadly. Though the industry’s challenges are steep, the company believes the introduction of new aircraft types—such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), hydrogen-powered, and blended wing body designs—offers hope that they can be solved.

“Our goal with this report is to equip industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers with a comprehensive understanding of these changes, enabling them to effectively navigate and shape the future of mobility,” said Cyrus Sigari, co-founder and managing partner of UP.Partners.

UP.Partners, which holds stakes in a range of mobility-focused startups, estimated that the pilot shortage will grow to 65,000 by 2030. At the same time, transportation is the biggest culprit of U.S. carbon emissions, with aviation contributing an estimated 8 percent within the segment. Based on announced pledges, UP.Partners claims aviation emissions are expected to rise 79 percent between 2020 and 2030—theoretically, that figure would need to be capped at 22 percent to remain in line with global net-zero by 2050 targets.

These issues will need to be addressed quickly. And an influx of new intercity and long-distance air mobility options may be the catalyst.

The Innovation Problem

According to UP.Partners, there’s an “innovation problem” in commercial aviation.

As Stripe CEO Patrick Collison pointed out, the inception of the Boeing 737 design is now closer in time to the Wright Flyer than it is to the present day. At the same time, efficiency gains in carbon-emissions reduction have leveled off over the past 70 years.

According to the report, those gains are due almost entirely to engine development rather than airframe innovation. However, commercial airlines are exploring blended wing body designs—which UP.Partners called the first major airframe innovation during that span—and other sustainable configurations. The U.S. Air Force in August awarded startup JetZero a $250 million contract to develop a blended wing body demonstrator, and Airbus previously announced a similar concept.

Emissions reductions may improve further with the introduction of electric and hydrogen aircraft. The report predicts electric models will hit the market in 2025, followed by hydrogen fuel cell designs in 2030 and hydrogen combustion aircraft in 2040. 

However, that comes with the caveat that electrifying or switching to hydrogen “likely has a limited impact, at a huge cost.”

UP.Partners estimated that electrifying all flights less than two hours could reduce emissions by 28 percent, a respectable figure. But electrifying or using hydrogen for longer flights—which account for the remaining 72 percent of emissions—is not technically or financially feasible with current technology.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is expected to bridge the gap, contributing to 65 percent of emissions reductions by 2050 according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) projections. However, the report estimates that SAF is still 43 percent more expensive than conventional jet fuel. Bringing those costs in line could take more than a decade, it predicted.

UP.Partners also raised concerns that certain SAF commitments may be examples of “greenwashing.” RyanAir, for example, has pledged to obtain about 10 percent of its fuel from SAF by 2030. But the airline does not know exactly where it will come from.

“There isn’t enough cooking oil in the world to power one day of green aviation,” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said in December.

Electric Aircraft Have Arrived

Producing SAF and other sustainable fuels presents a massive challenge for aviation. But there are plenty of aircraft in development that will use them when the time comes.

In fact, many are already flying. The term drone may conjure up images of buzzing, microwave-sized aircraft. However, many designs resemble small cargo planes, with similar ranges and payloads. 

In 2023, electric drones completed 1 million deliveries. Commercial drone flights, meanwhile, have increased by 135 percent per year since 2018. Today, the aircraft mainly deliver air freight, parcels, and medical cargo. But the report predicts the pilot shortage will only accelerate the technology further, opening up even more use cases.

Adding to the momentum for drone delivery is its declining cost. According to UP.Partners research, the price is about $4 per delivery when a remote pilot is able to monitor multiple drones. That’s nearly one-third the price of a comparable automobile delivery, the firm said.

Per the report, Walmart is the world’s leading developer of drone delivery services outside of the war in Ukraine. In the past two years alone, the retailer completed more than 2,000 U.S. deliveries out of 36 hubs across seven states. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, 1.8 million households are now eligible for drone delivery through Walmart and its partners.

Amazon Prime Air, meanwhile, has faltered. It has now been more than a decade since former CEO Jeff Bezos promised to permeate U.S. skies with drones, but the e-commerce giant has made only a handful of deliveries.

Compared to Walmart, Amazon has a few strategic disadvantages, UP.Partners said. For example, as Walmart partners with leading drone manufacturers and providers such as Zipline, Wing, Flytrex, and DroneUp, Amazon has taken a vertically integrated approach.

And while Walmart has more than 4,600 stores located within 90 percent of the U.S. population, Amazon has around 100 active fulfillment centers. However, Prime Air recently announced an international expansion and a ramp-up of its service in Texas.

As drones take to the skies, eVTOL aircraft may be the next to emerge. According to the report, there is an 18,000-unit global backlog for eVTOL aircraft valued at $111 billion. United Airlines leads the way, with large commitments for air taxis from Archer Aviation and Embraer’s Eve Air Mobility.

EHang, a Chinese manufacturer, completed the world’s first commercial passenger-carrying eVTOL air taxi flight in December, more than a year before the first American firm expects to enter service. But the industry is crowded. Several manufacturers are neck-and-neck on SMG Consulting’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Reality Index, a monthly report that measures a company’s ability to type certify and mass produce AAM aircraft. The top dogs include EHang, Archer, Eve, Joby Aviation, Beta Technologies, and Boeing’s Wisk Aero.

Meanwhile, personal, single-seat eVTOL designs, such as the Pivotal Helix, and “flying cars” capable of driving on the freeway and taking off from the runway, such as the Jetson One, have already entered service.

Automated flight systems, such as those from Xwing, Reliable Robotics, and Merlin Labs, are also approaching certification. And soon, the industry may even introduce humanoid co-pilots.

The arrow is certainly pointing up for drones, eVTOL, and other emerging designs as they attract investments from private firms. But according to the report, the U.S. Department of Defense is the single largest customer of mobility technology. 

Through innovation arm AFWERX, the Air Force is working with a plethora of manufacturers to develop the next generation of aviation technology. Contracted firms include Archer, Beta, Pipistrel, Xwing, and Reliable.

During periods of conflict—a fair characterization of today’s state of play—U.S. military spending and venture capital investment in defense go up, according to data from PitchBook and the Office of Management and Budget. So, it’s possible that wars in Europe and the Middle East will accelerate these projects even further.

Battle for the Final Frontier

Private industry, government, and other stakeholders are coming together to address the issues facing the planet’s skies. But some are looking higher.

2023 was a banner year for commercial space activity. About 13,000 satellites are now in orbit, a number UP.Partners expects to rise to 50,000 in 2030. Satellite constellations, led by SpaceX’s Starlink, have increased tenfold over the past four years. And dollars spent on global space activity have tripled over the past decade, buoyed by growth in commercial ventures.

Orbital launch attempts, meanwhile, have spiked following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with the U.S. and China leading the way. At the same time, the cost to send a satellite to low-Earth orbit (LEO) has declined significantly.

For example, SpaceX claims Starhip—the largest and most powerful rocket ever built—will deliver payloads for about $45 per pound. The spacecraft has attempted two suborbital test flights, both of which resulted in the loss of its rocket and booster and spurred FAA mishap investigations.

Still, SpaceX far surpasses all other launch providers in terms of payload, the report said. If successful, its Starship human landing system (HLS)—which NASA will use to return humans to the moon through the Artemis program—would drastically reduce the cost of lunar payload delivery compared to the Apollo program, from $36 billion to $70 million per ton.

However, UP.Partners worries that the U.S. may fail to lead in the final frontier. Venture capital investment in space startups has risen almost 3,500 percent over the past decade. But most space special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have fared poorly. For almost all of them, stock price as a percentage of valuation has declined more than 50 percent.

The report also raised concerns around the Artemis program. NASA in December delayed the Artemis III moon mission from 2025 to 2026, in part due to the issues facing Starship. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk estimated each lunar landing will require eight Starship launches to perform cryogenic refilling in orbit. But the Government Accountability Office predicts it will be double.

Any delay to Artemis or other U.S. space initiatives could open the door for China. The Eastern superpower is quickly accelerating its commercial space program, with companies such as Space Pioneer and Deep Blue already landing reusable rockets. Blue Origin and Stoke Space are among the U.S. firms developing similar spacecraft.

A Moving World

The issues facing aviation are not insignificant, nor are they easy—or cheap—to solve. The industry will soon need to complement or supplement thousands of pilots, eliminate significant  quantities of carbon, and maintain aircraft performance and efficiency while doing it.

The good news is that pressure makes diamonds. While it may not be enough just yet, hundreds of startups are pouring billions of dollars into new airframes, fuels, and other technologies.

However, regulation will need to catch up with innovation. The FAA has finalized some early drone regulations, for example, but still needs to address flight beyond the pilot’s visual line of sight (BVLOS). AAM regulations, meanwhile, are still in a primitive state—only initial guidelines have been released.

For the U.S.—or any nation—to lead aviation into a greener, more efficient future, regulators will have just as large a role to play as the manufacturers themselves.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Moving World Report 2024: Breaking Down Challenges, Opportunities in Aviation appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Houston-based operator on Wednesday placed a deposit on early delivery positions for five hybrid-electric, ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft from manufacturer Electra.aero. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding for the preorder of up to 50 aircraft in 2021, and Bristow is expected to be Electra’s principal launch operational customer.

“This cash deposit is a real show of confidence in our eSTOL aircraft and a validation of our development roadmap,” said John S. Langford, chair and CEO of Electra. “Bristow is a true AAM leader, and we look forward with anticipation to the future delivery of our aircraft to Bristow’s fleet.”

Bristow will use the eSTOL aircraft to offer zero-emission, regional air mobility (RAM) passenger services, with routes spanning 50 to 500 sm (43 to 434 nm). The design can take off and land in locations as small as 300 by 100 feet—less than the size of an American football field—which opens up operations out of remote or underutilized airports.

Electra achieves this through a unique blown-lift architecture, wherein slipstream flows are directed back over the wings into large flaps and ailerons, which direct the flows downward to augment lift. According to the company, this allows the aircraft to takeoff at “neighborhood driving speeds,” shortening the runway requirement.

“Bristow looks forward to being among the first AAM companies to add the Electra eSTOL aircraft to our fleet and offer our customers the advantages of this new class of aircraft,” said Dave Stepanek, executive vice president and chief transformation officer of Bristow. “Electra’s eSTOL aircraft aligns perfectly with our vision, while enabling new markets at substantially lower operating costs.”

Bristow’s deposit comes just a few days after a major milestone for Electra: the maiden voyage of its EL-2 Goldfinch demonstrator, which was unveiled in June. The company claims the 23-minute, 30 sm (26 nm) flight was the “world’s first” of a hybrid eSTOL design.

The aircraft’s eight electric motors run on a small turbogenerator, which uses hybrid-electric power to recharge its batteries. Electra says this reduces emissions (by 30 percent) and noise (75 dBA at 300 feet, equivalent to a vacuum cleaner) below those of traditional airplanes or rotorcraft. There’s also the benefit of added range and payload, stemming from the eSTOL’s lack of reliance on ground-based electric chargers and the reduced energy requirements of blown lift.

Unlike air taxis manufactured by Joby Aviation or Archer Aviation, for example, Electra’s design uses fixed wings and rigid propellers, so there is no hover or transition to forward flight. The configuration gives it a path to be certified as a multiengine, Level 3, low-speed airplane under FAA Part 23 and be operated with a standard pilot’s certificate in the airplane category.

Electra’s isn’t the only electric aircraft design Bristow has looked to snap up over the past few years.

In 2021, the helicopter operator announced a partnership with the U.K.’s Vertical Aerospace for the delivery of up to 50 VA-X4 air taxis, positioning them as some of the earliest additions to the firm’s eVTOL fleet. The following year, it added an order for up to 50 Lilium Jets and another for as many as 55 Alia-250s from Beta Technologies.

More recently, Bristow in September placed deposits for the early delivery of five Elroy Air Chaparral cargo drones, the first shipment of its preorder for up to 100 aircraft. Just a few days later, the company agreed to order as many as 80 Volocopter VoloCity air taxis, placing a firm order for two of them.

The operator’s other commitments include 20 to 50 Butterfly eVTOLs from Overair and 100 air taxis from Embraer subsidiary Eve Air Mobility.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Bristow Places Deposit for Early Delivery of Five Electra eSTOLs appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The test flight of the Dornier 228 retrofitted with ZeroAvia’s ZA-600 hydrogen-electric engine is a cornerstone of the HyFlyer II development program that aims to develop a 600kW powertrain that’s able to support zero-emission flight of aircraft with up to 19 seats. The development project is partially funded by the UK Government’s Aerospace Technology Institute’s (ATI) program.

“This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight is only a few years away,” Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, said in a statement.

• READ MORE: ZeroAvia, AGS Airports Enter Hydrogen Fuel Partnership

The aircraft’s left wing was retrofitted with the ZA-600 engine, which operated in tandem with a single Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine on the right wing.

“In this testing configuration, the hydrogen-electric powertrain comprises two fuel cell stacks, with lithium-ion battery packs providing peak power support during take-off and adding additional redundancy for safe testing. In this testbed configuration, hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power generation systems were housed inside the cabin,” ZeroAvia added in the statement. “In a commercial configuration, external storage would be used and the seats restored.” 

• READ MORE: ZeroAvia Acquires Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Developer HyPoint

The flight, according to the company, was a success.

“All systems performed as expected,” ZeroAvia said. “This is the largest ZeroAvia engine tested to date, and places the company on the direct path to a certifiable configuration to be finalized and submitted for certification in 2023, with this program also serving as key to unlocking speedy technology development for larger aircraft.”

The January 19 test flight is the latest in a string of recent advancements for the U.K.-based company.  

In November, ZeroAvia and AGS Airports announced an agreement to explore the development of infrastructure that will allow hydrogen fuel for aircraft traveling between Aberdeen and Glasgow airports in Scotland.

The post ZeroAvia Tests Dornier 228 with Hydrogen-Electric Engine appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Hydrogen-electric powertrains are powered by hydrogen fuel cells that produce electricity without combustion or emissions, similar to conventional batteries. However, unlike car batteries, they don’t run down or need to be recharged as long as they’re fed hydrogen and oxygen.

The acquisition, announced Thursday, paves the way for ZeroAvia to incorporate HyPoint’s high-temperature fuel cell technology into its powertrain, which it calls “a promising avenue for increasing power output and energy density of aviation fuel cell powertrains.” 

In recent years, the two companies have collaborated in co-developing and testing [High TemperatureEnergy Proton Exchange Membrane] HT-PEM fuel cell technology. ZeroAvia did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition. 

• READ MORE: ZeroAvia to Retrofit CRJ Series Regional Jets with Hydrogen-Electric Powertrains

“This acquisition, together with our long-standing partnership with the leading LT-PEM (low-temperature PEM) fuel cell maker PowerCell, puts us in the top position for delivering the most environmentally and economically attractive solution to aviation’s growing climate impact,” ZeroAvia CEO and founder Val Miftakhov said in a statement Thursday.

• READ MORE: ZeroAvia Enters Partnership with ZEV Station to Create Hydrogen Infrastructure

The announcement is the latest in a string of advancements for ZeroAvia’s development of hydrogen-powered flight. 

In late May, ZeroAvia announced an expanded agreement with Mitsubishi’s (OTC US: MHVYF) Canada-based MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) aimed at retrofitting CRJ series jets with zero-emissions powertrains. As part of the collaboration, MHIRJ will provide engineering services, data, and certification support relevant to the CRJ700, enabling ZeroAvia to optimize its hydrogen-electric powertrain to retrofit the airframe. 

This past spring, the hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrain developer also entered a partnership with ZEV Station, a hydrogen fueling company, to develop hydrogen refueling infrastructure for airports in California. Under that partnership, the companies will work together initially on a regional airport project aimed at demonstrating how hydrogen-electric propulsion systems can work successfully in commercial aircraft.

“There is enormous potential for airports to act as hydrogen hubs precisely because there will be significant demand,” Arnab Chatterjee, vice president of infrastructure at ZeroAvia said at the time.

• READ MORE: ZeroAvia and de Havilland Canada to Partner on Hydrogen-Electric Engine Program

Thom Patterson contributed.

The post ZeroAvia Acquires Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Developer HyPoint appeared first on FLYING Magazine.