eVTOL 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/

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

Green light for eVTOL aircraft pilot training

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Next steps for for eVTOL aircrafts. A new generation of pilots is rising. Joby partners with CAE for eVTOL aircraft pilot training. With its low noise profile, Joby’s eVTOL aircraft is designed to make fast, emissions-free, and convenient air travel an everyday reality in cities and communities around the world. Joby‘s fly-by-wire aircraft employs a … Read more

United Airlines invest more than $1 billion in Archer Aviation’s eVTOL combating climate change

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  United Airlines will invest massively in Archer Aviation, the start-up developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. United Airlines has completed an agreement to work with air mobility company Archer as part of the airline’s broader effort to invest in emerging technologies that decarbonize air travel. Rather than relying on traditional combustion engines, Archer’s … Read more

UK is building its first Urban Air Port Air-One, an airport for flying cars

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Urban Air Port Air-One eVTOL hub; @hyundai.news

Urban Air Port has the potential to revolutionise cities across the world, making them more connected, cleaner and accelerating our green economic recovery.

Urban Air Port Air-One is an innovative hub for future electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft – such as air taxis and autonomous delivery drones – that will transport people and cargo across cities in the coming years.

The aviation company plans to install more than 200 zero emission sites worldwide over the next five years in response to global demand.

NASA predicts that urban-air mobility in the US alone could be worth up to $500 billion USD (£375 billion) in the near-term and states that a significant barrier to market growth is the lack of infrastructure, an issue which Urban Air Port was established to resolve.

The Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group has chosen Urban Air Port as its priority infrastructure partner to support the global growth of this new sector. The South Korean company plans to create its own eVTOL aircraft and support the broader urban air mobility eco-system. Hyundai Motor Group is supporting the development of Air-One® as part of its plan to commercialise its aircraft by 2028.

The eVTOL hub provides an integrated approach to the decarbonisation of cities. It is designed to support any eVTOL aircraft and
complements other modes of sustainable transport as a hub for electric vehicles, buses or scooters. The design enables Urban Air Ports to be easily moved to alternative sites, as the air-mobility sector develops. This design also means the sites are ideal for disaster emergency management. Urban Air Ports can rapidly deploy drones and other eVTOL to collect and transport emergency supplies, equipment and people where needed.

Urban Air Port Air-One eVTOL hub; @hyundai.news

The physical footprint of an Urban Air Port is 60% smaller than a traditional heliport (the most comparable existing infrastructure). Using innovative construction, the sites can be installed in a matter of days, emit net zero carbon emissions and can be operated completely off-grid, meaning they do not always have to rely on a suitable grid connection.

“Cars need roads. Trains need rails. Planes need airports. eVTOLs will need Urban Air Ports. Over a hundred years ago, the world’s first commercial flight took off, creating the modern connected world. Urban Air Port will improve connectivity across our cities, boost productivity and help the UK to take the lead in a whole new clean global economy. Flying cars used to be a futuristic flight of fancy. Air-One will bring clean urban air transport to the masses and unleash a new airborne world of zero emission mobility.” – Ricky Sandhu, Founder and Executive Chairman of Urban Air Port.

Urban Air Port chose Coventry for the first site due to its important location in the heart of the UK and because it is a historic hub for the automobile and aerospace industry, with a pool of people and skills that can support the manufacturing industries of the future. The city’s unique location also provides easy access within four hours to most parts of the country. In December 2020, Coventry was named the best UK town for electric cars. Air-One will be unveiled during Coventry’s UK city of culture celebrations in 2021 and continue to form part of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Urban Air Port has been awarded a £1.2 million grant from UK Research and Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge. The programme is funded by £125 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and is expected to be matched by up to £175 million from industry.

Urban Air Port Air-One eVTOL hub; @hyundai.news

Automotive Technology Meets Aerospace Innovation: Mobi-One Tilt-Wing eVTOL

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      The latest step towards the commercialization of affordable urban air mobility. Michigan-based Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX), an aviation technology start-up, is re-imagining personal air transportation with MOBi-One – an electric take off and landing, wing-lifted (eVTOL) aircraft. More efficient than a helicopter. Five times faster than driving for the same cost per … Read more