As calls grow within the advanced air mobility community for demonstrations that will show the public and policymakers the potential benefits of this new form of transportation, startup Electra.aero is making plans to fly its technology demonstrator between Washington and Richmond, the Virginia state capital.
Five startups emerged as winners from the pitch-style final of an urban air mobility innovation challenge sponsored by the Vertical Lift Consortium, a collaboration that supports the Defense Department.
The push to create the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation comes as lawmakers and aviation stakeholders look for new ways to grow the country’s pilot pipeline.
The industry-government program dedicated to phasing out leaded aviation fuel by 2030 has named a senior coordinator and lead executives of its four focus areas.
With the world’s advanced air mobility (AAM) industry watching EHang’s progress toward the first type certification of an autonomous air taxi, the Chinese startup has reported that the project specific certification plan for its two-seat EH216-S has been approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Achieving sustainability in operations is a high priority for organizations across the business-aviation sector. But of almost equal importance are accurately and honestly communicating the details of carbon-reduction efforts.
The FAA should clarify its certification requirements for advanced air mobility vehicles and work with the federal energy department to validate battery technology and develop a charging infrastructure for electric aircraft, aviation industry representatives say.
Already planning to develop an autonomous hydrogen-fueled air and road vehicle and associated landing and refueling infrastructure, U.S. startup LuftCar has announced plans to develop a fuel-cell/battery hybrid propulsion system for the advanced air mobility market.
Textron Aviation is to help startup ZeroAvia develop and certify a hydrogen-electric propulsion conversion for the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan single-turboprop utility aircraft.
One of the more unusual designs for an urban air taxi—Spanish company Umiles Next’s “drone-of-drones” Concept Integrity—has conducted flight tests at the Onera Test Field in Toulouse.
Business aviation operators are eager to get their hands on advanced air mobility platforms, but infrastructure uncertainties may slow their introduction, panel discussion participants at the Air Charter Expo say.
