Nineteen months after they predicted UAM would be a niche market, Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick and Teal Group’s Richard Aboulafia are back to address why investors are now pouring billions of dollars into the emerging sector.
“Where’s my flying car?” may be the popular lament of disappointed futurists, but “Where’s the market?” is the more important question for startups trying to make roadable aircraft a reality. AeroMobil is targeting the exclusive clientele of supercar enthusiasts with its first product, the two-seat AeroMobil 4.0. But now the Slovakian startup is eyeing ride-hailing as a route to expanding the market.
To electrify future large commercial aircraft will require new wiring systems that can distribute tens of megawatts of power at thousands of volts safely and reliably at high altitudes.
U.S. business aviation traffic is up 11% so far in March compared to a year ago, following a 5% decline in January and February, according to WingX Advance data.
Sustainability of operations will be a key concern of the business aviation sector in a post-Brexit, post-COVID-19 world, according to speakers and attendees at the British Business and General Aviation Association’s annual conference.
Glenn Hogben was appointed CEO of The Air Charter Association, based in London, in January. Hogben joined The ACA in 2008 and was elected to the nonexecutive board in 2017.
Startup Reliable Robotics has remotely piloted a Cessna 208B Caravan from a ground station 50 mi. away, a key step toward certifying an autonomy retrofit for the aircraft that will enable unmanned regional cargo operations.
The European Business Aviation Association is urgently asking European national authorities to eliminate administrative flight barriers caused by Brexit for flights from the UK to the European Union, saying it is “unacceptable.”
U.S. airlines are set to receive another $14 billion in payroll support after House lawmakers approved the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on March 10.
