Aircraft

Virgin Atlantic is one step closer to make zero-emission short-haul air travel a reality

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Virgin Atlantic and partners explore world-first advanced electric flight ecosystem; @Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic accelerates the introduction of zero emission flight to UK customers.

The technology needed for new, quicker ways to travel – including short-haul, vertical take-off aircraft – is one step closer to being developed. Virgin Atlantic, has joined a consortium to work on developing the technology needed to introduce Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) in the UK.

What is Advanced Air Mobility or AAM?

AAM offers a new form of travel that will mean it’s quicker and easier to travel into congested urban areas and across regions under-served by existing infrastructure. Virgin Atlantic and Vertical Airspace previously announced a partnership to pioneer zero-emissions short-haul air travel.

Vertical Aerospace is developing electrical Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft that make virtually no noise and have a range of over 100 miles. The VX4 will carry four passengers plus a pilot. It has four tilting advanced rotors at the front and stowable rotors at the rear, making it capable of speeds over 200mph.

How is Virgin Atlantic Accelerating AAM.

Virgin Atlantic along with its partners Vertical Aerospace, Atkins, Skyports, NATS, Connected Places Catapult and leading academic institutions Cranfield University and WMG, University of Warwick, have announced the creation of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium – which has been awarded a £9.5m grant by the UK government’s Future Flight Challenge.

The money will be used to develop a viable AAM ecosystem that could progress into commercial operations. The first-of-its-kind ecosystem will help accelerate AAM in the UK by creating and testing technological developments in aircraft electrification, airspace management, ground infrastructure, operational procedures, and the systems and supporting business cases needed to implement a new model of aerial passenger transport in the UK.

The Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium is looking to demonstrate the feasibility of a UK AAM ecosystem using the VX4 aircraft, operated by Virgin Atlantic. Two flights will take place between Bristol Airport and an airfield in southwest England, and between London Heathrow Airport and the Living Lab vertiport – a testing facility that Skyports will build and operate. A third simulation flight will demonstrate urban connectivity between London City and Bristol airports.

These demonstrations will explore key aspects of the passenger journey, vehicle operation, airspace navigation, ground charging, security provision and local stakeholder engagement. The two-year project will be overseen by aerospace engineering experts Atkins, the consortium lead.

Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, said: “Just as airports are critical to commercial aeroplane travel, vertiports are critical to AAM. Our Living Lab will be a central component of the consortium, enabling Skyports and partners to demonstrate end-to-end operations and test the complexities of developing a commercially viable AAM network in the UK.”

Holly Boyd-Boland, VP corporate development at Virgin Atlantic, added: “We are thrilled to be working alongside our consortium partners to accelerate the introduction of zero emission flight to UK customers. As the only airline in the consortium, Virgin Atlantic brings 38 years of operational excellence, a relentless focus on safety and security, and an unrivalled focus on the end-to-end customer journey. Alongside our partners, we are looking forward to getting the first Virgin Atlantic eVTOL aircraft into the skies.”

@Vertical Aerospace VX4 will transform the way people travel./ @vertical-aerospace.com/

Ampaire Achieves Longest Flight to Date for a Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

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Electric EEL Aircraft Shows the Real-World Capability of Hybrid-Electric Upgrades. The Ampaire Electric EEL flew 1,075 miles (1730 km) nonstop on its journey to Oshkosh—a groundbreaking accomplishment for an electrified aircraft. The Ampaire hybrid-electric EEL demonstrator aircraft completed a 1,880 statute mile mission from Los Angeles to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it was on display at … Read more

The all-new ultralong-range Gulfstream G800 changed the game once again for the industry

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Announced in October 2021, Gulfstream Aerospace G800 is the latest addition to Gulfstream’s next-generation fleet to take flight and make progress toward customer deliveries. Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), announced that the all-new ultralong-range Gulfstream G800 successfully completed its first flight, officially launching the flight-test program of the … Read more

The most overlooked aircrafts, according to component experts

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The most memorable aircraft according to component experts, Artemis Aerospace There have been countless lists comparing and contrasting the greatest aircraft of all time, but what about those that are often overlooked? We asked the experts at leading aircraft component supply and repair solutions company Artemis Aerospace to tell us which aircraft they are most … Read more

Voloconnect is bringing eVTOL’s designs off the ground, into the air, and then to cities worldwide

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@volocopter.com/

Volocopter‘s 4-Seater Aircraft Takes First Flight

VoloConnect expands the total addressable market for Volocopter’s family of eVTOL aircraft to USD 290 billion
Zero operating emissions for safe and sustainable flight speeds of over 155 mph and >60 mi range.

At the 2022 UP.Summit, the annual gathering of leaders in transportation innovation, urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer Volocopter announced that it has achieved another milestone to bring UAM to life: its fixed-winged passenger aircraft, the VoloConnect, completed its first flight in May 2022. This accomplishment makes Volocopter the only eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) developer worldwide to have an entire fleet of distinct aircraft configurations undergoing flight tests.

Volocopter’s third product solution, the VoloConnect, offers further and faster journeys than any other Volocopter aircraft to date, with a range of over 60 mi and flight speeds above 155 mph. The passenger plane’s extended range and higher payload will bring business travelers and commuters beyond the city center on routes like Burbank to Huntington Beach in Los Angeles, CA. With the VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxi designs fulfilling demands for metropolitan flights and suburban connections in densely populated regions respectively, Volocopter is ready to serve a broader range of passengers’ flight needs. The VoloConnect is targeting a 2026 entry into service, while the VoloCity is targeting commercial launch in 2024.

@VoloConnect by @Volocopter

“Having a whole family of electric aircraft in the test flight phase is a pioneering feat,” said Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. “Volocopter’s leadership in the industry stems from announcing plans and then delivering on them visibly with public test flights. Our technology platform is the foundation for our family of aircraft approach and has proven to deliver results at an astounding speed. Volocopter is bringing these innovative designs off the ground, into the air, and then to cities worldwide!“

A dedicated team in Munich, led by Sebastian Mores, Chief Engineer, VoloConnect, is responsible for this success to bring the VoloConnect prototype to life.

“This is an extraordinary moment for us – seeing the VoloConnect soar to the sky marks the achievement of one of our key milestones and demonstrates just what we are capable of in a short time and in line with the company’s overall strategy for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Furthermore, new technologies will be tested that will gradually be implemented during the overall program development,” said Mores.

Volocopter designed the VoloConnect and its other eVTOL aircraft to meet the highest aviation safety standards according to EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The prototype completed its first flight in May 2022 after just 17 months in the making and performed a few maneuvers for 2 minutes and 14 seconds during its first flight. The prototype has all the planned aerodynamics and performance features of the future commercial product.

@VoloConnect by @Volocopter

The VoloConnect is a lift-and-cruise aircraft optimized for missions beyond the urban and suburban space.

Keeping moving parts to a minimum, its six rotors facilitate vertical takeoff, while two electric fans in combination with uplift-creating wings ensure high forward speeds. Its prototype is currently passing a demanding series of flight tests to verify that the aircraft and its systems are in line with performance limits and prepared for the subsequent development. This phase encompasses low-speed, transition, high-speed, and engine failure testing for automated and later autonomous flights – all standard-issue tests for eVTOL passenger aircraft manufacturers. Within the first three test flights of this campaign, the team was able to verify a significant portion of the eVTOL’s envelope with forward speeds up to 40 mph and 28 mph sideward flight speeds during tests.

VoloConnect is poised to boost Volocopter’s total addressable UAM market, alongside its existing aircraft family members, the VoloDrone and VoloCity. The technological differences between the VoloCity and VoloConnect passenger aircraft abound. Important to note are their unique designs for their specific flight missions, with the multirotor VoloCity air taxi poised to serve intracity routes, while its larger lift-and-cruise sibling will focus on longer urban and suburban missions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YIMYonz2b4

Revolutionary eVTOL aircraft company to begin on-demand air taxi operations

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Joby Aviation is one step closer to eVTOL flights. California-based all-electric aircraft company to begin on-demand commercial air taxi operations. Joby Receives Part 135 Certification from the FAA. Certification allows Joby to operate aircraft commercially.Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate received ahead of schedule, initially targeted for second half of 2022 Joby will use conventional aircraft … Read more