Tag: eVTOL

U.S. Airlines Eyeing Air Taxis for Airport Shuttle Service

Aviation Week reports, “Millions of dollars have flown into the nascent electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) sector over the past several years, as investors bet that quiet, emissions-free air taxis will unlock a new wave of demand for urban air mobility (UAM). While those services are not expected to reach scale until the next decade, air taxi startups are looking toward the airport shuttle mission as an initial launch application in the coming years, promising to shave long trips on congested urban road networks down to 10-20 mins. or less.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Joby Receives FAA Approval to Launch Air Taxi Flight Academy

Flying Magazine reports Joby on Tuesday “said it received Part 141 flight academy certification from the FAA, laying the groundwork to begin training qualified aviators at its Joby Aviation Academy in Watsonville, California, a short air taxi flight away from its headquarters in Santa Cruz. The company intends to offer private pilot, instrument rating, commercial pilot, and certified flight instructor courses, beginning at entry level. Graduates could go on to fly air taxis for Joby or a competitor.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Vertical Aerospace Begins Untethered Flight Tests

Aerotime reports, “British eVTOL developer Vertical Aerospace has conducted the first untethered flight of its VX4 prototype, kicking off Phase Two of its development program. Until now Vertical Aerospace had conducted piloted flight tests, but with the aircraft always tethered to the ground by a cable.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Lilium Set to File for Insolvency Protection to Salvage eVTOL Aircraft Plan

Aviation International News reports, “Lilium is about to file self-administration proceedings in a German court, implementing a form of insolvency protection as it scrambles to line up further investment to complete the development of its eVTOL aircraft. The company announced the move on October 24, a week after the German parliament’s budgetary committee rejected its application for a €50 million ($54 million) loan guarantee, which blocked a matching €50 million loan from the state of Bavaria.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

FAA Announces Pilot Training, Certification Rules for Air Taxis

Reuters reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday finalized comprehensive training and pilot certification rules for flying air taxis, addressing a key hurdle to the deployment of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The FAA called the rule ‘the final piece in the puzzle for safely introducing these aircraft in the near term.’ Some flying companies hope to begin flying commercial passengers as soon as 2025.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Toyota to Invest $500M in Joby’s eVTOL Air Taxi

Flying Magazine reports, “One of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers this week committed half a billion dollars to help develop a new mode of flight. Toyota on Wednesday announced it will funnel an additional $500 million into the commercial production and certification of Joby Aviation’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi. The four-passenger design—which takes off vertically like a helicopter but cruises on fixed wings—last year began crewed testing and is expected to begin ferrying customers as early as next year, pending FAA approval.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

eVTOL Developer Lilium Powers on its First In-production Jet

Aerotime reports, “In a significant milestone the electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer Lilium has successfully powered on its first in-production Lilium Jet. The first Lilium Jet, MSN 1, will be used exclusively for ground testing to confirm safety for the first piloted flight scheduled for early 2025 with MSN 2, which itself is currently in final assembly. This power-on test “confirms that the aircraft is being built in accordance with Lilium’s platform design and the flight systems are functioning correctly,” the developer said on October 1, 2024.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Vertical Aerospace Completes VX4 Phase One Testing

Reuters reports, “UK-based Vertical Aerospace has completed the first phase of piloted testing of a prototype of its air-taxi, VX4, it said on Thursday, sending the company’s shares up 3.9% in U.S. premarket trading. The VX4 has 1,500 pre-orders worth $6 billion from companies including Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines and Japan Airlines. The phase one testing included multiple piloted tethered flights and ground runs. It completed 70 individual test points to validate its safety in the real-world flight scenarios.”
Full Story (Reuters)