Tag: Aviation

Embraer’s Eve Unveils First Air Taxi Prototype

Flying Magazine reports, “Eve Air Mobility, the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi subsidiary of Embraer, this week joined a select group of eVTOL manufacturers. At the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Eve unveiled its first full-scale eVTOL air taxi prototype, assembled at Embraer’s test facility in Brazil’s São Paulo state.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Joby Completes Landmark 523-Mile Hydrogen-Electric Flight

Aviation International reports, “Joby Aviation, a next generation aviation company, today announced it has successfully flown a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-electric air taxi demonstrator 523 miles, with water as the only by-product. The aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically, builds on Joby’s successful battery-electric air taxi development program, and demonstrates the potential for hydrogen to unlock emissions-free, regional journeys that don’t require a runway.”
Full Story (Aviation International)

Safran Joins Boeing X-66A Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project

Aviation Week reports, “Boeing has selected Safran to provide the electrical power generation system for the airframer’s X-66A aircraft which is in development as part of NASA’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project. The Safran Electrical & Power system, consisting of a variable frequency generator and its associated control unit, will be adapted to integrate with the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan that has also been selected for the aircraft.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Vertical Aerospace Begins Ground Testing New Air Taxi Prototype

Flying Magazine reports, “U.K.-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturer Vertical Aerospace is back to testing aircraft. The manufacturer has begun ground testing a new, more advanced full-scale prototype of its flagship VX4 air taxi after an initial prototype was damaged during an uncrewed flight test last year.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Communication Problems Cause Major US Carriers to Ground Flights

Reuters reports that top U.S. airlines including Delta, United, and American, issued ground stops on Friday citing communication issues, as a global outage roiled operations across a wide swathe of industries around the world. American Airlines, however, later said in a statement it had re-established operations. Frontier and Spirit too cancelled directives to ground planes. It was not clear if the groundings reported by the major U.S. airlines were related to outages at Microsoft, and cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike that affected “banking, healthcare and a number of other sectors globally on Friday.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Germany’s Lilium Earns Biggest Order Yet for Flying Taxis from Saudi Airline Group

Reuters reports, “Germany-based air taxi developer Lilium on Thursday clinched its biggest order yet in a deal for Saudi airline Saudia Group to purchase up to 100 of its all-electric flying shuttles, which are still in development. The state-owned airline made a firm order for 50 of Lilium’s electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) Jets with an option for an additional 50 later, Lilium said.”
Full Story (Reuters)

US Aviation Industry Asks Congress to Focus On ‘Neglected’ FAA Facilities

Reuters reports, “Major U.S. aviation groups and unions urged Congress to address persistent shortfalls in funding for FAA facilities after a series of reports raised alarm about aging air traffic control facilities. “Necessary maintenance of existing systems is being neglected,” said the letter signed by Airlines for America, Aerospace Industries Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Air Line Pilots Association and others.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Beta Electric Aircraft Conducts Two More ‘Real-Time’ Demos

Flying Magazine reports, “After wrapping up its first test and deployment campaign with the U.S. Air Force in January, electric aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies on Monday said it completed two more real-time demonstrations, dispatching its Alia aircraft with only a few minutes’ notice. The company believes these were the first such deployments for an electric aircraft with major commands of the Air Force.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)