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Jetson CTO Talks New Testing Facility for R&D and eVTOL Production

Jetson is developing an ultralight personal electric aircraft called the Jetson ONE. The company recently received its 500th pre-order, and deliveries are expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2023. A new production facility and airfield was purchased in April, and Jetson is converting the facility into its European headquarters which should be completed in November. The latest seed round is anticipated to bring in $10 million in investments; $8 million has been secured so far, and the company anticipates finalizing the remaining $2 million by the end of September.

(Photo: Jetson)

Jetson announced in January that it had sold out all of its 2022 production of the Jetson ONE eVTOL since launching in October of 2021. Jetson’s co-founder and president, Peter Ternstrom, told Avionics International that future models of the aircraft will come with longer flight times. The model produced in 2024, for example, could have a flight time of up to 30 minutes, while the current version of the aircraft is expected to have a 20-minute flight time.

Tomasz Patan, co-founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Jetson, recently participated in a question-and-answer session with Avionics to discuss the company’s progress and upcoming milestones.

Avionics: What is the status of Jetson’s facility in Italy?

Tomasz Patan: The site has an 800-meter-long strip of land—which is an actual airfield where we’re going to test our Jetson ONE design. The building next to the airfield is an old industrial facility from the late 19th century. We are currently working hard to renovate this facility and convert it into our European headquarters, with offices, a showroom, and limited production. We are progressing with the project aggressively, and it should be ready in November. It is a perfect location for testing our vehicle and we will later lock in the design of the aircraft.

Jetson’s new R&D and limited production facility located in Arezzo, Tuscany (Photo: Jetson)

Avionics: Can you share any details about the latest seed round?

Tomasz Patan: The seed round is almost closed. We have raised $8 million USD, and we hope to bring this final number to $10 million. It’s a huge milestone for Jetson. Especially in this climate—the current status of the stock market is not really great, and that’s why we are really happy that we are able to do this.

Avionics: How do you expect the company to grow over the next couple of years?

Tomasz Patan: Our team is growing at full speed. We have about 20 employees working full-time, and that number should be around 50 in late 2023. During the spring, we appointed Swedish entrepreneur Rikard Steiber as a Senior Advisor—he is also Jetson’s first external investor. We introduced our new head of research and development, Alec Bialek. We have also hired numerous carbon fiber specialists, mechanical engineers, software developers, and 3D printing specialists. We’re looking to expand the company to the U.S. next year. As we work to lock in the design and prepare for manufacturing, we are also looking at our next step in the U.S. We are really looking forward to seeing the opportunities awaiting us there. This is also quite important for Jetson because currently, 75% of our clients are based in the U.S. It’s also because of the regulations that allow our clients to fly Jetson ONE without a pilot license; those regulations are already there in the U.S.

Avionics: What are the unique features of the Jetson ONE?

Tomasz Patan: The most important aspect is that the Jetson ONE is an ultra-light aircraft. It’s a very compact and lightweight personal flying aircraft that anyone in the U.S. (and some other countries) could fly without a pilot license. Clients will learn how to operate it according to regulations and in a safe manner.

The flight time is up to 20 minutes, and the weight of the aircraft is 40 kilograms [88 pounds], or 86 kilograms with batteries. It’s equipped with many safety features, including a ballistic parachute. It has a flight computer and fly-by-wire controls system where you can actually let your hands off the joysticks and it will hover automatically in one spot. It will also stabilize itself during flight. Because of the specialized flight computer that we use, it’s possible to learn to fly it in a matter of minutes which is quite a novelty in the industry.

The ultralight Jetson ONE eVTOL weighs only 88 pounds without batteries, or about 190 pounds with batteries. (Photo: Jetson)

The aircraft uses eight motors; you can still fly safely even without one of the motors. The battery system is redundant, and all the electronic systems onboard are fully redundant.

The top speed of the Jetson ONE is 102 kilometers per hour [63 mph]. To control it, you have just one joystick, a 3-axis joystick, and a throttle lever—two controls that are extremely easy to operate. It also doesn’t require any maintenance, because it is fully electric.

Avionics: What systems are in the aircraft?

Tomasz Patan: Some of the components are proprietary, and we are working together with other companies to supply the rest of the components.

The display screen is minimalistic. It is located in the front of the cockpit so the pilot always has a good view of the display. It shows remaining battery capacity, remaining flight time, and some very basic information provided by the flight computer.

You also have a very bright LED, a warning light, whenever there is a situation. This LED will basically show you when you should be heading back for landing. Even though you have that information available to you, the flight computer will have an automatic landing feature. Whenever there is a situation that you are not responding to correctly, this feature will be activated, and the Jetson ONE will start descending, but you still have full control while descending and you can choose your landing location.

Avionics: What is the team currently working on?

Tomasz Patan: The biggest upcoming milestone will be locking in the design of the aircraft. This also means we will still have to test our ballistic parachute as well as some of those safety features that will require a lot of flight hours. That’s the whole reason for the new facility, where we can easily fly the pre-production prototypes 24 hours a day.

We are really happy with our progress—another recent milestone for us is that we recently sold our 500th unit. We are on track with 2023 deliveries, and we are preparing for manufacturing to start early next year. Flight testing will be happening at our new airfield.

The post Jetson CTO Talks New Testing Facility for R&D and eVTOL Production appeared first on Avionics International.

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NASA Conducts New Series of Flight Tests with Autonomous Sikorsky Helicopter

NASA’s Integration of Automated Systems effort recently conducted the first in a new series of research flights with the Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft, or SARA. (Photo: NASA)

Pilots and researchers from NASA began conducting research flights with the Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft, or SARA, in March. The system uses Sikorsky’s MATRIX Technology that is designed to enable operators to autonomously fly any aircraft, or to fly an aircraft as an optionally piloted vehicle. The researchers and pilots performing these flight tests are part of NASA’s Integration of Automated Systems (IAS) effort within the Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign program. NASA’s team has now started a new series of flight test campaigns in the past couple of weeks to continue exploring autonomous technologies in partnership with Sikorsky and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The new test flights involve determining how well the SARA platform can interpret a flight path’s four-dimensional trajectories into primitive commands and then follow those commands. “The pilots were reviewing the flight profiles and approving them for execution,” explained Dr. Adam J. Yingling, IAS Technical Lead at NASA, in an interview with Avionics International. The use of 4D trajectories adds the fourth element of time to the three components historically used to calculate an aircraft’s trajectory (latitude, longitude, altitude).

A key component of research for advanced air mobility (AAM) is the pilot interface. The IAS flight tests are evaluating three different tablets for pilots to use, Dr. Yingling shared. “We looked at a Getac F110, a ruggedized computer tablet format; we looked at a Samsung S7; and we’re also looking at iPads,” he said. He added that the tablets have worked very well so far and exceeded his expectations in terms of performance.

It’s important for the pilot interface to make it easy for the operator to select options while in flight, which can include a lot of movement and changes in lighting. That all needs to be factored in to the interface, and it needs to be easy for pilots to interpret any information that is displayed, said Dr. Yingling.

NASA’s IAS team is working on data analysis to quantify how successfully the aircraft was able to follow the software. The first week of testing, which took place at the end of August into early September, also involved testing the effects of different atmospheric conditions to evaluate how sensitive the algorithm is to certain external factors. “The aircraft has its own physical limitations for things like right-angle turns, but we anticipated that, and the aircraft did a good job following the commands,” he remarked.

Dr. Yingling explained that Sikorsky offers significant expertise in autonomous technologies, such as the MATRIX Technology. However, he noted, there won’t be one single type of technology that can create the autonomy the AAM industry will need. “We’re going to have to stack the algorithms to work well together,” he said. “Some of the automations are all about flying safely. Some are about communicating with external services, with other aircraft, with air traffic control, and all of these need to be brought together. We have to figure out how to stitch them together so that they work in concert.”

NASA, Sikorsky, and DARPA will continue their partnership to explore different requirements for enabling AAM. One capability that will be necessary is machine-to-machine communications for autonomous aircraft flying in a dense airspace. Future flight tests will involve scenarios where the automation has to sense and avoid multiple aircraft.

“We’re envisioning a future that has a very dense airspace where typical communications through air traffic control would get congested,” Dr. Yingling shared. “With our scenarios, we’re going to be simulating very dense air traffic.”

Some of NASA’s commercial partners are also involved in the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program, like electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Joby Aviation. NASA and the Agility Prime team have both collaborated with Joby to develop AAM technologies.

NASA’s IAS efforts include evaluating requirements for the design of high-density vertiports. eVTOL aircraft will have different flight profiles for take-offs and landings at vertiports, and it’s important to consider the needs of these aircraft in designing vertiports to enable high-density operations, according to Dr. Yingling.

He added that they will use the SARA platform, which has a large flight envelope, as a surrogate for eVTOL aircraft to test out various flight profiles and determine design requirements for vertiport facilities.

The post NASA Conducts New Series of Flight Tests with Autonomous Sikorsky Helicopter appeared first on Avionics International.

Skyports Continues Partnerships with Wisk and AirAsia, Prepares for Vertiport Testing in Paris

Skyports is continuing to work with its partners Wisk Aero and AirAsia on research related to advanced air mobility infrastructure and operations. Skyports is also planning to launch its vertiport testbed site in Paris in November. (Photo: Skyports)

Skyports, a UK-based vertiport designer and developer, shared updates on its research projects and partnerships with AirAsia and Wisk in emailed statements to Avionics International. The continuing collaboration between Skyports and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Wisk Aero is currently focused on flight and vertiport resource coordination, according to a company spokesperson. Skyports is also working with AirAsia and other partners to initiate conversations with regulators in Malaysia.

The partnership between Skyports and Wisk, announced in April, was the first to connect an autonomous eVTOL developer and a vertiport developer-operator in the U.S. The companies released a concept of operations listing requirements for safe and autonomous eVTOL operations and corresponding infrastructure. The representative from Skyports noted that the ConOps was just the beginning of a long-term partnership with Wisk.

“We are now both actively contributing to research projects which will identify high priority data and communication interfaces to support AAM operations,” wrote the Skyports’ representative. “This current piece of work is an important stage of our efforts to create high level interface documentation.”

In the mid- to long-term, they added, Wisk and Skyports will “work on complex aspects of aircraft and airfield integration, electrification concepts, and more.”

Skyports acquired a London heliport earlier this year. (Photo: Skyports)

Skyports announced the acquisition of a heliport in London in January. The company’s representative explained that although commercial operations for advanced air mobility are not expected to begin until 2024, Skyports is experimenting with and verifying vertiport-related technology concepts using the London heliport. “We have currently deployed a majority of our technology baseline to the heliport and are commencing testing in an operational environment,” they stated.

AirAsia signed a letter of intent with Skyports in late July with the goal of deploying air taxi infrastructure in Malaysia. The letter of intent includes a year-long partnership between the two companies to perform feasibility studies on deploying vertiports in the country. The early stages of the partnership have seen Skyports focus its efforts “on initiating conversations with the country’s regulators and relevant aviation bodies,” the representative shared.

“In tandem with this, we are working closely with our partners to gather critical knowledge and input to form the foundation of the study. We look forward to sharing the outputs and results with industry and media as soon as possible.”

A rendering of the interior of the Cergy-Pointoise vertiport facility (Photo: Skyports)

In late 2021, Skyports announced plans to establish the first commercial vertiport in Europe. It will initially be used as a technology testbed, and will be built and operated at Groupe ADP’s Cergy-Pontoise Airfield in Paris. Practical completion of the site is scheduled for September 16, according to Skyports’ spokesperson.

Systems integration and two months of extensive testing of the vertiport will follow, and the company expects the launch of the site to occur in early November. As the representative from Skyports explained, “the testbed is vehicle agnostic and will facilitate all leading eVTOL OEMs to test and demonstrate aircraft capabilities in a live environment. Volocopter will be one of the earliest eVTOL companies to bring their vehicle to site.”

Other eVTOL developers, including Vertical Aerospace, Joby, Eve Air Mobility, and Airbus, are also part of the program.

The post Skyports Continues Partnerships with Wisk and AirAsia, Prepares for Vertiport Testing in Paris appeared first on Avionics International.

JSX CEO Gives Starlink In-Flight Internet Updates at FTE Global

(Photo courtesy of JSX)

LAS VEGAS — JSX expects to begin operating its first passenger-carrying flight featuring SpaceX’s Starlink in-flight connectivity (IFC) service by October, according to comments made by the charter operator’s CEO Alex Wilcox at the Future Travel Experience (FTE) Global event this week.

The California-based company was confirmed as the launch air carrier for Starlink IFC in April, marking SpaceX’s first entry into the commercial aviation IFC market. During his participation in the FTE panel discussion “In-flight Experience 2030,” Wilcox provided a timeline for the launch for the new service and some insight into how it will work.

“Probably the number one complaint we get from customers is no Wi-Fi. We’re the launch customer for SpaceX Starlink Wi-Fi solution, that will be on every airplane by the end of this year,” Wilcox said, adding that the first Starlink-equipped JSX flight should occur by October.

Starlink is a constellation of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites with a focus on enabling broadband internet service in remote areas. SpaceX has launched more than 3,000 Starlink satellites for the constellation this year, according to recent reporting by Via Satellite, a sister publication to Avionics International.

JSX operates a fleet of 77 total Embraer 135s and 145s, and currently has Starlink antennas, modems, and wireless access points installed and testing on two of its aircraft. Wilcox described the performance of Starlink on those two aircraft as working “amazingly well.”

The JSX co-founder said that even with the technology still in testing mode, they were actually able to use it as an alternative to airport internet service. According to Wilcox, during a recent internet service outage at Hollywood Burbank Airport, JSX airline staff took a laptop onboard one of their Starlink-equipped aircraft and used that to check passengers in instead.

“That’s how good it is,” Wilcox said.

While JSX already confirmed that it will offer the service free of charge to passengers, Wilcox provided more insight into how the Starlink IFC service will be operated and accessed.

Wilcox also revealed JSX’s plans for a new Starlink livery to be added to one of their aircraft later this year as well by sharing this image during the panel discussion.

“That’s going to be lounge to lounge service, the second you get on the airplane, all you need to do is click on the SSID and you’re on,” he said. “There’s no login, no credit card, nothing, just on and open for everybody. It’s 200 mbps to the airplane and it’s awesome.”

When asked whether JSX would consider adding seatback in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens to its Embraer fleet, the air carrier’s CEO said he believes they’re “firmly in the bring your own screen camp” and does not see that investment happening any time soon.

Hawaiian Airlines was confirmed as SpaceX’s first major commercial airline customer shortly after JSX became the launch air transportation customer in April. Hawaiian will also offer the service to passengers for free, and expects to begin equipping its aircraft with Starlink terminals next year.

SpaceX’s top Starlink executive, Jonathan Hofeller, said during his appearance at the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit earlier this year that several other airline agreements are in the works as well.

The post JSX CEO Gives Starlink In-Flight Internet Updates at FTE Global appeared first on Avionics International.

Spirit Airlines CIO Eyes Use of In-Flight Connectivity to Transmit Flight Operational Data

(Photo courtesy of Spirit Airlines)

Two months after switching its new in-flight internet service on for the first time, Spirit Airlines Chief Information Officer (CIO) Rocky Wiggins provided more insight into how the low-cost airline wants to expand its use of connectivity for both passengers and operations.

Spirit first started providing in-flight connectivity (IFC) to passengers on some of its Airbus A320 fleet in July, and will continue equipping its entire fleet with the service over the next few years. During a fireside chat session at the Future Travel Experience (FTE) Global event in Las Vegas this week, Wiggins explained how Spirit wants to optimize its use of connectivity for both passengers and flight operations in the near future.

“The things you can look forward to in the near future will [include extending] the product from a 10,000-foot limit to gate-to-gate,” Wiggins said.

According to Thales, Spirit’s IFC service is enabled by a set of strategic agreements first established with satellite operators SES and Hughes Network Systems in 2017. Under the agreements, SES contracts Hughes for service on EchoStar XVII and EchoStar XIX HTS satellites, and combines them with its AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellites to provide the four-satellite network initially enabling connectivity for Spirit passengers.

In August, Thales confirmed through a post on its LinkedIn account that some of Spirit’s aircraft have also started connecting to a fifth high throughput satellite (HTS), SES-17. In-flight internet purchasing options for Spirit passengers have been separated into a browsing category that starts at $2.99 and a streaming category that starts at $5.99.

While acknowledging the benefits of providing passenger connectivity during his fireside chat at FTE, Wiggins also discussed how Spirit views its return on investment related to the new IFC service and whether charging passengers for access could provide ancillary revenue. Eventually, he believes the airline could exploit the service for transmitting operational data about aircraft components and system faults or maintenance needs in real time.

Rocky Wiggins has been the chief information officer of Spirit Airlines since 2016.

“The return on that investment is a bit squishy, it’s further out and it requires a tremendous amount of discovery,” Wiggins said, regarding the potential to create ancillary revenue from passengers paying for IFC.

But the Spirit CIO said there could be major potential in using the connectivity to transmit operational data in real time. In recent years, both airlines and in-flight connectivity service providers have offered a wide variety of perspectives on how high-speed connectivity can be used to stream flight operational data to ground crews or operations bases to inform them of potential aircraft maintenance issues or items that need to be addressed once an aircraft lands.

Viasat for example, features a data sheet on its website explaining how their partnership with Teledyne enables the use of a connected aircraft interface device (AID) to transmit real-time flight data for “enhanced flight and maintenance operations” that the company claims can be done at a lower charge than sending that data over the aircraft communications, addressing and reporting system (ACARS). In April, the Collins Aerospace-sponsored publication Connected Aviation Today featured an interview with a UPS flight operations manager discussing the concept of predictive maintenance.

Airbus also discussed the topic in April for an article published by FAST, their internally distributed online magazine. “The crew can also use the SATCOM to contact the [Airline Operations Center] AOC regarding, for example, an HF system fault message alert during the flight which could impact the next flight dispatch,” the French airplane maker notes in the article.

Wiggins said Spirit is a big believer in the concept but has not yet started using its connectivity to transmit real-time operational data.

“We knew that we wouldn’t be getting engineering data off the aircraft in-flight right away, but as we put the Thales deal in place it already was structured to let us do that,” Wiggins said. “I can already point to a handful of events that I want to know right away that occur on the aircraft that I can transmit down to the destination airports so they can be ready to respond, that reduces our turn time. We have a handful of those, we think right now the potential is tremendous, and it’s going to require a significant amount of data mining, machine learning and discovery. We’re preparing to do that because we think the payoff could be quite huge in terms of aircraft utilization, turn time, and a less disruptive experience for our customers. But the program isn’t built on that.”

The post Spirit Airlines CIO Eyes Use of In-Flight Connectivity to Transmit Flight Operational Data appeared first on Avionics International.

Eve, AMSL Aero, and V-Star Provide eVTOL Development Updates

Eve, AMSL Aero, and V-Star all gave updates on their aircraft designed for the advanced air mobility market in Australia. (Photo: AMSL Aero)

Eve Air Mobility, a subsidiary of Embraer, is one of the leading companies worldwide that is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Rob Weaver, Regulation and Public Policy Global Lead at Eve, shared updates on their aircraft at the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems summit on advanced air mobility (AAM) last week. Andrew Moore,co-founder and CEO of AMSL Aero, and Tony Laws, CEO and co-founder of V-Star Powered Lift Aviation, also discussed updates related to AAM aircraft at the summit.

Eve’s vehicle targets routes of 100 km or less within the urban air mobility market. Rob Weaver remarked that while building an eVTOL is a main focus for the company, they are also currently involved in a number of other activities. “We’re accelerating the entire urban air mobility [UAM] industry,” he said.

“We’re using our skills and experience in aviation for other key roles like services and support. Embraer has a global services and support network to support commercial aircraft, and using that knowledge experience is something we want to offer the entire industry, not just operators of Eve aircraft.”

Air traffic management, or ATM, is incredibly important for the emerging UAM industry, according to Weaver. A new global approach to ATM is necessary to integrate eVTOL aircraft into the airspace—especially those that may be remotely piloted or autonomous in the near future. To that end, Eve is developing software for ATM in urban environments, leveraging Embraer’s expertise in providing air traffic management in Brazil.

Eve’s team is also preparing its aircraft for autonomous operations, during which the eVTOL can carry up to six passengers. Embraer and Eve completed a series of flights earlier this year to test new autonomous system technologies. The two companies collected data via piloted helicopters for Embraer’s Autonomous Systems project and worked with partners including Iris Automation, Near Earth Autonomy, and Daedalean.

Weaver shared that in the past year, four customers in Australia have signed letters of intent (LOIs) for up to 150 of Eve’s eVTOL aircraft, including Sydney Seaplanes and Nautilus Aviation. As of the end of August, Eve had more than 2,000 LOIs for its aircraft.

This week, United Airlines signed a conditional purchase agreement for 200 of Eve’s four-seat electric aircraft plus options to buy an additional 200 eVTOLs.

The current design of Eve’s aircraft includes a conventional wing and tail instead of the vehicle’s previous canard configuration. (Photo: Eve)

In February, Eve announced a new partnership with Skyports to develop a concept of operations for advanced air mobility in Japan that will support the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB).

“We really need regulators and industry globally having a shared vision of what this industry will look like and how it will work,” said Weaver. “We’ve been able to provide our expertise in air traffic management and eVTOLs to help guide that in Japan.”

Weaver pointed to two other significant updates that came from Eve this summer: the unveiling of a full-sized mock-up of its eVTOL’s cabin and a new wing configuration at the Farnborough Airshow, and the announcement that the team will conduct a UAM simulation using Blade Air Mobility’s helicopters this month. The simulation, which is taking place at a heliport facility in downtown Chicago, will occur over three weeks and will include passenger flights.

Developing a cost-effective model is a priority for Eve, said Weaver: “This is about trying to hit a price point where more people can take air mobility as a mode of transport.” Cost is also an important factor for the company AMSL Aero, according to co-founder and CEO Andrew Moore. “It has to be very efficient, both in terms of the capital to develop the aircraft as well as its efficiency in operating costs,” Moore said.

AMSL’s eVTOL, the Vertiia, will have a maximum range of 250 km via electric batteries, but it is also designed to fly up to 1000 km using hydrogen. “We designed it with a focus on long-range from the outset; short range doesn’t get you very far in Australia,” explained Moore. Although its cruising speed will be 300 km per hour, Moore says that that is just a starting point, and AMSL’s team plans to expand that in the near future.

Because the eVTOL designed by AMSL can operate using hydrogen, the aircraft will be able to use existing heliport infrastructure. “That means we can scale operations—or operate at scale—faster or more efficiently” than companies developing eVTOL aircraft that require charging stations.

AMSL has been flying two sub-scale prototypes for the past five years. Currently, said Moore, the team is working to complete the integration and testing that will lead to their full size prototype’s first flight. That flight testing will start later in 2022 in Australia, he shared.

Another enterprise aiming to take a leadership role in the Australian advanced air mobility industry is V-Star Powered Lift Aviation. V-Star is a new company that provides and operates VTOL aircraft for customers in Australia and Oceania. They also provide training and engineering support.

The company’s fleet currently includes the Leonardo AW609 tilt rotor VTOL aircraft with twin engines; the Dufour Aerospace Aero3—a tilt-wing hybrid-electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically; and XTI’s TriFan 600, capable of both vertical and short take-offs and landings.

Powered-lift aircraft like those developed by Dufour Aerospace are capable of efficient flight and vertical take-offs and landing. (Photo: V-Star / Dufour Aerospace)

Tony Laws, CEO and co-founder of V-Star, shared details about the venture’s partnership with the Swiss company Dufour Aerospace during last week’s summit. Through the agreement, V-Star will gain early access to both manned and unmanned aircraft from Dufour.

Although V-Star has only been a registered company since April, “we have been working for a long time on establishing access to these amazingly versatile aircraft,” said Laws. “We want to be a leading player in this field, not just in Australia but Oceania as well.”

The hybrid aircraft that V-Star offers have 70% lower emissions than traditional turbine aircraft. A hybrid VTOL model also comes with lower operating costs and is ideal for longer-range tourism and regional air mobility applications, Laws noted. The smaller electric aircraft are better suited for routes of 100 km or less.

The post Eve, AMSL Aero, and V-Star Provide eVTOL Development Updates appeared first on Avionics International.

United Airlines Invests $15M in Eve, Signs Purchase Agreement for Up To 400 eVTOLs

United has invested $15 million in eVTOL company Eve and has signed a conditional purchase agreement for up to 400 aircraft in total. (Photo: Eve)

United Airlines announced today that it has invested $15 million in Eve Air Mobility. The airline also signed a conditional purchase agreement for 200 of Eve’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and options to buy 200 additional aircraft. These aircraft are expected to be delivered in 2026. United provided a $10 million pre-delivery payment to Archer Aviation, another leading eVTOL developer, last month for 100 of Archer’s aircraft.

One of Eve’s competitive advantages is its connection to Embraer, which includes access to Embraer’s service centers and field service technicians. According to the announcement, United could utilize Eve’s service and support operations for its eVTOL fleet once it has entered into service.

Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures, commented on the announcement, saying that United is the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL companies. “Our agreement with Eve highlights our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important benchmark toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – without using traditional offsets,” Leskinen remarked.

In an emailed statement to Avionics International, a representative from United explained the decision to invest in Eve: “Eve presented a special opportunity because of their unique relation and strategic partnership with Embraer, a company with [a] proven track record of building and certifying aircraft over the company’s 53-year history,” the representative wrote.

“In addition to eVTOL development, they are also working on a suite of support services that could be complementary to our existing portfolio, enhanced by the resources that they can leverage through Embraer.”

As part of the agreement, Eve and United plan to work on future projects such as evaluating the development and use cases of Eve’s eVTOL aircraft as well as the ecosystem for urban air mobility (UAM).

The collaborators may work to develop a concept of operations for a UAM service offering that is specific to a particular market. This would involve determining how to operate successfully based on analysis of the customer experience, regulatory requirements, and operations. Specific actions have not been identified just yet, United’s spokesperson noted.

Andre Stein, Eve’s co-CEO, responded to the announcement about the investment from United, saying that it strengthens Eve’s position in the North American market. “I am confident that our UAM agnostic solutions, coupled with the global know-how we have been developing at Eve and Embraer’s heritage, are the best fit for this initiative, giving United’s customers a quick, economical and sustainable way to get to its hub airports and commute in dense urban environments,” Stein shared.

Urban air mobility creates several opportunities for new aircraft in spite of the regulatory benchmarks in place. The huge market for air taxis will enable many companies to achieve success, the representative from United claimed. “These aircraft have the potential to revolutionize the commuter experience in big cities,” they said. eVTOLs “also reduce noise pollution by 90% compared to helicopters and they are powered by electric batteries, not fossil fuels, which will introduce safer, more sustainable and affordable urban flights.”

The announcement from United and Eve confirmed that the airline will join in Eve’s UAM simulation project, which starts next week. The project involves conducting flights with passengers in Chicago via Blade Air Mobility helicopters to understand the customer experience as well as the ecosystem requirements for eVTOL operations.

An illustration depicting Eve’s planned UAM simulation (Photo: Eve)

The post United Airlines Invests $15M in Eve, Signs Purchase Agreement for Up To 400 eVTOLs appeared first on Avionics International.

Safran Seeks Acquisition of Thales Avionics Electrical Systems and Motors Business

Safran is negotiating a potential acquisition of Thales’ avionics electrical systems and motors businesses. (Photo: Safran Group)

Safran has entered into negotiations with Thales to pursue the acquisition of its avionics electrical systems and avionics electrical motors companies, according to a Sept. 5 announcement by the two French companies.

The proposed acquisition would strengthen Safran’s electric power conversion capabilities, and it includes Thales Avionics Electrical Systems and Thales Avionics Electrical Motors with sites in the U.S., France, and Singapore. In 2021, these two businesses employed nearly 600 people and generated revenues of €124 million for Thales.

The two companies have not disclosed a price for the acquisition by Safran, if it does eventually occur.

“We are delighted with the prospect of joining forces with Thales’s electrical teams, which will give us even greater competences over the electrical chain, thanks in particular to their leading skills in electrical conversion,” Stéphane Cueille, Chief Executive Officer of Safran Electrical & Power, said in a statement. “The complementary nature of our expertise will also enable us to provide the market with ever more relevant and effective solutions.”

The acquisition—if it takes place—would be the latest avionics-focused purchase for Safran, following their acquisition of position, navigation, and timing (PNT) electronics maker Orolia in July. Safran wants to use the two Thales business units to “expand further in the area of electrical power generation, particularly in the defense and helicopter markets,” according to their announcement proposing the acquisition.

The acquisition focuses on acquiring the electrical power conversion capabilities of Thales. (Photo: Quentin Reytinas)

Thales, on its website, notes that both the avionics electrical motors and electrical systems businesses are separate from its other aerospace and avionics businesses that include those developing its cockpit avionics for airliners and business jets as well as in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems. The company wants to use the potential sale to refocus on its core businesses across aerospace and defense, security, and digital identity.

“This project would provide our aeronautical electrical systems teams with an excellent environment in which to develop and would enable them to bring their leading expertise in electrical conversion, power generation and motors to Safran Electrical & Power,” Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President, Avionics of Thales, said in a statement. “In consequence, the proposed acquisition would provide these activities with solid prospects in a market that is showing dynamic growth. More than ever, it would allow Thales to focus on developing its world-class critical avionics solutions.”

Safran expects the acquisition to occur next year.

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Advanced Air Mobility Center in Ohio Will Enable Collaboration between USAF, NASA, Academia, and Industry

The groundbreaking ceremony for the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio took place on Aug. 23, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo / Dennis Stewart)

Construction of a facility for development of advanced air mobility projects began last month in Springfield, Ohio. The National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence, or NAAMCE, is funded by $9.35 million in investments from the city of Springfield, JobsOhio, and the Department of Defense. The groundbreaking ceremony took place during this year’s National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum.

The NAAMCE is intended to facilitate collaboration between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), NASA, industry leaders, and local colleges and universities, along with the Ohio Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center. The facility will support development of projects related to advanced air mobility, including electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, according to the announcement by the AFRL.

In addition to military applications, eVTOLs offer a range of potential use cases such as medical transport and humanitarian and disaster relief missions.

The USAF’s AFWERX program encourages innovations in aerospace such as new and advanced types of aircraft. The program initiated a market research effort targeting development of high-speed VTOL aircraft, awarding a Phase 1 contract to 11 companies including Jaunt Air Mobility, Whisper, Horizon Aircraft, and Bell Textron. The Phase 2 contracts are likely to be awarded in early 2023.

The above photo features Horizon Aircraft’s high-speed VTOL aircraft concept. (Photo courtesy of Horizon Aircraft)

The AFWERX Agility Prime initiative is another example of the USAF’s efforts to encourage developments in commercial eVTOL aircraft through coordination with industry. Agility Prime, according to the AFRL’s release, is “intended to reduce the bureaucratic, regulatory and financial burdens of developing and certifying eVTOL aircraft with the military, NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration.”

During a keynote address at the NAAMCE groundbreaking ceremony, retired Col. Joe Zeis, Aerospace and Defense Adviser for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, remarked that advanced air mobility (AAM) is one of the most transformative technologies in aerospace today. He also added that in order to remain a leader in the aerospace industry, the state of Ohio must facilitate relevant research; establish and grow a STEM-educated workforce; participate in organizational collaborations; and expand installations of federal aerospace facilities.

Bryan Heck, Springfield’s city manager, expressed his confidence in the region’s position as a leader in eVTOL technology. “Springfield is at the cutting edge of a technology that is going to lead us into the future. [NAAMCE] builds on the already existing infrastructure that has taken some time but has quickly taken off.”

Springfield, Ohio, offers existing infrastructure and affordable cost of living, both of which make it an attractive city for the growing AAM industry.

The commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle, spoke during the National AAM Industry Forum about the Air Force’s priorities for developing the next generation of air and space vehicles. “What AFWERX has done with Agility Prime is they have capitalized on the fast-paced industry technology advancements, and they have followed it up trying to nest the military requirement and a piece of it and not hindering in any way the commercial development,” she remarked.

Last month, the USAF awarded a new contract to support eVTOL pilot training developments. The recipient, a company called Aptima, is coordinating with the Air Education and Training Command’s Detachment 62 (Det 62) that supports the Agility Prime program. Aptima has previously worked with the AFRL to develop a technology that can objectively measure pilot performance via flight simulators. Det 62 will assist in researching and determining pilot proficiencies and training requirements specific to eVTOL aircraft.

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Experts Discuss Investment Opportunities for Advanced Air Mobility in Australia

Last week’s Advanced Air Mobility Summit, hosted by the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems, featured discussions on investing in the growing AAM industry in Australia. (Photo: Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems)

Significant investments into advanced air mobility are required to support a growing sector that will include autonomous vehicles, drones, and eventually electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. These vehicles will all operate in the same airspaces. In addition to an air traffic management system that accounts for unmanned aircraft, investment will also be needed for infrastructure development.

The Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems (AAUS) hosted a summit on advanced air mobility, or AAM, last week. Experts from NEXA Capital Partners, Ferrovial Vertiports, and Swinburne University discussed the unique opportunities for investment into AAM in Australia, along with some of the challenges.

Clem Newton-Brown—the CEO of Melbourne based startup Skyportz that aims to develop a network for eVTOLs—remarked during the AAM Summit that future eVTOL operations will require a very capital-intensive investment to establish sufficient ground infrastructure. “We’re after about 400 sites that we have options on,” he remarked in reference to Skyportz.

Newton-Brown and other industry leaders in Australia believe it is urgent to establish the country as an early mover for AAM and to attract OEMs. “We’ve attracted the Wing [drone] delivery service,” he mentioned. “They came here because it was a better spot for them to trial their delivery service than elsewhere.”

He continued: “The danger for Australia is that the [AAM] industry starts in other cities, and the demand for aircraft will be such that we won’t even get our hands on aircraft [in Australia].”

Investment banking firm NEXA Capital Partners identifies and finances early-stage AAM infrastructure, as it has with other aviation industry technologies and initiatives in the past. They are currently looking at the viability and financial strength of different markets for AAM. During last week’s summit, Michael Dyment, Managing Partner at NEXA, commented on the unique ecosystem that Australia offers for eVTOL operations and drone services. “The market represented by some of the cities in Australia, and in particular southeastern Australia, create the opportunity to get ahead of the industry globally,” he explained.

NEXA’s subsidiary for AAM research, UAM Geomatics, has analyzed the AAM business case for the 84 largest cities in the world and identified the industry as a trillion-dollar market.

“The analysis is driven by some very rigorous tools that give us the opportunity to examine the long-term profitability of this new industry sector in given metropolitan areas of the world,” including Sydney and Melbourne, said Dyment.

NEXA used data from UAM Geomatics to forecast the potential revenue from AAM in Sydney, estimating about $4 billion in potential future revenue. AAM ground infrastructure for the city is estimated to require $136 million to establish a complete network, including charging stations and vertiports. Low-altitude air traffic control for Sydney will cost another $100 million in investments.

Dyment remarked that advanced air mobility can be financed largely through private investments. An industry’s revenue to cost ratio is used to indicate how easy it will be to attract private-sector capital. A ratio of at least 2.5 or 3 generally signals that attracting private-sector capital will be easy, he noted.

The role of the government, in contrast, should be to facilitate the regulatory side of things and then allow private capital to fund AAM development, according to Dyment.

Kevin Cox, CEO of Ferrovial Vertiports, commented during the AAM Summit that Ferrovial has created a sophisticated demand model to predict where the best business opportunities will be in regards to transportation and infrastructure. Cox and the company are confident that some eVTOL companies will achieve certification in late 2024 and early 2025.

During the AAM Summit, Kevin Cox, CEO of Ferrovial Vertiports, shared the above chart of some of the top eVTOL developers, according to the company. (Photo: Kevin Cox/Ferrovial Vertiports/AAUS AAM Summit)

Ferrovial Vertiports, which is planning to build a network of vertiports across the U.S. and Europe, is taking an agnostic approach to the eVTOL industry. “We support and converse with all these companies,” stated Cox. “This industry will not take flight without a lot of people working collaboratively together.”

He went on to explain that there are likely three key business models for eVTOL aircraft:

Intra-City: routes less than 50 kilometers, high volumes of operations in densely populated areas (such as Joby)
Intra-Airline: routes between 50 and 150 km, pioneered by helicopter operators
Inter-City: routes up to 300 km, point-to-point operations (such as Lilium)

Kevin Cox also noted the importance of finding cost-effective locations for setting up vertiports. “Allowing for everybody to utilize our vertiport is absolutely critical; we don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” he said. At the same time, it is important to take a more innovative approach in the design of vertiport networks rather than replicating current airport setups. “If it feels, looks, and operates like an airport, then we have failed,” he added.

The Ferrovial Vertiports CEO emphasized the importance of having a long-term vision in mind for innovative concepts before investing millions or billions of dollars into something like the autonomous aircraft that Wisk (and others) are working on.

Advanced air mobility represents a strategic baseline for the future technology economy in Australia, according to Dr. Adriano Di Pietro. He is the director of Swinburne University’s Aerostructures Innovation Research (AIR) Hub, a research and industry collaboration funded by the Victorian government. Dr. Di Pietro remarked that AAM depends on the existing capabilities and ecosystem of the civil aerospace sector. “We have a strong capability here in Australia, and particularly in Victoria,” he said. “We see opportunity in the supply chain, as well as the technology and exports.”

However, he noted, it’s important to look internationally—and particularly from a technology point of view—to ensure the growth of AAM in Australia.

The AIR Hub at Swinburne University developed the AIR Pass program to support prototyping and technology for early-stage aviation and aerospace ventures as well as to provide financial support. (Photo: Dr. Adriano Di Pietro/AAUS AAM Summit)

The AIR Hub supports three main strategies for driving the AAM industry, including creation of a clear policy environment, leadership in key technologies and capabilities, and development and scaling of the market.

The research done at the AIR Hub is industry-led, and designed to benefit industry directly. Some of the partners include Boeing, Quickstep, Cablex, and Marand. “We’re also working with a number of subject matter experts as well as national research partners like ANSTO and Monash University,” Dr. Di Pietro said. They have also formed a partnership recently with NIAR, the National Institute for Aviation Research, at Wichita State University.

“Australia needs coverage and investment across all categories of the ecosystem,” he added. “We need to hone the skills of future engineers and we need a strong supply chain. And we need to fly every day and undertake persistent trials to support AAM here.”

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