Tag: VTOL

Autonomous Air Taxi Certification Emerges as New Regulatory Frontier

Flying Magazine reports, “Owing to the novelty of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology, the FAA is requiring air taxi developers such as Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, and Beta Technologies to complete a gauntlet of testing. One of them, Boeing’s Wisk Aero, is building an aircraft that incorporates not just VTOL but another emerging technology—autonomy. Unlike Archer’s Midnight, Joby’s S4, or Beta’s Alia, Wisk’s Generation 6 is designed to fly autonomously from the jump.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

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Wisk Aero’s Generation 6 aircraft
Wisk Aero | YouTube

DARPA’s Sprint Program Advances as Bell’s Stop-Fold Tiltrotor Becomes X-76

Aviation Week reports, “The stop-fold tiltrotor uncrewed aircraft under development by Bell for a DARPA project to fly a high-speed vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) demonstrator has been designated the X-76. Under Phase 2 of DARPA’s Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (Sprint) project, Bell has completed the critical design review (CDR) and moved into manufacturing of the demonstrator.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Aurora Unveils High-Speed VTOL X-Plane Concept Design

Aviation Week reports, “Aurora Flight Sciences on Oct. 8 unveiled new details of a notional operational variant of the fan-in-wing concept it is proposing for a high-speed, vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) X-Plane. The operational version of the Boeing-owned company’s candidate for a DARPA demonstrator program would boast nearly the same wingspan and payload weight of a Lockheed Martin C-130J, yet fly up to 90 kt. faster and be able to take off and land vertically like a helicopter.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

DARPA Announces 6 New Designs for Uncrewed VTOL Military Aircraft

SPACE reports, “The U.S. military could soon have new uncrewed aircraft that carry weapons and take off and land vertically. The vehicles could undergo test flights as early as 2026. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced it is moving into a new testing phase for proposed experimental aircraft in which designs will be assessed for risk and analyzed for efficiency.”
Full Story (SPACE)

 

Video

DARPA’s AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY X-Plane program
(DARPAtv; YouTube)

Sikorsky Performing Flight Trials for VTOL Tail-Sitter UAS

Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, is carrying out flight tests to mature the control laws and aerodynamics of a novel vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed aerial system (VTOL / UAS). The flight tests aim to prove the efficiency and scalability of a twin proprotor ‘rotor blown wing’ configuration, designed to sit on its tail to take-off and land like a helicopter, and transition easily to horizontal forward flight.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)

EASA Submits EVTOL Operating Regulations

Aviation Week reports that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) “proposed rules for the operation of vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft, including air taxis, emphasize the continuing differences in approach by Europe and the U.S. to regulating the emerging industry.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Volocopter to Partner with Safran on Next-Gen Electric Powertrain

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “signed an agreement with Safran Electrical & Power last week that includes plans for developing a next-generation electric powertrain.” The powertrain will be “designed specifically for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft like those under development by Volocopter.” An announcement of the agreement stated, “The agreement covers the exploration of commercial and engineering partnerships, specifically around the entire electric powertrain ranging from the electrical propulsion system (EPS), battery units, and power distribution system to wider engineering services.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)

EASA Publishes Noise Standards for EVOTLs

Aviation International News reports that EASA “has published what it claims are the world’s first proposed noise certification standards for eVTOLs.” The proposals, known as the Environmental Protection Technical Specifications (EPTS), “are applicable to eVTOL vehicles powered by multiple vertical, non-tilting, evenly distributed rotors.” EASA says that the proposed specifications “are intended to fill a regulatory gap and use the internationally harmonized noise certification standards for heavy helicopters” as a starting point while it “collects more noise data from specific eVTOL designs through certification projects.” In addition, a hover noise level “has been developed to aid in the assessment of flight operations in the vicinity of vertiports.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Canada Releases Draft Solicitation for VTOL UAS

Aviation Week reports that the Public Services and Procurement Canada PSPC) “released a draft copy of a request for proposals on Aug. 2 for a vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed air system (UAS) that can operate from the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Halifax-class frigate ships.”
Full Story (Aviation Week