Gallery: Highlights From General Aviation Shows In 2023

Volocopter’s electric 2X air taxi, performed a flight demonstration at Henderson Executive Airport. The flight formed part of the German-based company’s flight tests with the Volocopter 2X, the predecessor and prototype to the VoloCity air taxi, which will begin commercial AAM passenger flights in Paris in the summer of 2024. The NBAA-BACE flights were scheduled during NBAA-BACE 2023 show days.

Credit: Barbara Nichols

WISK's Generation 6 self-flying all electric air taxi was on display near the entrance to the North Hall exhibit area, at NBAA-BACE 2023, where you could even peek inside to see the interior.

Wisk’s Cora fifth-generation demonstrator made a series of autonomous flights at Long Beach Airport in early October ahead of the Las Vegas show.

Credit: Brett Schauf

Interior of the WISK 4 passenger autonomous air taxi. The air taxi will have no flight controls from the outset because it will fly autonomously with human oversight. The company says devoting a quarter of the seating to a pilot would make for an untenable business model. Passengers will be able to keep track of their flight on the moving map display. This image is from AirVenture 2023. 

Credit: Mike Lavitt

Junkers Aircraft unveiled the two-seat Junkers A50 Junior, an open-cockpit light sport aircraft, during Sun 'n Fun 2023 in Lakeland, Florida. The aircraft's fuselage is built from corrugated aluminum. The aircraft is a throwback to the 1920s. The Junkers A50 Junior was a German-built aircraft that made its first flight in 1929. The latest version includes modern avionics with the Garmin G3X avionics, dual flight controls, a 110 hp Rotax 912iS engine and a ballistic recovery parachute. It has a 75 kt. cruise speed and a range of 680 nm.   

Credit: Molly McMillin 

Textron Aviation's large exhibit at sunny Sun 'n Fun included a display of its Beechcraft Denali turboprop mockup. The company expects certification in the second half of 2024.  

Credit: Molly McMillin 

The Cassio 330 will be VoltAero's first in a planned family of hybrid-electric aircraft. The five-seat 330 will have a 330-kW propulsion system. Electric motors will turn its rear-mounted propeller during taxi, takeoff, primary flight and landing. On flights longer than 150 km. (93 mi.), its internal combustion engine will recharge batteries. The engine also can serve as a backup in case of problems with the electric propulsion system. The company brought a full-size mockup to Oshkosh as it works toward first flight by the end of this year on the initial test aircraft in Europe.

Credit: Mike Lavitt

Honda Aircraft’s HondaJet Elite II is making its debut at a U.S. public airshow at AirVenture. The HondaJet Elite II has an extended range of up to 1,547 nm (2,490 km) and includes integrated ground spoilers for takeoff and landing field performance.

Credit: Bill Carey

Textron Aviation debuted its Beechcraft Denali, a clean-sheet design single-engine turboprop, at EAA AirVenture 2023 in Oshkosh. Certification is slated for 2025.

Credit: Bill Carey